T
trmyjs
Guest
Does this mean that most engineers get paid mostly off commission instead of a steady salary?
- Status
R
ricmat
Guest
Most engineers are paid a salary. Although some work on commission (consultants, for example). I made the comment you refer to mainly to highlight that one of the joys of engineering is that you can actually point to something at “the end” and say “I did that.” or “I was involved in making that happen.”
In some professions, people get paid even though there is no hard evidence that they actually accomplished something. Personally, I prefer to actually accomplish something, and get paid for that.
T
trmyjs
Guest
Haha ohh, alright.
Most engineers are paid a salary. Although some work on commission (consultants, for example). I made the comment you refer to mainly to highlight that one of the joys of engineering is that you can actually point to something at “the end” and say “I did that.” or “I was involved in making that happen.”
In some professions, people get paid even though there is no hard evidence that they actually accomplished something. Personally, I prefer to actually accomplish something, and get paid for that.
A
admonsta
Guest
Yup to all above.
I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I finished high school. We were required to list eight university courses that we wanted, in order of preference. I put down nursing for all of them. A very insightful teacher who seemed to know me better than I did told me not to be stupid, and that I wanted to do engineering.
I had no idea what engineering was, but being a trusting sort, I took his advice and changed my preferences. He was absolutely right. I didn’t have an obvious creative streak, but I was good at maths and science. Once at uni, I started to see what they were on about, and it got me very excited. The thing is, what you learn at university (or whatever it’s called there) will teach you how to think. It won’t teach you how to do your job. That’s what you learn once you get your job. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be useless for the first six months working, but gradually you’ll learn the systems and rules for your job, and then your training will help you to expand on that. There is no substitute for practical experience. At school you’ll get a general education, then when you start working, you’ll develop more specialised knowledge in the area you’re working. Some of the stuff you learn at school will never be used.
Many, many brand new engineers think they’ll get out there and redesign the world. It’s more important to look at those who have been around for a while and learn as much as you can from them, rather than trying to tell them you’ve got brilliant ideas. That said, don’t be afraid of suggesting improvements where you see them.
I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I finished high school. We were required to list eight university courses that we wanted, in order of preference. I put down nursing for all of them. A very insightful teacher who seemed to know me better than I did told me not to be stupid, and that I wanted to do engineering.
I had no idea what engineering was, but being a trusting sort, I took his advice and changed my preferences. He was absolutely right. I didn’t have an obvious creative streak, but I was good at maths and science. Once at uni, I started to see what they were on about, and it got me very excited. The thing is, what you learn at university (or whatever it’s called there) will teach you how to think. It won’t teach you how to do your job. That’s what you learn once you get your job. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be useless for the first six months working, but gradually you’ll learn the systems and rules for your job, and then your training will help you to expand on that. There is no substitute for practical experience. At school you’ll get a general education, then when you start working, you’ll develop more specialised knowledge in the area you’re working. Some of the stuff you learn at school will never be used.
Many, many brand new engineers think they’ll get out there and redesign the world. It’s more important to look at those who have been around for a while and learn as much as you can from them, rather than trying to tell them you’ve got brilliant ideas. That said, don’t be afraid of suggesting improvements where you see them.
T
trmyjs
Guest
I’m glad to see I’m not alone. And thanks for sharing your wisdom.
J
jsaldar
Guest
Electrical Engineer here.
Go for it. If you like math and phsysics do it.
Study what you like.
Go for it. If you like math and phsysics do it.
Study what you like.
T
trmyjs
Guest
At this point I can’t see myself doing anything else. I love the way the Lord has worked through all of you to guide and assist meElectrical Engineer here.
Go for it. If you like math and phsysics do it.
Study what you like.
.
S
SummertimeBlues
Guest
I’m an electrical engineer by training. I, too, liked math and physics in high school. That said, do not let that fact alone determine what you want to do in life. In order to have a life-long career, you need to be passionate about the field you are in.I’m a senior in high school and I don’t know what to do with my future… I like math and physics, so I was thinking about some type of engineering. I’m considering biomedical engineering because creating medical equipment sounds sweet, but I’m still uncertain about it. I know this is probably a shot in the dark… But if there is anybody out there that can give me some advice or make any suggestions on what my college major should be that involves math/physics, that would be fantastic.
Also, if you could offer up a quick prayer for me to get some guidance I would greatly appreciate it.
God bless,
Tom
Take me as an example. I went into engineering partly because it was what I was good at, but I cannot say that I enjoyed it that much. After 6 years of education in engineering and 6 years working as an engineer, I decided to change gears and go the business route instead.
Do I regret my education and experience in engineering? Not one bit. If anything, it gives me an edge over people who do not have engineering degrees. My main point here is that you need to find out what you enjoy doing first. Otherwise, you’re going to be miserable doing something that you do not enjoy.
College is a great place for trying out things, like a sandbox of sorts. Go with engineering or some other field if you’d like. See if you like it or not. If you do not like it, you can also switch majors during college. It’s much, much easier to do that during college than later in life.
Good luck!
M
MtnDwellar
Guest
There have been some very thoughtful and interesting posts on this thread.
When one becomes an engineer, he has an opportunity to work daily with these types of people. I learn so much from the people I work with.
When one becomes an engineer, he has an opportunity to work daily with these types of people. I learn so much from the people I work with.
M
manualman
Guest
I’m going to go slightly in reverse here. I’m an engineer who spends most of my day at a desk. I love about 15% of what I do and the rest is purgatory. I think I got close on recognizing my gifts and skills, but forgot to assess what the day to day life would actually be like.
We live in a tiered culture that considers engineering a higher profession than, say, electrician. But it just isn’t so. You should be what suits YOUR gifts and interests. Go ahead and study engineering, but also make sure you get an actual education (not just training). Take lit and history classes. Learn to think critically and learn from the giants that have gone before. And get summer jobs that will help you discern if you get rewards from abstract or physical accomplishment.
I sit at a desk all day and design drainage systems and flood control projects. If I’d known myself better, I’d probably have better job satisfaction being a plumber. You an avoid that if you get summer jobs that let you experience what it is like to be able to see something you made at the end of the day or if you are OK with having a stack of papers to show instead.
We live in a tiered culture that considers engineering a higher profession than, say, electrician. But it just isn’t so. You should be what suits YOUR gifts and interests. Go ahead and study engineering, but also make sure you get an actual education (not just training). Take lit and history classes. Learn to think critically and learn from the giants that have gone before. And get summer jobs that will help you discern if you get rewards from abstract or physical accomplishment.
I sit at a desk all day and design drainage systems and flood control projects. If I’d known myself better, I’d probably have better job satisfaction being a plumber. You an avoid that if you get summer jobs that let you experience what it is like to be able to see something you made at the end of the day or if you are OK with having a stack of papers to show instead.
M
manualman
Guest
I think what he means is that if you somehow push a faulty design to the implementation phase and it fails, you won’t be getting paid much longer!
It’s not as scary as it sounds though because there are always a lot of people involved and checks and balances. This is why people don’t often get sick from the water we drink, don’t get cholera from the lakes we swim in, don’t die in collapsing buildings and bridges, cars stop when brakes are pressed and go when the gas is pushed and things rarely kill you when you plug them into the wall.
It’s actually rather breathtaking to consider how many daily things can go wrong and kill us, but don’t because of good design, engineering and construction practices!
S
styrgwillidar
Guest
Talk to people doing the job you think you want to do and ask them what it’s like, what they enjoy/don’t enjoy etc. Value of certifications etc.
Mechanical Engineering Degree with a specialization in fluids/thermodynamics, 1984, never worked as an ‘engineer’.
Have always loved tinkering, fixing up cars, I build my own desktop computers etc.
I got the degree because I always wanted to be a military pilot. Went to a lot of airshows and talked to the pilots and got the degree because of their advice. All services other than Army required pilots to be officers, to be an officer you had to have a degree. Technical degrees almost always more valuable and will get you hired even when things are tight.
Test pilots are chosen for their engineering ability, not their flying ability.
An engineering degree has value because it is about analyzing and solving problems. And those skills do transfer to other areas like business. As I moved out of the cockpit into office type jobs I’ve drifted into managing experimentation efforts in C4I technologies. Which led to a career doing similar things after retirement. I wouldn’t have been selected for that path without the technical background in engineering, test and evaluation etc.
Anyway, best of luck.
Mechanical Engineering Degree with a specialization in fluids/thermodynamics, 1984, never worked as an ‘engineer’.
Have always loved tinkering, fixing up cars, I build my own desktop computers etc.
I got the degree because I always wanted to be a military pilot. Went to a lot of airshows and talked to the pilots and got the degree because of their advice. All services other than Army required pilots to be officers, to be an officer you had to have a degree. Technical degrees almost always more valuable and will get you hired even when things are tight.
Test pilots are chosen for their engineering ability, not their flying ability.
An engineering degree has value because it is about analyzing and solving problems. And those skills do transfer to other areas like business. As I moved out of the cockpit into office type jobs I’ve drifted into managing experimentation efforts in C4I technologies. Which led to a career doing similar things after retirement. I wouldn’t have been selected for that path without the technical background in engineering, test and evaluation etc.
Anyway, best of luck.
T
trmyjs
Guest
Can you, or anyone else, tell me some good things about getting involved in business? Or what kind of careers are available with that major other than starting your own business? To be honest, when I think of business majors I think of my uncle who owns a store that never relaxes or enjoys anything because he’s too concerned about making money. But I’m sure this isn’t true about all business majors.
E
Em_in_FL
Guest
Depends on the type of business, right?
Business degrees allow you to move up to higher ranks within larger corporations as well… those with specialties in sales who have a technical/engineering background tend to do really well because they can “talk the talk” and still get commission-based compensation for the sale on top of a healthy salary base. Also with things like program/product management… you aren’t necessarily sitting at a desk designing/analyzing anymore - you have more opportunities to use the “softer side” of business (people skills and management skills, etc)… but if you have the technical/engineer BACKGROUND, you can have much more fruitful conversations.
T
trmyjs
Guest
Oh alright. I can’t really picture myself in business…
S
SummertimeBlues
Guest
That’s a complicated question. Going the business route does not necessarily mean becoming an entrepreneur; in fact, more often than not you’re going to end up working for some company in a business role. There’re many types of business roles, like marketing, business development, strategy, finance, consulting, operations, product management, etc., etc. Many of these roles require dealing with people, when most engineers are in an office or a cubicle working on a computer doing programming and/or design work.
For me personally, I wanted to do something that had more of a direct impact on the company’s decisions. Engineers can design all day long, but you can’t really see the results of your work. Of course, in business roles, you will have more responsibility, which has its benefits and drawbacks. The benefit is that you have more “power” so to speak in deciding the direction of business; the drawback is that it’s much easier for you to mess up, especially if you own P&L. If you don’t hit your targets or go over your budget, you’re in big trouble.
Also, with business roles, things are a lot more “nebulous” and ambiguous than engineering problems. Engineers are well suited to solving business problems, in the sense that they’re good at doing analysis and take an analytical approach to things.
If anything, I think your personality and leadership skills will matter a lot. Leadership skills can be developed, though some people tend to be “natural leaders.” This is something that would be good to find out.
Anyway, those are just some of the things I can think of off the top of my head.
Good luck!
T
trmyjs
Guest
Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut. I certainly have a lot to think about…
N
Nate13
Guest
Pray about it and go to adoration if you can. I have an Aerospace Engineering degree. I didn’t decide on a major until my senior year in high school either though. I was kind of like you and knew I wanted to do something engineering related and what helped me was doing research into what all the degrees actually were about. Also, I know the University I attended had an entry level course where it let you get a taste of a few different types of engineering all in one semester. Another idea is college visits where you can get a tour of the engineering building and all the different labs for each kind of engineering. Get a clear idea of what each type of engineering actually entails to help you make your decision though. I would also suggest taking a look at the job outlooks for each type of engineering as well to get an idea of what the market looks like and how much schooling you really need to have a chance. For example its possible to get a bachelor’s degree in astronomy but when you do some research you will find that you almost have to have a phd in astronomy if you actually want to find a job in that field since there are so few job opportunities. Do your research and give God something to work with when you prayI’m a senior in high school and I don’t know what to do with my future
Also, if you could offer up a quick prayer for me to get some guidance I would greatly appreciate it.
God bless,
Tom
N
Nate13
Guest
Getting a master’s degree in business after getting an bachelor’s in engineering is a route to think about if you want to get into management and lead. Its not necessary to have the master’s degree to end up in management but it will help put you on the fast track to get there. The master’s degree in business is only 2 years more schooling and from what I here is a cakewalk compared to engineering courses.
C
chemionix
Guest
If you like math and science, have a curious mind, enjoy doing puzzles and flexing your problem-solving skills, then you might want to consider becoming a chemical engineer – especially if chemistry interests you. Careers for chemical engineers can be exciting since there’s always problems that need solving and you’re likely to be jumping daily from an office and desk setting to a factory to a laboratory.In becoming a chemical engineer, you’ll want to take lots of math and science classes in high school. If those classes feel like a chore, then you probably shouldn’t consider careers for chemical engineers. When applying to college, look for a school with a large chemical engineering department. If you’re not yet sure about chemical engineering but know you’re interested in math and science careers , then you’ll probably want to look for colleges with good engineering schools and take Intro to Engineering as a freshman to get a sampling of the different engineering disciplines available. If you decide that becoming a chemical engineer is for you, then you’ll continue your education for chemical engineering with foundational classes like kinetics and thermodynamics.
- Status