Does this career exist?

Question

I am a Texas Tech student. When I began my study of engineering, I had dreams of staying stable in a city(not moving from place to place) and solving unique problems. I wanted to create models and run experiments with them. Above all else, I want to design and create actual machines without spending hours on end making hundreds of 2-D drawings for a seemingly small project or having to stare at the drawings of others. I want to work with my hands and my mind, where someone would ask me to create a machine to perform certain tasks and I pull ideas together, create prototypes, and mix and match ideas to come up with the best possible choices. Does this career exist? How would I find it? If getting a masters(which I am very willing) is necessary, then what path should I take? Thank you everyone for your help

I am a mechanical engineering major at Texas Tech. When I began my study of engineering, I had dreams of staying stable in a city(not moving from place to place) and solving unique problems. I wanted to create models and run experiments with them. Above all else, I want to design and create actual machines without spending hours on end making hundreds of 2-D drawings for a seemingly small project or having to stare at the drawings of others. I want to work with my hands and my mind, where someone would ask me to create a machine to perform certain tasks and I pull ideas together, create prototypes, and mix and match ideas to come up with the best possible choices. Does this career exist? How would I find it? If getting a masters(which I am very willing) is necessary, then what path should I take? Thank you everyone for your help

Answer 1

If you want to make machines or other mechanical objects, you will be spending many many hours in 3D CAD and modeling programs such as ProE. You will be writing requirements documents. You will be statusing project details. And you will oversee and sometimes conduct testing. As an engineer, I don't care what field it is, your primary job is to design things. Design is 90% paper/computer work, and 10% actually touching something. A technician or union worker will actually make your creation. You will write test procedures. Sometimes a tech will perform the actually testing, sometimes you will. Then, you analyze the results to determine what went wrong and go back and refine your design. It's one of the most painful lessons we engineers make. After spending all those years (and money) in college thinking we'll have our hands on all this cool stuff, turns out most of your time is doing all the work that actually leads up to doing the cool stuff. But, you will love it. Trust me and good luck.

Answer 2

I would start to contact large specialty shops that design machines. You might like working for an automation shop that makes special machines to handle problems. I would also invest in learning either ProE or SolidWorks both are 3-D modeling that have the capability of finite element analysis. You could have to travel to install your machinery and train the people to use it. Most companies have some type of R&D engineer to do work like this. I would try to see if just an undergrad degree will get you into the door if not, than go for your masters. I would also talk with your career center about co-oping in a company that does what you are talking about to gain experience ahead of time.

Answer 3

well

if you want to get paid for what you do, some of it won't be fun

I have been an engineer for 25 years and I have lived in the same small town for the last 20

I do lots of stuff, some of which is a big pain and some of which is cool

Some of my work involves designing machinery

If you want to do only what you want, and have control of things from beginning to end, you will almost certainly have to be self employed. Thomas Edison built Menlo Park and started doing what he wanted his way, after he had worked for years as a telegraph operator and finally sold a patent (developed in his off work hours) that gave him a stake to start on his own.

If you work for the man, he takes most of the risks, and the work will be more segmented and less like your dream. If you work for yourself, you take all the risks and maybe you don't eat but you do it your way.

Answer 4

yeah is call product design. Some are listed under industrial design. I am a product designer my self, not an engineer. I have to solve problem all day long, create prototypes, sketch, research...

Answer 5

You likely should investigate rapid prototyping. A solid general engineering background (masters?) should help. Check other links. Good luck.