Getting the first job

[Pmatherne]

hi,
I have been reading these forums on and off over the last 4 years while I got my degree in Mechanical Engineering. Hopefully I am not violating any of the posting rules by posting this
Now that I am a graduate I am wondering is there anything I can do that will set myself apart from the rest of the graduates across the country in finding a job. So far the only thing I can think of is, I have passed the FE exam and should get my license number in 2 months
I already have an IT degree and in that field it was commonplace for someone who just graduated to do some open source work to build up a portfolio. Is this possible in engineering?
I have been thinking of taking up programming again and just make a few calculators in visual basic or some other language. Would that be a good idea?
Also I still have access to my schools computer labs should I go back and self teach myself programs like SolidWorks, Ansys, or Matlab?
I was able to get an internship during school, but I mainly did drafting the entire time. It did give me some exposure to the engineering field, but I am not sure it was enough to set me apart.

 

[Ron]

"Open source" work as an independent would not be recommended at this stage in your career. You need to be in a job where you can get appropriate mentoring and work toward your PE.

Congratulations on passing the FE. That's a big step, but many other graduates have done so as well.

Your IT background should serve you well, particularly in areas where you might immediately contribute (process controls,etc.)

Good luck.

 

[HDS]

There are open source FEA packages ect out there. They would welcome your contributions and you might be able to build a portfolio with it. It would at least show your aren't wasting your time.

Learning other software packages is a good idea but you will need to be good at using them not just familiar for it to get you a job.

The best way to set yourself apart is to know what you want to do.

 

[ornerynorsk]

Solidworks will be extremely useful to you. This is very worthwhile, and does take some time to become proficient in. Also, I would try to snag some "field trips" with plant managers of various manufacturing firms. It gets you out into the mix and you will be adding some valuable assets to your network. Doesn't even have to be firms that are related to your interest.

 

[Pmatherne]

Well I am still not 100% which area I want to go into. I know I did best in the fluids/thermodynamics area.
My internship was with an oil and gas consulting firm and that work did not seem too bad.
I also like the HVAC field. All of my electives I took touched on that field in some way or another so I am pretty familiar with that field

The manufacturing side of things, I did not really care for. But that could have been because of the way we were presented it. I do like using the 3d modeling packages, mainly as a hobby. I find it interesting to see what I can build

 

[MechEng2005]

Congratulations on the (soon upcoming I presume) graduation and the FE.

The value of being proficient in Solidworks, Ansys, and Matlab will vary with any employer. I might suggest becoming comfortable with the basics of each, so you can reasonably say that you have some experience. Going beyond the basics, IMHO, is probably not worth your time. Again, different employers will value skills in different software packages differently, so you don't want to waste a bunch time. Also, being self-taught will make any knowledge hard for a potential employer to verify. Certainly an employer may accept that you have some self-taught experience, but they may question your honesty if you proclaim to be a wizard (even if it is true).

To set yourself apart from other graduates, I might suggest doing some volunteer work or "hobby-type" engineering. Get involved in appropriate groups (i.e. ASME). Building a robot in your garage may not be of much value to the HR person, but if you get to the interview, the other engineers may take an interest and remember you.

Also, we recently had our on-site IT person laid-off. We have a "consultant" we can contact by phone, but that's not much use for the "my mouse suddenly stopped working" problems. Luckily we have an drafter that was able to take over some of the issues that arise. I think by having a background in IT, you have already set yourself apart to some degree. As software becomes increasingly advanced, it is definately a benefit. I have written more spreadsheets to do calculations than solved problems with calculus in my (short) career.

-- MechEng2005

 

[ScottyUK]

Based on what you enjoy / can do well, what about something like performance engineering for the power industry? Its a relatively secure industry, relatively well paid, and the performance guys seem to get exposure to more aspects of the business than most so they have a good overall understanding of the industry and as a result they often seem to rise to senior positions.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[PJones]

With a degree in Mechanical and an IT background, I would take all the classes in PLC programming you can get. You would be an instant field-service engineer and in relatively high demand.

(In my opinion...)

And yes, I know there's more to being a field-service engineer!

 

[Pmatherne]

Thanks for the information. I was reading a post on CNN and they were saying that only 19% of graduating students have a job out of college. So it does look like I am not the only one in this predicament.

I am active with the local chapter of ASHRAE, but no one is hiring or they are looking for people with experience..
Hobby-Engineering is something I would like to get into, but I really do not know where to start. Though I have been curious about the Lego Mindstorm stuff.

I do like building objects in Cad programs, but not sure if I want to do it for a living. More of a hobby, I like to do architectural designs like buildings. I use to create levels for video games as a hobby. It was fun,

PLC programming seems interesting. I looked at some tutorials I found online and it does not seem too hard to learn that language. Just wondering how well does a engineer who does that type of work do. Or what to look for to get a job description

What exactly is performance engineering? I did some searches on it and most of what I could find was related to software engineering

 

[ScottyUK]

This ad will probably give you a flavour: Performance Engineer job.

Just in case it has gone before you read it, here's the (possibly) interesting bit:

"Our client is looking for a Thermal Performance Engineer with 7-15+ years of power plant thermal performance modeling experience. You need a BSME or BSChE degree and a strong background with thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and statistics. You will be expected to develop and maintain thermal performance models that translate detailed operating characteristics covering all aspects of plant equipment into useful information. This information is used to support business decisions that impact fleet economic dispatch, production planning, performance monitoring, plant betterment, and equipment availability. You will assist plant managers, commercial managers and energy traders in understanding plant operating characteristics to help optimize the profitability of the company. You will assist plant operations by providing expertise in the area of the thermal performance modeling. This may include the identification and quantification of operational enhancements to the plant equipment or operating cycle. You will assist in the development and implementation of power plant performance monitoring and data validation system(s). You need to have experience with thermal performance applications such as EPRI’s Performance Monitoring Workstation, Westinghouse’s EnergiTools, PowerGen’s PROATES, or a similar tool. You need experience with steam turbines, cooling systems, instrumentation, data acquisition/archival techniques, and error propagation. You should have some experience with gas removal systems. Client prefers candidates local to California, but is willing to provide relocation for the right candidate. Our client offers excellent medical benefits, 401k, performance bonus, and a relocation package."

And it's not my company and I'm not trying to recruit!


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[Pmatherne]

The add is still there. Wish I had the experience to land that job though. That is a type of job I think I would like,
I have had a class that dealt somewhat with that. The class was called Energy Management. I remember at the end we were looking at flue gasses and how to improve efficiency.
I will look into that software and see if I can find a demo version to get some experience on it.
One thing that does still amaze me is how many different sub-fields of engineering there is. Real hard to choose just one when you like 5 or 6 of them

 

[cry22]

Try "engineers without borders" in your area for exposure.

 

[romulus2009]

Remember not all engineering positions require SOlidWorks, MATLAB etc.

It takes roughly 2000 hours to get proficient in any CAD software package, but some companies require specific CAD packages, so if you spend 2000 hours on the wrong package, yes, you can still do CAD, but the HR manager and/or engineers interviewing you might just see black and white, and if they have 10 other candidates that know the exact CAD software and you dont, then more than likely they'll chuck you resume away and move to the next guy.

Sometimes all you need is Excel, PDF and Word in some engineering positions.

Having said this, do what you like doing. If you like CAD, research the most common CAD packages in your particular field, pick one, and just go with it.

For example in Aerospace you either do CATIA V5 or Pro/E. You can't really go wrong if you become good at one of these and want to go into Aerospace. Solidworks, not so much. But each industry is different.

GL

 

[PeterStock]

Our company does Aerospace but we use UG/NT. Your best bet is if you can find out what a company you want to work for uses and learn that if you can. (We also use Pro/E.)

Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services

 

[Dezynebedor]

I know exactly how you feel Pmatherne, I was in your shoes this time 2 years ago. I went on as many interviews as possible in various fields of engineering. Each one gave me a bit of perspective until I was able to narrow my choices. I also learned what many employers where looking for and spent ALL my free time building those skill sets. It finally landed me a good job about 15 months ago. I hope this helps you some. p.s. Statistics show it takes the average engineering grad 9 months to get thier first job. Keep the faith, don't lose hope.

 

[Pmatherne]

Well I think I struck gold, so to speak
I was able to get hired on as a contract worker, with the possibility to go full time. I think I won over one of the owners, but the interview with the other owner lasted about 2 minutes. He looked at my resume said I had no skills or experience in HVAC then walked out.

So come Monday I get a chance to prove how good I am. I am hoping to impress the bosses to be hired on fill time in 3 months

 

[shamsdebout]

That is good man, I just started a new job after having being layed off, it took me a month to find a new one, you will be fine after this as you will get more experience.

 

[lowedogg]

HVAC is a great field to take advantage of the rising "energy economy". Good luck with your new position. Take advantage of the opportunity. As an entry level engineer, you should try to identify a mentor as soon as you can. Try to learn as much as possible about specific tasks, but also pay attention to the overall project delivery process. You must master each task, but three years from now, you will stand out from your peers if you can grasp the big picture. Pick a specific process and become the go-to guy for that particular calculation, just be careful not to get yourself pigeonholed. work hard. pay attention when senior engineers explain something to you. write your questions down and go to the senior guys with a list once or twice a day, do not come back every 5 minutes. if you get stuck, get help. it is in their interest to keep you efficient. have fun.

 

[Pmatherne]

Thanks for the input.
I have been trying to learn as much as I can at work and on my own. Just wondering if there is any good book I can use.
Not sure what part of the MEP I like the most and would want to try and specialize in. I might look at plumbing, from what I have seen at work, there is no one who is specialized in that area. The last person who did the plumbing retired