It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)
Despite the simplification of lower-level analysis tools most companies still have dedicated analysts to do the heavy lifting. Some of those analysts even get away with refusing to do design updates and optimizations, every failure becomes a painful process involving a design engineer updating CAD, sharing files, and another round of analysis. The person who knows what needs done isnt the one doing.
I worked as an ME supporting an analysis group of over 20 analysts. There were zero "FEA engineers". There were material scientists and thermodynamics experts and mechanical engineers with advanced degrees (mostly Ph. D.s, fewer MSs). They used FEA to solve and analyze problems.
