I am a 50 yr old Steel Fabricator in school for Mech Engineering .Any suggestions?

Question

Work with prints and drawings for 25+ yrs. structural,mechanical automotive,etc... done a lot of on site modification of drawings and prints for engineers and cad users.I used2 and3 point perspective. visualization of fit,lot of sketching.I want to make the drawing now, not just the visualizations and sketched revisions for the engineers.Any basic GOALS I might start with in school? I am in 2nd semester Mech Engineering. NEED SOME SERIOUS INPUT,Thanks

Answer 1

I'm a 52 yr old materials engineer that has worked in the metals shop, so I'll give you the benefit of my experience.

- You need to target what industry/area/discipline you want to work in, not get a general education and THEN start looking. It's possible to go around asking your eventual employers what they want in an employee/contractor (without asking for a job at this point).

- Based on the results of asking a bunch of questions you can form some goals. Here's the problem: if you decide you want to do 3D CAD drawings on, say, Pro-Engineer, but none of the potential employers use that design package, why would you learn something you won't use? If they are using Solid Works, or Unigraphics, or Autodesk Inventor, you need to get some serious time on those platforms, even if they don't offer it in school. I figure a design needs at least 6 months experience (or a couple of hundred drawings) before they will be efficient on the platform; and I don't want to pay for their education! I'll just look over the resumes until I can find someone who has the right experience and hire them, so you really need to find out what your potential employers are looking for and set that as your goal.

- Learning how to do the drawings takes longer than it looks, depending on what the requirements are. If it is just a fab drawing it doesn't have to be too fancy, but if it an engineering drawing, it is a legal document and needs to be bullet-proof. You'll need to complete not only the drafting courses, but also the Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GDT) courses. Most colleges don't require or teach these classes, but you can't be empowered to do designs for customers if you don't know how to conform to the legal requirements. Check out your college and take the classes if you can, or find them outside the college if you must - I won't teach you on the job. Most colleges don't put an emphasis on this because they are focused on the core classes, and they figure you can get this on your own if you need it (you WILL if you intend to make a living doing drawings). All these classes (basic/advanced/GDT) will take 2-3 years to complete.

- The CAD classes are probably the easiest thing to complete, but I've found that if I don't use the software every day, I'll forget how to use it really, really quickly. You need to find a way to use the software a lot. Working as a lowly designer in some firm as an assistant to another engineer is a good way to get experience, or give your business card out with the local machine shops and let them know you're willing to do drawings cheap provided the expectation level isn't too high - anything to get some experience with the software.

- If you're going for a BS in Mechanical Engineering, you've got very little time to get the drafting experience. Just look at your free time: 3 months in the summer for 4 years (1 year total), and maybe you'll have a little free time in your freshman year. By the time you get to your sophmore year, the courses start getting tough and you'll need to study hard. In your junior and senior years you'll spend 3-4 hours studying outside for every hour in class, so you'll be going to school ~80 hours/week. Forget part-time work during school, you'll be struggling to get enough sleep. This means that your summers need to be occupied with drawing/drafting classes/employment, because they weren't really offered in my school. Some schools (like San Jose State) specialize in drafting degrees, but that isn't a mechanical degree.

- If you really think you're going to get a BS ME, you should also seriously try to get your Professional Engineering (PE) certificate, especially if you go out on your own as a designer. It looks great at the end of your name when you're trying to market yourself, and is much cheaper than a MS or PhD to get. You'll need to apprentice under a PE mechanical engineer for 5 yrs before your can take your exam. If you aren't going to get a BS, then just go for an AA in drafting - that's all I require for drafting technician positions.

Answer 2

Remember that school is not just for education - it is a filter. The fit survive - the rest go to law school.

I like this. You're not one of those kind of guys that tell me my designs suck and that you could do a better job...?

Engineering has very little to do with drawings. Engineering is professional problem solving. The schooling gives you a bigger tool kit from which to select your solutions than a lot of the shade tree mechanics out there who think they are engineers.

You will constantly add to that tool kit every day for the rest of your career. So - learn how to learn. It starts by realizing how much all of us don't know about things.

Drawings are one of the ways you communicate with the people who must help you implement your solution. Engineering is a very, very people-oriented job. There are some that think it is all tech and analysis - these guys don't do very well. The better you are with people and communications, the better you will do.

Use your industry experience where you can to ask questions of your professors - many of whom have industry experience. Demand good answers from them, and teach them with what you know.

They'll love you for it (they will - trust me).

Answer 3

Some persons are perverts, however I consider so much of them are simply making a foul try at establishing a talk with more youthful persons. Until you understand for certain, simply chalk it as much as deficient social competencies.

Answer 4

You have a long way to go. Focus on problem solving skills, math, pacing yourself, having some fun.