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[downhillar]

For the people you know who have succeeded outside of their engineering discipline, it probably has little to do with them having engineering qualifications or skills, and more to do with them being smart and motivated people.

I disagree but my point was that you aren't pigeon-holed into engineering when you graduate with a B Eng.

 

[99_FGT]

I disagree but my point was that you aren't pigeon-holed into engineering when you graduate with a B Eng.

I'm with you on that one, just take a look at the range of fields in the Eng Aust 'most inspiring' list.
There is currently a glut of grads coming out at the moment, most who started before the bubble burst. We had nearly 500 applicants for 4 positions this year.
That is the same in nearly any degree though, you need to be able to set your self apart. Plus if you do engineering, you can actually make shit happen, rather than just make nothing happen like lawyers...

 

[Ivan]

I disagree but my point was that you aren't pigeon-holed into engineering when you graduate with a B Eng.

I know what your point was.

All a B Eng qualifies you for is Engineering. It is not the pinnacle of human endeavours like you've been told in your first year of your Eng degree.

If you happen to make more of yourself through hard work and motivation then that's a testament to your qualities, not the fact that you had a B Eng. There are plenty of people I have worked with who are functioning at high levels in area's of expertise very different from what the originally studied at university.

 

[udi]

If you actually want to do engineering at uni, then ignore those suggestions of "do the subjects you like". Pick as many calculus-heavy maths subjects as you can handle + physics and knuckle down, it will make the road ahead much smoother. Hindsight is 20/20 and you're in a position to avoid some mistakes.

 

[downhillar]

I know what your point was.

All a B Eng qualifies you for is Engineering. It is not the pinnacle of human endeavours like you've been told in your first year of your Eng degree.

If you happen to make more of yourself through hard work and motivation then that's a testament to your qualities, not the fact that you had a B Eng. There are plenty of people I have worked with who are functioning at high levels in area's of expertise very different from what the originally studied at university.

Ok, no need to be derogatory, it's just a conversation...

My point still stands, many great people have graduated engineering and gone on to do great things. Yes, for sure this is not solely thanks to their degree, that was already blatantly obvious to everyone. The fact is that engineering teaches you a valuable, useful and varied skill set that can be advantageous to those wanting to go on and do greater things.

Once again, I am not saying that engineering is a free ride to the top, but it is useful to those who would like to do more. So are other degrees obviously, but if you happen to already be interested in engineering then that's a bonus.

 

[Hamsta]

I'm with you on that one, just take a look at the range of fields in the Eng Aust 'most inspiring' list.
There is currently a glut of grads coming out at the moment, most who started before the bubble burst. We had nearly 500 applicants for 4 positions this year.
That is the same in nearly any degree though, you need to be able to set your self apart. EDIT...

The company I work for has actually put a freeze on hiring local graduates. Instead, they are relocating experienced engineers from overseas to Australia on contract for 2-3 years as the clients are becoming increasingly demanding regarding experience and work history. Unfortunately, local graduates are even getting a call back. I personally think this is wrong.....people need to be able to be mentored and accumulate experience.

In saying this, some of the Grad Programs that the petroleum companies offer are pretty amazing....the amount of training they offer is incredible for the Grads who usually have done Hons. They really don't spare any expense.

 

[downhillar]

The company I work for has actually put a freeze on hiring local graduates. Instead, they are relocating experienced engineers from overseas to Australia on contract for 2-3 years as the clients are becoming increasingly demanding regarding experience and work history. Unfortunately, local graduates are even getting a call back. I personally think this is wrong.....people need to be able to be mentored and accumulate experience.

That is insane! I guess it is the most profitable option for your company but it's so short sighted.
That was one of the most frustrating things when I was an undergrad and a new grad, it was extremely difficult to find a job because everyone wanted you to have already experience.

 

[Cave Dweller]

If you actually want to do engineering at uni, then ignore those suggestions of "do the subjects you like". Pick as many calculus-heavy maths subjects as you can handle + physics and knuckle down, it will make the road ahead much smoother. Hindsight is 20/20 and you're in a position to avoid some mistakes.

Udi speaks wise words - it will be a big jump in first year Engineering without doing Physics + advanced maths at high school.

Engineering is a good all round degree. It trains you to think in a certain, logical, fact driven, break the problem down into its most basic components methodology.

This next bit is important though. You MUST aim to get top marks from your degree whatever it ends up being. If your aiming for a pass I would consider not bothering with university. Who wants to hire an engineer/lawyer/doctor who just passed every subject? Shows you have no aptitude, spent too much time drinking or worse you are lazy.

 

[slowmick]

If you are even considering uni go straight after high school. it will never be easier. you are in the groove of attending 5 days a week and doing home work. work for a few years and have your free time to your self and you will struggle to give it up. it is only 4 years full time. it become 8+ part time later in life.

Studying maths and science will get you in the head space for engineering at uni but the first year is full on (I found high school pretty easy to do well but I struggled at uni and was ready to chuck it in at mid year). Work hard and survive till second year - there are better/more fun subjects to be had.

Cave Dweller has it spot on. Going to uni teaches you to learn. some degrees teach you very specific thing - mechanical engineering gives you a taste of almost all of the engineering disciplines. even if you decide that engineering is not the career for you it ill help in whatever it is you choose to do. If you decide to become a plumber for the tradie cash & housewife affection - you'll know exactly why it runs down hill and you'll able to calculate how fast...

If you find you need a little more hands on in your daily life maybe you could look at an apprenticeship afterwards. I have a mate who decided to be a fitter and turner after doing engineering so that he could fabricate his ideas.

One thing to keep in mind - in life as an engineer there will be a lot of times where people will look to you for an answer and there will be no book to look up and Google won't know. It will be up to you to work it out and justify it. It could be something exciting like finding the balance between weight, cost and strength for your new bike frame design or something far less exciting rationalising fastener sizes to reduce inventory and shave cents out of the cost of your product.

So as Cave Dweller wrote - if you choose to do it give it your best shot - there time for drinking later. That said we're not talking facial tattoos - if you choose the wrong career path the first time around it's not the end of the world. Good luck. :thumb:

 

[big gags]

My 2 cents worth.....

I am a CPEng and currently working for a European car manufacturer here in Melbourne - this is despite my original degree being in Electrical Engineering!! My advice would be to consider a couple of things:

1. Consider getting some hands-on experience with work straight out of school - there is no rush to get your degree. If I am hiring for an engineering/technical position then I will generally pick someone with some real-life experience over somebody who just has an engineering degree. I have also found that guys/girls who have spent some time "on the tools" are generally more effective engineers as they are better able to consider the practical aspects of design (if you have had to swear, curse, and skin knuckles to get access to a bolt head to undo it then you are more likely to consider maintainability and accessibility when you are designing something as an engineer.

2. Consider getting a haircut and joining the Army/Navy/Air Force This is worth serious consideration as there aren't many other employers that I know of that will pay you to study!! I joined the Army as an Apprentice at the age of 17 back in 1989. After 2 years of study and another year of On The Job Training I was a qualified Electronics Technician and worked in various roles for the next 7 years as a soldier. I had done yr 12 before joining up (not a pre-req for the Apprentice Scheme) and this allowed me to apply for and be accepted to become an Army Officer and study Electrical Engineering at ADFA (UNSW). I got paid a full wage to study full-time for four years (Defence also paid my HECS fees) and then after graduating I was posted to Defence's project organisation (Defence Materiel Organisation) in Melbourne where I worked in a number of projects (mostly with armoured vehicles). While I was there, I also completed a Masters in Project Management (distance learning through ADFA (UNSW) and paid for by Defence) and eventually got out of the Army after 18 years and did a couple of Government jobs before moving to my current employer. During my 18 years I spent 6 years in full time study, one year of On The Job Training, with at least another 12 months spent in full time training courses (including a 2 month physical trainers course, several promotion courses, and specific equipment courses)........I don't know of any other employers who will invest this much in their personnel!!!

Unfortunately the Apprentice scheme doesn't exist anymore but it might be worth you checking out the ADFA website or perhaps speaking with your local Defence Recruiting Centre (please note that I no longer work for Defence and I won't get a finders fee if you sign up!!).

I would also agree with one of the previous comments about joining Engineers Australia - I am pretty sure that they offer free student memberships and they have some good resources that you could use to educate yourself about the engineering profession in general. I was similar to you at your age in that I loved maths and physics and fortunately for me I was pretty good at them too which helped a lot when I eventually did my degree. I find it a little bit ironic/amusing that you get right into the maths/physics side of things when you are at uni but once you are out in the real world then you are really utilising critical thinking and an analytical mindset more than the maths and physics that you learnt in uni (at least this has been the case in the roles that I have been in - I have not used Laplace Transforms, Fourier Transforms, or Quantum Mechanics since finishing my degree!!).

Mech Eng would be a great base for you and there are plenty of fields that this could lead to. The automotive industry opportunities in Australia are shrinking at the moment but there is a lot out there in other industries including rail, mining, and defence and the field of Systems Safety is also growing rapidly at the moment.

Good luck with whatever path you choose to follow!!

Cheers,

Gags

 

[Cave Dweller]

I can recommend the Engineering degree at UTS in Sydney. It is a 5 years course that includes 2 x 6 month compulsory blocks of work experience. You will graduate with a minimum of 1 year working within Engineering. A large number of student continue working part time after 1st and 2nd experience blocks and gain positions before graduating.

 

[valium]

I can recommend not becoming an it business analyst... NPS park ranger ftw

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[louestah]

Hey guys bit of a grave dig here but anyway, year 12 trials are two weeks away and I'm probably going to head down the Industrial Design kinda path.
Mechanical engineering is getting less and less interesting to me and I personally don't think my marks or commitment is there anyway. For my major project in Industrial Tech Graphics I have been doing a bunch of CAD work and have 3D modeled a downhill frame for my major work and I have really enjoyed that. So with that in mind I will probably be doing industrial design at uni or maybe Architecture but I'm really not sure at this point

Anyway thanks for everyone's suggestions

 

[crash3]

Good luck champ

As a graduate mechanical engineer, I can understand it's not for everyone. Some days it isn't even for me lol.

If you are still considering heading down that path though, inbox me with any questions you want answered.

 

[slippy]

From what I hear it can be really hard to get started in architecture. Make sure you research your job opportunities carefully before committing to that one.

 

[Calvin27]

From what I hear it can be really hard to get started in architecture.

Mec Eng here in construction. It's not hard to get into architecture, it's just hard to get paid well initially. There is lots of competition and passion which means you need to be top of your game and willing to commit.

 

[crash3]

Mec Eng here in construction.

HVAC?

It's not hard to get into architecture, it's just hard to get paid well initially.

Sounds like Mech Eng aswell :/

 

[Calvin27]

HVAC?

Sounds like Mech Eng aswell :/

Sort of. Aerospace degree haha.

Engineering can pay better imo. I started in mining, then moved to minerals processing and then to process engineering for metals. After that i went to construction starting with ESD design and HVAC and then project management. Now I'm doing policy (property related). So yeah my salary went up then down and goes around and round, but the trend is sort of up which is good.

A lot of architects move to planning or project management simply because it pays more. As with engineering, for every rolls royce trophy project you do, you also crunch out about 20 apartments or offices. It can get boring at times.

 

[crash3]

A lot of architects move to planning or project management simply because it pays more.

Yeah after a year of engineering I'm trying to get some PM experience because the pay is better, and PMs don't spend 9 hours a day in front of a computer.

As with engineering, for every rolls royce trophy project you do, you also crunch out about 20 apartments or offices. It can get boring at times.

You're not wrong there. Although I wouldn't mind doing the boring jobs as much if it weren't for dealing with shitty paperwork and shitty clients. Two things I thought I'd have minimal contact with in engineering :/ Naivety at it's finest there.

 

[Dales Cannon]

We've got an Industrial Design graduate working as a drafty here at the moment. Work is tight in his chosen field. Be careful you don't opt into something that has very limited prospects.