What area of engineering do i get into?

Sparkplug69

Hello all.

I'm a recent mechanical engineering college graduate and i'm looking for work - however i'm not sure what area i want to get into. The areas i'm most interested in getting into mechanical design/pipe design, process improvement, maintenance etc but that said i don't know enough about the everyday responsibilities in these jobs to know if id practically enjoy doing them.

So i'm wondering if there are any people on here involved in these areas or other areas of Mechanical Engineering could you give me a rough idea of what your everyday roles are and what you think of them in terms of job satisfaction.

Thanks in advance!

choons

Look out for graduate programs - they give you a chance to work in different areas and decide what you like. As for industries, Pharmaceutical and Medical are growing in Ireland and should have good jobs for the foreseeable future.

I'm just finished a graduate program in the UK and enjoyed the design/development aspects more than process/manufacturing so now work in the design department. Day to day work is designing small parts for customers hardware and lots of continuous improvement projects.

Hibbeler

I too went to the UK to work on a graduate scheme but I'm working for a large building services consultancy. What I do on a day to day basis is quite similar to what you've mentioned you're interested in if you were willing to look beyond something manufacturing based.

My work is mostly design work, i.e. energy/ventilation based calculations followed by plant selections and services coordination with other team members such as the architects. I'm generally responsible for my own smaller packages in a wider project which I would need to coordinate with architects/equipment manufacturers etc to deliver.

Or else if the design part of it is not your gig, then there's the contractors who'll actually install the equipment or the facilities teams which will maintain them. So there is a lot of scope. I find it especially rewarding because I've interests in terms of energy and sustainability.

kevohmsford

I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer a few years ago. Graduates are working in such a wide range of jobs now. I am a Maintenance Engineer installing and service of process equipment. I really enjoy it. Use a little bit of design but mostly it is hands on.