Jr. Mech. Engineer Career Advice - Stay in it or Transition to Computer Eng/Science? 9

[nisli-a]

Hey all,

I've been working as a jr. mechanical engineer for almost 2 years now. I'm starting to become anxious about my future as I kind of came to the realization that I suck at this type of work. I've always excelled more with programming and computer engineering related subjects, but physical/mechanical pursuits have always been a struggle for me. Yet I chose this degree to improve my understanding of concepts I wasn't good at because of stubbornness or some other stupid reason.

Now I'm almost 2 years in and I haven't felt less unhappy about my choice. I notice that I'm not that quick on picking up on mechanical concepts at work and I'm worried that my career is going to suffer because I was stubborn in proving to myself that I can do something I am not good at. I'm afraid that I will be more of a human wiki on how to fix CAD models or some other simulation, rather of moving up and being more senior positions.

I was thinking of doing a master's in computer science or computer engineering, but being a mechanical engineering grad kind of puts me at a disadvantage with the lack of coursework in those fields. COVID made it difficult to develop a relationship with any of my professors as all my courses were asynchronous, so I don't know if I will get any reference letters from anyone to even begin to apply to a master's.

Not really sure what to do at this point and I feel like time is running out. I'm just looking for other's experience and possibly some advice. I appreciate everyone who read through this cringey post, thank you.

TL;DR Mech eng grad regrets his choice in degree and wants to move into computer engineering/computer science

 

[SWComposites]

So go for it. There is NO point in being unhappy in your job. Life is too short.

If you need to, take some prerequisite computer courses at your local community college or university. And you can start the master's while you are still working to see how things go.

Oh, and get your finances in order before you quit your job (e.g. get out of debt).

Another thing, can you transfer to a programming job in your current company? maybe you could apply your ME skills to developing codes your company needs.

 

[nisli-a]

@SWComposits

Thanks for the words, I'm trying to talk to the university nearby about graduate admissions. So far I've only gotten boilerplate responses (go figure). On your last point, that's what my focus has been recently. I enjoy applying mechanical or physical principles to code, as that is interesting. Unfortunately we are a small company and I've been on a mechanical design project for the past half year. I've been told that I would be put in more programming heavy roles as I am one of the only people in the company with programming experiences, but we'll see.

I will start trying to get reference letters from some profs that would be helpful, and seeing if they would be willing to write a good one for me. Thanks again for your words.

 

[SWComposites]

In my experience, its best to not wait for someone to assign you the programming jobs. Assuming you are not working 10 hr days and overloaded beyond that, you should have some bits to time to figure out what is needed at your company, who needs it, and just take on some programming tasks without being asked to do so. I've always operated on the principal "don't ask permission and only forgiveness if really needed"; of course one has to be smart about this, but often management doesn't really know what is needed. Once people see how your programming skills can benefit them and the company, more of that work will flow to you.

 

[GregLocock]

Our CAE section had a shopping list of scripts that needed writing. On the rare occasions one of us had spare time we'd knock out a nice gui driven app instead of the more usual day to day good enough to get the job done scripts.

Two years in you are expected to make a positive contribution, but I, at least, would be checking your work before it was released. There's no shame in changing direction 2 years in, half of me thinks everybody should try 3 different jobs and industries in their 20s.



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[MintJulep]

You wrote:

I've always excelled more with programming and computer engineering related subjects

However, you wrote that sentence in the middle of a paragraph that describes poor past decision making.

So, who besides you has made an assessment of your programming skills? Being able to write simple programs that "work" is not the same as being an actual programmer. Undergrad computer science and programming courses teach how to plan and write programs that work under all conditions and are maintainable and expandable.

Your post here shows a willingness to make a self-evaluation and ask for advice - that's good! Use this thread to start an actual evaluation of your options before jumping into a new unknown.

 

[HVAC-Novice]

Are you able to program some things for you current job or employer? You can automate many mundane things. if nothing else, it may help you learn more programming.

I have no idea if a degree is important for programming jobs. You probably should ask in a computer forum.

Do NOT take any courses before you know they actually will be accepted for any degree you want to pursue.

 

[SWComposites]

Do not have any regrets over your ME degree. It is the ticket into many areas within and beyond engineering. There are probably 499 different specialties within the ME field. A significant portion of engineers take different career paths than originally planned. Its ok.

You might not even need a MS degree to get into programming. Look into specific classes, certificate programs, etc. And self study - seems you are young, you have nights and weekends open to learn new things.

 

[nisli-a]

Hey all,

Thank you to all who replied. It brings me comfort knowing that my anxiety is overblown, and everything could end up being ok. SWComposites, the point on not waiting around for work to be assigned to me hit the nail on the head. There are tons of small jobs in the company that can be improved via automation or some sort of programming. Not something that I should do during work hours but in my own time, showing them that I have more value elsewhere.

@MintJulep: Yep. My entire reasoning behind mechanical engineering was to move into mechatronics and focus all my technical electives in controls/electrical. Perhaps moving towards the defense industry or being able to move towards robotics. However, COVID saw the slashing of a lot of options for my 4th year, leaving me with a purely mechanical degree with 1 digital systems course. I don't want to blame COVID for my decision, but it was an influential force in guiding me to where I am now in HVAC. Luckily, there are opportunities in the company that can see my programming skills being used.

If I were to weigh the options, the most logical would be to stay at the company and keep developing my coding backbone, and see about doing the required undergraduate courses in comp sci/comp eng in order to apply for a master's. It's going to be really difficult trying to balance those two, but I might be able to figure it out.

Thanks for the responses all.

 

[Heaviside1925]

I have a classmate from college, both of us got our ME degrees. I now do mainly electrical and controls engineering because early on, I taught myself controls engineering and programming. He on the other hand, bumped around from ME job to ME job for 10 years. He also taught himself coding. I'm not downplaying the importance of a computer science degree but with his ME and coding ability, he landed a job at a very large software company (I can share the name if it makes any difference). He started off as a software engineer and within 5 years was a senior software engineer leading a team. 15 years later, now in his 40's, his stock options gave him the ability to quit his job and now does gig jobs that he wants to do while traveling the world. I know this is anecdotal, but in his case, it was possible to have an amazing career in software engineering with only a ME degree and the ability to code.
Moral of the story, an ME gives you the ability to get into a vast number of fields, even if the rest of your abilities are self-taught.

 

[SWComposites]

There are tons of small jobs in the company that can be improved via automation or some sort of programming. Not something that I should do during work hours but in my own time, showing them that I have more value elsewhere. Er, I disagree, maybe you teach yourself generic coding in your own time, but if you are developing specific code for company use there is no reason that should not be on company time.

 

[GregLocock]

I usually get downvoted on reddit for saying this but an engineering degree should leave you with two things - a toolbox of techniques that may have some application in the real world, and the ability to teach yourself.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[SWComposites]

I concur with Greg. An engineering degree is the foundation needed for problem solving and for a lifetime of learning.

 

[CWB1]

My entire reasoning behind mechanical engineering was to move into mechatronics and focus all my technical electives in controls/electrical....Unfortunately we are a small company...

So do it. College courses are a broad overview at best and unnecessary for a degreed ME to do anything within a ME dept, most of us are self-taught in at least a few subjects. If your current employer isnt providing more opportunities to follow your interests than you have time for, then find a new employer. Generally larger companies provide more opportunities bc they have more resources - more (& research) depts, more specialization, more unlimited-seat software packages, more training, etc. Find a mechatronics, calibration, simulation, or other dept and they will train you as a junior engineer.

Frankly, pursuing another expensive degree is silly IMO bc you might discover that you "suck" (your word) at programming too, end up deeper in debt, and be in a similar career-position in a few years.