Do You Use What You Learned in School for Your Job? 40

[Christine74]

How frequently do you find yourself using something that you learned in college and applying to your job as an engineer?

Personally, the only time I use something from school at my job is when I use AutoCAD, which is practically never. Everything else I had to learn on my own. I've certainly never used any calculus, differential equations, FORTRAN, descriptive geometry, or just about any of the other classes I was required to take.

If experience is common, I wonder if all of these classes serve any purpose other than to weed out lazy and/or stupid students from the pool of potential engineers.

How about you? Do you actually use what you learned in school? How important do you feel your education was in training you how to perform your job?

-Christine

 

[SomptingGuy]

Back to the main topic...

I had to formulate a discrete version of a continuous transfer function the other day. Eventually I opened my (hazy) university notes and found them much better than anything I'd read elsewhere. Anyway, we have a new feature in our software's next release that was developed using university lecture notes from 1988.

 

[TheTick]

Two days ago...

Used basic statics to show a designer how to compare relative stiffness and strength of a cantilevered arm made from tubing. Also made a spreadsheet to compare various sections.

Statics 101, but now I look like a demigod.

 

[Twoballcane]

Last week...

Calculated the Overall Coefficien of Heat Transfer for a heat exchanger (using the logarithmic temperature difference)that we needed and also proved to other MEs that an exhaust with vains that the air will actually come out faster not slow down using Bernoulli Equations.

This week...
Will dive into random vib where Ill start calclating the frequancies, deflections, stresss, and strains using hand calcs and vib data.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[IRstuff]

Sure, I used a Schwarz-Christoffel transform, once, about 25 years ago. Since then, I've used stuff from classes I didn't take.

The big question is really whether or not your education gave you a decent foundation for doing engineering. Do you have the mathematical skills to understand the equations for calculating Reynolds' numbers, heat coefficients, and power spectral densities.

You don't have to be doing this all the time, but the question is whether you can when it's required.


TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[Twoballcane]

I agree with you IRStuff. When you do analysis you should always try to correlate with somthing else to make sure your moving in the right direction. For my fluids last week I correlated with Flotherm using their recirculater. For my random vib it will be a cross between hand calcs, vib data and ProM.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[Mrbobbyjoe]

Calculus 2 & 3 and physics was important so I can know what the heck those triple integrals meant when engineering equipment and that hoop stress wasnt a basketball rim. Haha, but on a serious note...it just wouldnt feel right to have a science in engineering degree without those courses learned.

 

[IRstuff]

Hah! I just answered a question with "do a double integral."



Although, that was learned in high school, and not college...

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[swivel63]

everyday

though, if someone asks for a differential equation i'll break out into hives.