What do engineers do?

Question

ive been kicking around being a engineer b.c im good at math and at science but i have looked on what they do and no one comes out with it and tells me what they do on an average day so if someone would tell me on an average day what would a engineer do......

Answer 1

In general, an engineer figures out how to apply scientific laws to practical applications.

For example, someone can figure out how much a steel beam of such-and-such thickness can support; a civil engineer can take that knowledge and design a bridge.

A physics professor can figure out that some materials conduct electricity only part of the time (semi-conductors); an electrical engineer can figure out how to build a transistor and use it to amplify radio signals.

A chemist can figure out the "triple point" of water; a chemical engineer can figure out how to use that to remove caffeine from coffee to make decaf.

A scientists asks, "What is it?" -- an engineer asks "How does it work?" -- a technician asks "How can I build it?" -- a liberal arts major asks "Do you want fries with that?"

Answer 2

Engineers apply science and math to real life situations and technology.

To describe exactly what a typical engineer does in a day is very difficult because it varies a lot, depending on the job and type of engineer.

An electrical engineer designs control systems and circutry as well as anything magnetic field related for all sorts of applications. A computer engineer will frequently be working in an office designing either hardware or software most commonly for industry.

A mechanical engineer also spends much time in the office, but may also visit on site to places, and they generally analyze and design machines, automobiles, manufacturing systems, fluid machinery, simple structures, etc.

A civil engineer spends more time on site than either of the other two major classifications, and they generally design and analyze static structures like bridges, buildings and roads.

Now within those basic classifications there are millions of subclassifications of engineers, as well as other types that cannot be put into any of those categories. Nevertheless, here is an overview of what types of engineers there are as more of a career description:

Most engineers end up being design engineers in some way. This means that they generally get hired to design something in particular for a company. They spend most their time tweaking designs to be optimized for efficiency, economy, speed, etc.

Another career path is in research and developement, or R and D. These engineers get hired mainly to develop new technology, keeping their companies on the cutting edge. They must not only creatively make something new, but must also justify that it is an improved technology. I personally think this area is the most interesting career path in engineering.

Another career path is Consulting, in which a company will contact a consultor to fix a major problem they are having or save another engineering project that they currently have. Consultors main job is to point out exactly what the technical problem is, and then produce a solution to it. This tends to be a difficult fied, and usually only experienced engineers land jobs here.

Sorry if this was too vague for you, but if you want anything more specific you should research specific engineering fields as it is a huge area.

Answer 3

The others are all correct. Some of us design, others maintain and repair, and some do research. If in doubt, go for mechanical engineering, it's the most universal and your math skills will come in handy. Avoid computer or software, since every 13 year old masters that (and all other engineers too that you'll be competing against for that first job). If you can spend hours playing with LEGOs, or like to take apart a fully operational piece of equipment (just to see what's inside) you're an engineer in training. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Well I can tell you from my perspective I guess.... (some of the above answers are a little strange and don't sound like they are from Engineers)

I am a water process engineer, and I work in a small company that does projects. My company designs and builds water treatment plants to make drinking water safe to drink and also makes some equipment that is used in the mining industry.

My job involves

-a bit of project management - which is basically making sure that when we have a project that all the little tasks that are going on are happening at the right time and not costing too much. This involved talking to alot of various suppliers and making sure they know what we want and that things are going to be delivered on time and to budget.

- a bit of design. Doing calculations and drawings to make sure that the equipment we are going to build is going to work well (this is by far the coolest task - you get to "invent" stuff and see your little baby getting made!)

- a bit of quoting. Figuring out how much something is going to cost and how long it will take to make so that people can decide whether they will choose my company to buy their equipment from. This is kind of boring to me but other people dont mind it...

As I said this is a PROJECT based job, so my work revolves around different projects.

Another type of job for my specialisation (process or chemical engineering) is OPERATION. This is where you basically monitor a factory or plant and make sure that it is running properly. I have never actually done this type of job so can't comment on it.

Good luck with your choice!

Answer 5

All the above comments are correct to a certain degree. The best solution is for you to talk some different engineers.

All engineers start out as civil, then they start to take more specialized courses. By talking to engineers you get a feel about what they do and if you like the life they lead. You may want to consider a duel degree such as an MBA/JD degree.

Cheers and good luck.

Answer 6

The first thing an engineering prospect would do is learn to write and compose sentences because written reports are a big part of his job. There is also a part of writing called punctuation, which seems to be lacking in your dialog.. Now which field of engineering would interest you? Some branches are Mechanical, Electrical, Hydrological,Civil, Chemical, Aeronautical and locomotive.. Their jobs are to service, improve and operate within their specialty.

Answer 7

Engineers build and maintain the world. You have some very good answers already. It is a wonderful profession if you like to figure out how things work and like to improve things.

good luck

Answer 8

There are all kinds of engineers..