Even though this thread has taken a tangent, I've enjoyed reading the discussion. In the end, I did get what I was looking for. I now understand that structural engineering is for structural engineers. Also, I got a couple book recommendations in case I still want to learn about the subject...
Thank you for the additional responses.
I appreciate the reality check from you guys. I kind of sensed that mechanical engineers have no business designing platforms. Unfortunately, management thinks we should be able to design anything mechanical. Regardless, I’ll be sure to avoid...
Thanks for the helpful responses guys!
It sounds like this is more demanding than “Machinery’s Handbook,” for example. As suggested, I will pick up an introductory structural steel design book. Unfortunately, this is a very small part of what my company does, so I doubt they would ever send me...
Hello,
I am a mechanical engineer. I have been designing industrial equipment for the past eight years. I am somewhat of a reference book junky and I recently purchased the AISC STEEL CONSTRUCTION MANUAL (14th Edition). This book seems very useful, but it also seems like it might be over my...
gman89,
There have already been a lot of good posts. Here's some additional advice from my experience.
I have developed a reputation of being "slow, but good." It's better than "fast, but careless;" but it's not a good reputation to have. Being this type of guy, my boss gives me the tasks that...
spongebob007,
Thank you for the detailed post and your helpful insights! I've been so focused on manufacturing companies, that I completely overlooked consulting firms and government labs. Although, I must admit, ever since I read "Great Jobs for Engineering Majors," by Geraldine Garner, 3rd...
KENAT,
Thanks for the lead! You are correct. They have a global research center in upstate NY. Lots of cool openings!
For anyone else looking for similar information, I have found "Hoover's Handbook of American Business" to be a very useful company research tool. They have a print version at...
KENAT/GregLocock,
Thank you for your input. I have done a lot of research since last week. Unfortunately, I have not yet found any large aerospace, defense, or automotive company in the NJ/NYC area. However, I'm still hunting! I did find a lot of big chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical device...
Hello,
I am a mechanical engineer with 7 years of experience designing industrial machinery. I am in the NJ/NY (USA) area. My current job functions are design and project management. The work is not bad, but it's not that technically challenging. The product lines were developed years ago and...
Thanks for all the great posts everyone!
I did our totals and our stats are as follows:
median: 45
mean: 47
That's pretty close to the Design News survey.
I didn't include unclear stats or numbers that appeared to be for part time work.
See attached if you'd...
Zdas04 & Ron,
Thank you very much for your detailed posts!
Zdas04,
I hear the “getting paid for results” comment from time to time and it confuses me. Maybe it depends on what environment you work in. Where I work, there aren’t any live or death situations where something needs to be done at...
I didn’t mean for this forum to take this turn, but now that it has, I’m going to throw my thoughts out there too.
It’s clear that most of you are putting in more than my 45 hours/week. If that’s your choice (or you have to in order to stay competitive), I have no problem with that. However, I...
Hello All,
I recently spoke with an old college friend and he said that he was working 60 to 70 hours per week. I feel this is way above average, but not unheard of. Anyway, this got me thinking...
I see a lot of salary surveys in trade magazines (Machine Design, Design News, etc.), but they...
Mauricestoker:
Out of everyone, you have the most direct experience; you were a teacher and now you are an engineer. How was teaching worse than engineering? Was there anything better about it? I can imagine what you might say, but you might surprise us with more!
Thank you for your posts...
Thanks for the great posts!
moltenmetal: I'm in NJ.
Lburg: Your wife’s experience sounds closest to what my friend was telling me. It almost sounds too good to be true. That’s why I was wondering why more engineers don’t get fed up with the grind and make the switch.
JedClampett: I agree with...
