high school senior needs info on career in automotive engineering

[carpassion]

Hi im not sure if this a good place to post, but I would really appreciate the help. Im a senior in high school. I'm planning on going to Purdue University in Indiana where I will enter the PIE program: dual degree consisting of mechanical engineering and german studies. Its a 5 year program and in the 5th year i do an internship in Germany. The info i have gathered is quite vague but it does say the program is for those seeking careers in automotive engineering and others. interning for a german auto company would be such an awesome experience. Back to the point, how did you guys enter the automotive industry? Did you study mechanical engineering or automotive engineering (Im a little confused here; was under the impression mechanical would consist of automotive. would like to be enlightened).

Finally, as a senior Im just taking trigonometry pulling a B- and physics pulling an A-. Many of my friends are taking AP calculus and AP physics and are doing well grade wise. Am I still a good candidate for such a rigorous career?

Feedback is much appreciated. thanks,
-Josh

 

[scuffedup]

My son just started school last semester on his way towards a ME degree. Georgia Tech has a program where he can go to a local university to get alot of his cores out of the way before he finishes the last 2 years at GT. I hope we made the right decisions in doing this as there has not been alot of information locally to draw off of. He has always done very well in math and physics, and also did very well on the state level and national level engineering compititions. He is really considering completing a 4 year degree in physics before going to for the final 2 at Tech. His grand plan is to work as an engineer then teach physics when he retires.

I tell you all this to ask if yall have any advice on his plans. I am interested to know if others feel he is taking the correct path. He had a scholership to Mercer University but it wasn't a full ride which made that school very cost prohibitive.

I have been an automotive technician all my life. Had I known about other careers in my younger days I would have headed the mechanical engineering route. I guess I am responsible for his decision as he used to help me when he was younger and we always discussed other oppertunities in the automotive field.

Thanks for any insight you can give me.

 

[GregLocock]

Sounds like a reasonable plan. Make sure he realises how important good grades are right the way through uni - it is really hard to pick up once you've missed the basics. 6 years at uni may be a bit rough , I was itching to get out after two and a bit. Try and get an internship.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[JOJOMO]

scuffedup,

I am finishing up on my master's at GT right now in ME. I was in a similar situation as your son. I started at UGA studying physics and transferred to GT after 2 yrs. Basically, I love physics, but thought (still think) that it is much harder to find a job w/ a physics degree. I may be wrong, but it seems the normal path for them was PhD to teaching/research at a university. Not for me.

As far as his plans, they'll probably change. I do think he's making a good decision. I have no regrets starting somewhere else and finishing up at GT. The social scene here kind of stinks in my opinion. I got all my "partying" out of my system at UGA. It will by quite a transition. His coursework will be harder, but if he's smart he'll be fine.

I have a couple of suggestions:

1)Co-op - It has made a world of difference in my interview process. Firstly, I think I've landed some interviews simply because I have some real and good work experience on my resume. Also, it's a nice break from classes and you get some extra $. I worked for Bose in Framingham, Ma. The travel there and back every other semester for about 2 yrs. stunk, but I gained so much experience.

2)Get good grades. My gpa is pretty exceptional I think anyway. I had a 3.8 undergrad and about a 3.5 grad gpa. It looks good to employers.

3)Join a club working on cars. There's several geared towards ME's. I'm in wreckracing. Look them up on google. There's others, but that seemed to suit me the best.

 

[scuffedup]

John
Thanks, it's great to find somebody with some actual experiance with GT. We had also looked at Southern Poly but I wasn't sure it would carry the same weight as GT with prospective employeers.

 

[scuffedup]

Greg

Thanks for your input. I also think 6 years is a bit much.

 

[scuffedup]

John

I have a question about co-op. Does the co-op time count towards credits for graduation or does it just extend the amount of time to graduate?

Thanks

Greg Daniels

 

[JOJOMO]

No course credit. You can get a co-op degree. Though I didn't. I only worked three semesters. Now they want 5 I think to get a "Co-op" degree, but, at least in my opinion, the work experience is what's important.

It took me 5 yrs to get my undergrad with 1 yr working (every other semester including summer for 2 yrs.) I'd definitely say it's worth it as you have real experience to talk about in interviews.

One might try a summer internship, but I wouldn't think you would be able to get much real experience in that short a time. It really wasn't until my second term that I had any sort of real engineering responsibility.

 

[GregLocock]

I don't think it is possible to overemphasise internships. They make a good change from coursework, you see real applications of what you are learning, and you get experience.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[patprimmer]

I studied part time.

It took a long time, but was never really a chore as it was directly related to my work, and as such was much more interesting than hypothetical application given at school.

The real world interest and application makes the study easier and more significant and the real work experience is gained before being qualified.

The work is also more interesting as the study, theory and understanding often directly relates to current work.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[scuffedup]

I have wished many times over that I had gone to school for ME. But at my age with 3 kids ranging from 18-4 there just is not a way. Years ago I was approached about going to work for Jeep, but being an auto tech with no college I didn't think I would fit in. Back in those days the techs in the field helped come up with answers to problems that occured after manufacture. I really enjoyed that, but after Chrysler bought Jeep they didnt really seem to need us except for repairs.

I guess thats why I instilled engineering in my sons mind because it was a dream I missed. Oh well we live and learn. But I have been picking up lots of information here. You folks have got it going on!

Greg Daniels