What is it like to be a Mechanical Engineer?

Mechanical Engineers design, develop and launch new products ranging from automotive (Cars, trucks, SUVs etc), aircrafts, generators, engines, to tools. They also test the devices they created to make sure the devices meet the customer expectations. They do service after the sales, trouble shoot and solve the problems. In general, Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers research, design, develop, build, and test mechanical devices, including tools, engines, and machines.

Yes, it involves planning and designing at the desk, to manufacturing and testing at the plant floors/test labs, to fixing the products at the customers locations. It involves dealing adn wroking with with cross functional teams (studio, suppliers, sales and service, marketing, projects/program management, IT etc.). The responsibility could fall on individuals (small projects) and/or teams (big projects). Mechanical engineers should be good problem solvers. The salary range could vary based on your qualification and experience (50K beginner to 160K ~ 15/20 years experience)

Check the following websites for more details. You can google it for yourself for more info.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mobile/mechanical-engineers.htm
http://www.me.iastate.edu/jobs/what-does-a-mechanical-engineer-do/
https://www.sokanu.com/careers/mechanical-engineer/

OK, my 40 odd yrs as a mechanical engineer (2 degrees , BS Cal State, & MSc from King's College, London) have provided me with a decent income from NUMMI (Toyota about 30 to 55 k back in the 1984-1995 period and the as an Independent self employed contract engineer as a Toyota Systems Expert (pre 6s and Green/Black belts buzz) finished at about 75 k (5 yrs ago). Started in the East Bay, then moved to PA.. Your salary will depend on where you will work. Now do special "contracts" for companies as I did in PA. So found my mechanical engineering a flexible job. NO you do NOT sit at a desk, but mine was a mix of sitting for planning and calculations and going out onto the factory floor to see for my self, and talk with the operators/supervisors in order to help them solve their problems. Team work can arise when I am helping the mfg engineers solve problems or improve their pass yield rates. Team work arises when the design needs to be modified for manufacturing (design engineers). Teamwork sometimes requires a plan on who will do what and by when, especially when the solution included suppliers, internal mfg and design acceptance. (buy off). I know mfg has dried up in the US, so exspect to travel to see for yourself, or have excellent net communications.

For all your questions, the answer is really it depends. A mechanical engineering degree can set you up to do will in all those areas but it's up to you what you choose to do.

It can vary depending on the job you go for. Some mechanical engineers spend their time designing and simulating so it's pretty much a desk job. Others go into production and it is more of a hands on job. Others go into management, where their job is at the computer or in meetings. Many jobs have a combination of all of these. It will be up to you which type you go for.

Some projects are smaller and can be done individually. Others are bigger and require having a larger team. Depending on the team/project, items can be broken out into smaller more individual tasks or be more team oriented.

As far as pay, after getting the degree, you can go anywhere from bagging groceries through becoming CEO of a large company. There is no shortage of engineering positions out there for someone who will work and get things done and pay is good enough to live a reasonable life. You can look at sites such as glassdoor or salary.com to see if typical pay for a given job aligns with your standard of living.

Hi Brian!

Here is some information that might be helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wc_7_1PYis
http://www.me.iastate.edu/jobs/what-does-a-mechanical-engineer-do/
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mobile/mechanical-engineers.htm