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Lots and lots of questions about Mechanical / Automotive Engineering?
Hi, I am a high school girl starting to consider careers (I am a junior this year) and one thing I am interested in is Mechanical Engineering. I am interested in cars, and more specifically, I think that the design aspect sounds really interesting. But I know very little about the field and would love some explanations: - Are there many girls in this field? I know mechanics and cars are kind of a guy thing, is it unusual to have a girl in this field? - I am by no means an expert in cars, but I still have an interest in them. Would this put me at a disadvantage, or do you learn what you need to know with more education and experience? -How stressful is the job? Do you have to bring a lot of stress home with you? -If you are familiar with any field of engineering, what is a typical day like? -I get a lot of high B's in Honors PreCalc and Honors Chem right now (both very challenging at my school)... does this mean I'm not "smart" enough for engineering? Thanks!
Public Comments
- You sound smart enough. There are women in all fields of engineering, although they are still a pretty small minority in Mechanical Engineering. Being a girl, you are at a disadvantage because boys learn about cars earlier by helping their fathers work on the family car, reading about cars, and talking about them with other boys. This is not a big deal, however. You can learn what you need in college, and most of the learning comes on the job. Focus on getting an M.E. degree with courses in Automotive Engineering. Then look for a job in the automotive industry.. Being an engineer in any field is hard work, but most engineers like what they do because they are building things and making things work that will ultimately make life better for people. The stress level depends a lot on the environment at the place where you work, and your level of responsibility. Most engineers spend their day doing calculations and making drawings. The end result of the design process is a set of drawings that can be used to build something. Nowadays the calculations and drawings are done with various computer programs. There are many different job options within Mechanical or Automotive Engineering. You could get into any of a number of specialties, so it's hard to describe a typical day. In fact, what makes engineering fun is that there isn't really any such thing as a typical day. Every project is different, and every day is different. It can be a lifetime learning experience, and you can work on an endless variety of designs. You can start out designing bridges and buildings, then switch to railroad cars and end up designing tracked armored vehicles, as I did.
