Engineering

Sarah?

I'm interested in doing engineering in college but I don't know a whole lot about it... Can any people who are studying or have studied engineering tell me anything about it?

What kind of jobs do engineers do?
What makes a good engineer?
What subjects are covered in engineering?

djpbarry

Sarah? wrote: »

What kind of jobs do engineers do?

That’s a difficult question to answer – engineers work everywhere. Pretty much every product or service you use has likely been influenced by an engineer in some way. I’m probably a bit of an exception, but I can try and describe what I do – it will hopefully provide an insight into the wide range of careers a degree in engineering can lead to.

I have a degree in electronic engineering and I spent a short time in finance after graduating. It’s not something I wanted to do, it’s just something I fell into as (engineering) jobs for engineering graduates were in short supply at the time. The institution I worked for were very keen for me to stay on – engineering and maths degrees are held in very high regard in finance – but it wasn’t for me.

So, I started a PhD developing image analysis software for biotechnological applications. I developed an interest in the life sciences during the final year of my degree and I had been interested in research since my final year project, so I thought I might as well combine the two. I had other interests as well, like telecommunications for example, and I was actually offered a job by Ericsson just after I had accepted the PhD position, but I turned it down as I don’t think the position was quite right for me and the research position was more appealing.

I finished my PhD last year and I’m now working in a very prominent research institute in London, still working on the development of imaging software for life sciences applications. This generally involves developing applications to quantify cellular processes as monitored using different types of microscopy. The life sciences in general are crying out for technically-minded, maths-literate people at the moment. Biologists spend a lot of their time producing massive amounts of data (through live cell imaging, for example), but they lack the expertise to quantitatively analyse these large datasets. That’s where people like me come in!

I hope that illustrates the various different directions my career could have taken in the relatively short time since I graduated!

Sarah? wrote: »

What makes a good engineer?

The jobs that engineers do vary widely and I guess the traits that make a good engineer will vary depending on the field. However, being maths literate is absolutely essential. If you don’t like maths right now, don’t let that put you off, because it’s only when you get to third level that you really appreciate the practical value of maths.

Sarah? wrote: »

What subjects are covered in engineering?

It depends on what field you specialise in. Pretty much every engineering degree will have a similar maths component. You’ll probably also study different aspects of physics and chemistry (or both). The further into your degree you get, the more specialised your modules will become. For example, my degree included modules on electronic circuits, electromagnetics, computer engineering, biomedical engineering and control theory, among others. I was also required to take a foreign language in order to obtain my degree (French, Spanish or Japanese, if I recall correctly).

djpbarry

I've just come across this which might also be of interest:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/tech-careers/germany-faces-a-shortage-of-engineers

Sarah?

Thanks for your reply, really appreciate it! All I really knew about engineering is that it's incredibly broad, so it's great to find out a bit about what kind of careers graduates end up in.

djpbarry wrote: »

The life sciences in general are crying out for technically-minded, maths-literate people at the moment.

One thing I'm definitely sure about is that I have no interest in life sciences, but thanks for the heads up!

djpbarry wrote: »

I hope that illustrates the various different directions my career could have taken in the relatively short time since I graduated!

Sure does.

djpbarry wrote: »

I was also required to take a foreign language in order to obtain my degree (French, Spanish or Japanese, if I recall correctly).

Yay!! Really want to do a language with whatever course I do. Do you mind me asking what college it was that required a language?

kate.m

djpbarry wrote: »

That’s a difficult question to answer – engineers work everywhere. Pretty much every product or service you use has likely been influenced by an engineer in some way. I’m probably a bit of an exception, but I can try and describe what I do – it will hopefully provide an insight into the wide range of careers a degree in engineering can lead to.

I have a degree in electronic engineering and I spent a short time in finance after graduating. It’s not something I wanted to do, it’s just something I fell into as (engineering) jobs for engineering graduates were in short supply at the time. The institution I worked for were very keen for me to stay on – engineering and maths degrees are held in very high regard in finance – but it wasn’t for me.

So, I started a PhD developing image analysis software for biotechnological applications. I developed an interest in the life sciences during the final year of my degree and I had been interested in research since my final year project, so I thought I might as well combine the two. I had other interests as well, like telecommunications for example, and I was actually offered a job by Ericsson just after I had accepted the PhD position, but I turned it down as I don’t think the position was quite right for me and the research position was more appealing.

I finished my PhD last year and I’m now working in a very prominent research institute in London, still working on the development of imaging software for life sciences applications. This generally involves developing applications to quantify cellular processes as monitored using different types of microscopy. The life sciences in general are crying out for technically-minded, maths-literate people at the moment. Biologists spend a lot of their time producing massive amounts of data (through live cell imaging, for example), but they lack the expertise to quantitatively analyse these large datasets. That’s where people like me come in!

I hope that illustrates the various different directions my career could have taken in the relatively short time since I graduated!
The jobs that engineers do vary widely and I guess the traits that make a good engineer will vary depending on the field. However, being maths literate is absolutely essential. If you don’t like maths right now, don’t let that put you off, because it’s only when you get to third level that you really appreciate the practical value of maths.
It depends on what field you specialise in. Pretty much every engineering degree will have a similar maths component. You’ll probably also study different aspects of physics and chemistry (or both). The further into your degree you get, the more specialised your modules will become. For example, my degree included modules on electronic circuits, electromagnetics, computer engineering, biomedical engineering and control theory, among others. I was also required to take a foreign language in order to obtain my degree (French, Spanish or Japanese, if I recall correctly).

I wish I was smart enough to do a job like that. You sound like a genius by the way

djpbarry

Sarah? wrote: »

One thing I'm definitely sure about is that I have no interest in life sciences, but thanks for the heads up!

Neither did I when I was in school, but things change!

Sarah? wrote: »

Do you mind me asking what college it was that required a language?

I did my degree at UCD, but I began over 10 years ago so I think the course has probably changed quite a bit since then.

kate.m wrote: »

I wish I was smart enough to do a job like that. You sound like a genius by the way

There are plenty of people who can do what I do – it’s just a matter of putting the work in.

Sarah?

djpbarry wrote: »

Neither did I when I was in school, but things change!

I know, I once thought I'd never have an interest in anything scientific, that's beginning to change now!

djpbarry wrote: »

I did my degree at UCD, but I began over 10 years ago so I think the course has probably changed quite a bit since then.

Thanks, I'll have a look into UCD anyway.

djpbarry wrote: »

...it’s just a matter of putting the work in.

Well said.