As a mechanical engineer when did you pick out what specific you wanted to work at?

I am almost a year out of school (majored in mechanical engineering) and I still feel the same way; I sort of do not know where my specific path is leading me and honestly, I feel that it has not made a huge difference in my life. At first, I was so set on the automotive industry. That quickly changed to the aerospace industry. The only thing I truly knew was that I never EVER wanted to step foot in the field of HVAC engineering, and here I am. I limited myself so much in school and what I thought I wanted to do with my degree that I pigeon-holed myself. I say relish in the fact that you do not know what you want to do and apply for all sorts of jobs! It's an exciting time to try and figure yourself out, but it can also be a bit terrifying, I get that, so do not maker it harder than it has to be by focusing on one industry. There's a lot out there that you, and me, don't even know about yet in terms of mechanical engineering careers.

Esther,

Most students enter college without even knowing what major they want and no idea of career path. By majoring in mechanical engineering, you are far ahead of most of your peers.

I decided that I wanted to go into product development during my Sophomore and Junior years of school. The classes that I enjoyed the most ware the ones that allowed us to apply the learning from several classes to solve the problems. I liked the idea of using my engineering education to design and create new products. I was fortunate that my first job was in product development. Not everyone lands the job they want straight out of school. As a manager, I have hired engineers that have worked first in out production area. I thought this allowed them to understand the product and gave they a chance to see things that could have been designed better.

I won't repeat the steps from the others, but a few other comments below.

Hi there! I am a recent graduate with my Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and the greatest aspect with acquiring that degree is that your potential career paths are limitless. My suggestion would be to dig deep into your interests and passions and gear your career path towards them. For example, I have a deep routed passion for being in the automotive industry with the preferred role of being a Mechanical Engineer or Project Engineer. I have been working in the defense industry during my internship and my entry level positions, however I am consistently looking for opening in automotive industries. I take my current roles and make the best of them to learn skills that can be transferred to any industry with the end goal of working in the automotive industry. Keep your eye on prize!