Please help me identify and apply this skill
June 12, 2010 8:52 PM Subscribe
I feel like I have a particular skill related to engineering, but I need help defining it in clear terms and figuring out what kind of job it would be useful in.
I feel like I have a sort of aptitude for more...practical engineering. Less math and more hands-on. I have no idea how common it is, but it's something I feel I'm good at. The best way I can think of to describe it is that I'm pretty good at being able to visualize an engineering problem and come up with a solution to it. I may not necessarily have the skills to accomplish it myself (welding, woodworking, whatever....although I'd love to learn that stuff someday!) but it's very intuitive to me to see in my head how various parts would fit together.
Example: Let's say someone asked me to make the windshield wiper system in a car. I don't think I have all of the skills I would need to construct the system, but I understand how the mechanical linkages would have to work, along with the wiper motors and the electronic control system to allow for various settings, etc. I could draw the system out with the various components and come up with a user control scheme that would make some sort of sense and be mechanically and electrically feasible to construct.
What type of job does this fall under? It feels to me like something a mechanical engineer would do, is that accurate? I would prefer to not have to learn the statics/fluids/etc background of an ME, and have a role similar to an architect, where I lay out the general design of something and a civil or structural engineer irons out the details. Does that sort of thing exist?
I'm a Computer Science major two years from graduation and I don't really want to change my major at this point, but I'd at least like to explore the possibility of doing this as a job some day and possibly studying something related to it in grad school.
I feel like I have a sort of aptitude for more...practical engineering. Less math and more hands-on. I have no idea how common it is, but it's something I feel I'm good at. The best way I can think of to describe it is that I'm pretty good at being able to visualize an engineering problem and come up with a solution to it. I may not necessarily have the skills to accomplish it myself (welding, woodworking, whatever....although I'd love to learn that stuff someday!) but it's very intuitive to me to see in my head how various parts would fit together.
Example: Let's say someone asked me to make the windshield wiper system in a car. I don't think I have all of the skills I would need to construct the system, but I understand how the mechanical linkages would have to work, along with the wiper motors and the electronic control system to allow for various settings, etc. I could draw the system out with the various components and come up with a user control scheme that would make some sort of sense and be mechanically and electrically feasible to construct.
What type of job does this fall under? It feels to me like something a mechanical engineer would do, is that accurate? I would prefer to not have to learn the statics/fluids/etc background of an ME, and have a role similar to an architect, where I lay out the general design of something and a civil or structural engineer irons out the details. Does that sort of thing exist?
I'm a Computer Science major two years from graduation and I don't really want to change my major at this point, but I'd at least like to explore the possibility of doing this as a job some day and possibly studying something related to it in grad school.
Do you feel you can best utilize it in a hands-on physical way? Within computer science you could explore information systems, stuff like systems analysis and design or information architecture. You do less programming and more conceptual designing. If you can make sense of complex things in your head and can transfer that onto paper then you would do great in info. systems with your background in computer science.
I realize that's not very hands-on or engineering related, but it's within the realm of computer science and my be something you find that you enjoy (without having to switch majors).
posted by ttyn at 9:02 PM on June 12, 2010
I realize that's not very hands-on or engineering related, but it's within the realm of computer science and my be something you find that you enjoy (without having to switch majors).
posted by ttyn at 9:02 PM on June 12, 2010
DMan: "I also meant to ask, is this skill really common? Is it something pretty much every engineer can do?
Pretty much. Engineers don't generally construct anything but proof of concept prototypes -- they focus on turning ideas in their head into designs in paper / computer to communicate with other engineers and analyze for problems.
As an idea, perhaps you could study embedded systems -- this field melds computer programming and real world devices. From there you'll have access to systems engineering:
posted by pwnguin at 9:26 PM on June 12, 2010
Pretty much. Engineers don't generally construct anything but proof of concept prototypes -- they focus on turning ideas in their head into designs in paper / computer to communicate with other engineers and analyze for problems.
As an idea, perhaps you could study embedded systems -- this field melds computer programming and real world devices. From there you'll have access to systems engineering:
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed.
posted by pwnguin at 9:26 PM on June 12, 2010
I do not have that skill, but I think professional drafters and machinists do as well as mechanical engineers.
posted by miyabo at 9:33 PM on June 12, 2010
posted by miyabo at 9:33 PM on June 12, 2010
Sounds like you have the knack! This is a skill engineers cultivate, and one that would be honed and improved in any engineering curriculum. That will give you the skills and credentials you need to eventually become a project/system/design engineer, who will oversee this kind of integration in different contexts.
There is a major usually called something like industrial/operations/systems engineering that might particularly appeal to you. As the name suggests, the emphasis is more on operational systems than mechanical systems, at least in undergrad. For that reason, you might consider doing an undergraduate degree in one and a masters in the other, or a dual-degree. Lots of schools are offering design experiences, even minors that might be up your alley.
As an aside (here is my bias as an ME talking), I would really encourage you to prioritize learning those "core" technical skills, for a couple of reasons. First, that's how you're going to develop the vocabulary to communicate with those technical detail-oriented folks on whom you will one day rely to carry out your plans. Second, without those basics, you're fighting an uphill battle to be taken seriously even if you do get a job at an engineering firm. Third, all those thermo and fluids and dynamics classes are going to teach you to be a better problem-solver.
Hope this helps, good luck! Msg me if you have any questions.
posted by ista at 9:53 PM on June 12, 2010
There is a major usually called something like industrial/operations/systems engineering that might particularly appeal to you. As the name suggests, the emphasis is more on operational systems than mechanical systems, at least in undergrad. For that reason, you might consider doing an undergraduate degree in one and a masters in the other, or a dual-degree. Lots of schools are offering design experiences, even minors that might be up your alley.
As an aside (here is my bias as an ME talking), I would really encourage you to prioritize learning those "core" technical skills, for a couple of reasons. First, that's how you're going to develop the vocabulary to communicate with those technical detail-oriented folks on whom you will one day rely to carry out your plans. Second, without those basics, you're fighting an uphill battle to be taken seriously even if you do get a job at an engineering firm. Third, all those thermo and fluids and dynamics classes are going to teach you to be a better problem-solver.
Hope this helps, good luck! Msg me if you have any questions.
posted by ista at 9:53 PM on June 12, 2010
Generally speaking, yes that is quite common. That doesn't mean it's useless.
But to use it you need to add all those other skills you say you don't have.
I would prefer to not have to learn the statics/fluids/etc background of an ME, and have a role similar to an architect, where I lay out the general design of something and a civil or structural engineer irons out the details. Does that sort of thing exist?
Not really. The people you would wish to work for you, and take care of all the details, can themselves do the thing you want to do, so they wouldn't need you for it.
Coming up with ideas is easy. What's hard, and valuable, is implementing them, making them real, making them work. It's all the detail work which is valuable.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:57 PM on June 12, 2010
But to use it you need to add all those other skills you say you don't have.
I would prefer to not have to learn the statics/fluids/etc background of an ME, and have a role similar to an architect, where I lay out the general design of something and a civil or structural engineer irons out the details. Does that sort of thing exist?
Not really. The people you would wish to work for you, and take care of all the details, can themselves do the thing you want to do, so they wouldn't need you for it.
Coming up with ideas is easy. What's hard, and valuable, is implementing them, making them real, making them work. It's all the detail work which is valuable.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:57 PM on June 12, 2010
This basically describes me in my job, an Engineering Technician. You work for an engineering firm and do the actual work, while an engineer puts his stamp on it.
My last few jobs in this arena have been in the forensic mechanical engineering realm. Basically we test things. Products, theories, whatever. In my job, basically someone sues someone claiming something happened. We perform real-world tests, and find out if it can happen or not, like they say or not. In general, we technicians consult with the engineers, define test parameters, and then we run them. Sometimes we even write the reports. In the end, the engineer reviews our data and conclusions, and puts his stamp on it.
While the job is very hands on, you also need to have a very broad base of knowledge in the theoretical. The things that come through our door are incredibly varied. You have to know the theory behind what you're doing before you do it. Otherwise you're just wasting client's money, and they don't like that.
I am a failed engineering student, for a variety of reasons, but I still took the classes, know more than the basics, and learn as much as I can from the great interwebs. This is incredibly valuable to an engineering firm. Someone who doesn't have to have every technical thing explained to them, can come up with testing protocols on their own, can fabricate testing fixtures, can log and analyze data, and give insightful criticism. Basically someone who thinks like an engineer, and works for half as much (though the pay is still very fine).
posted by sanka at 10:07 PM on June 12, 2010
My last few jobs in this arena have been in the forensic mechanical engineering realm. Basically we test things. Products, theories, whatever. In my job, basically someone sues someone claiming something happened. We perform real-world tests, and find out if it can happen or not, like they say or not. In general, we technicians consult with the engineers, define test parameters, and then we run them. Sometimes we even write the reports. In the end, the engineer reviews our data and conclusions, and puts his stamp on it.
While the job is very hands on, you also need to have a very broad base of knowledge in the theoretical. The things that come through our door are incredibly varied. You have to know the theory behind what you're doing before you do it. Otherwise you're just wasting client's money, and they don't like that.
I am a failed engineering student, for a variety of reasons, but I still took the classes, know more than the basics, and learn as much as I can from the great interwebs. This is incredibly valuable to an engineering firm. Someone who doesn't have to have every technical thing explained to them, can come up with testing protocols on their own, can fabricate testing fixtures, can log and analyze data, and give insightful criticism. Basically someone who thinks like an engineer, and works for half as much (though the pay is still very fine).
posted by sanka at 10:07 PM on June 12, 2010
I have a brain that works a lot like yours, and I was fascinated to learn (fairly recently) something about mathematicians that I never realized -- they apparently spend most of their time thinking of math conceptually, and the "math" that we all know and love is just the means of writing down those concepts so other mathematicians know what they're talking about, just like musical notes are for musicians (who, obviously, don't think in musical notes.)
This is probably something really obvious to most people, but I never realized it on my own, and was never taught it (Chicago Public School education FTW!) so it was liberating. You see, I'd spent my whole life easily conceiving of things mathematical, but since I didn't know how to write down the notation, I just assumed I was "bad at math."
So, my point (if I have one) is that engineers, mathematicians, musicians, and so on, are all disciplines where there is a significant mental agility leveraged by its practitioners, but also a significant amount of training required to utilize the tools of and communicate via the notations of that discipline. You, then, have the aptitude -- and it is up to you to determine if you're willing and able to learn the trade to allow you to properly exercise that aptitude in a professional capacity.
And to the question "is it common?" -- in my experience, not as common as I'd like, but people who can do it conceptually and practically are relatively thin on the ground compared to those who can only do it conceptually.
posted by davejay at 10:18 PM on June 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
This is probably something really obvious to most people, but I never realized it on my own, and was never taught it (Chicago Public School education FTW!) so it was liberating. You see, I'd spent my whole life easily conceiving of things mathematical, but since I didn't know how to write down the notation, I just assumed I was "bad at math."
So, my point (if I have one) is that engineers, mathematicians, musicians, and so on, are all disciplines where there is a significant mental agility leveraged by its practitioners, but also a significant amount of training required to utilize the tools of and communicate via the notations of that discipline. You, then, have the aptitude -- and it is up to you to determine if you're willing and able to learn the trade to allow you to properly exercise that aptitude in a professional capacity.
And to the question "is it common?" -- in my experience, not as common as I'd like, but people who can do it conceptually and practically are relatively thin on the ground compared to those who can only do it conceptually.
posted by davejay at 10:18 PM on June 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
side note: the only reason I finally realized this about math was that a math professor friend explained it to me after we had a conversation about swarming theory -- his discipline -- and he couldn't understand why I considered myself bad at math.
posted by davejay at 10:19 PM on June 12, 2010
posted by davejay at 10:19 PM on June 12, 2010
Look at it this way: that's a skill that all good engineers, draftsmen, technicians, machinists, tradesmen, etc, should* have. You've got that, but without the engineering, technical, machinist, or trade education or experience. That is, you've got a skill without a framework in which to apply it.
(Not just 'technical'-type jobs, BTW - you find the same thing in all careers. A good manager/economist/doctor/whatever will have a very similar aptitude as appropriate to their field; it's what separates the 'goods' from the 'averages'.)
Pick what you want to do as a career, find a position, then start applying your skill in that job.
(* Aside: many don't, but good ones almost always will.)
posted by Pinback at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2010
(Not just 'technical'-type jobs, BTW - you find the same thing in all careers. A good manager/economist/doctor/whatever will have a very similar aptitude as appropriate to their field; it's what separates the 'goods' from the 'averages'.)
Pick what you want to do as a career, find a position, then start applying your skill in that job.
(* Aside: many don't, but good ones almost always will.)
posted by Pinback at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2010
The immediate thing that came to my mind is that you might make a good Reverse Engineer. FWIW it has been my experience that most CS majors suck horribly at designing software, so if you can actually design software, that is very very valuable in the long wrong.
posted by An algorithmic dog at 10:52 PM on June 12, 2010
posted by An algorithmic dog at 10:52 PM on June 12, 2010
What you are describing sounds kinda like my job: developing manufacturing process technology for, say, microprocessors.
My background is only peripherally related to what I do - I'm trained as a solid state inorganic chemist. Still, as others have said, its good to have some skills/expertise to back up your problem-solving knack. The situation is equivalent to a writer with dazzling rhetoric but without content. It doesn't really matter what that content is, so long as you have some.
posted by janell at 11:07 PM on June 12, 2010
My background is only peripherally related to what I do - I'm trained as a solid state inorganic chemist. Still, as others have said, its good to have some skills/expertise to back up your problem-solving knack. The situation is equivalent to a writer with dazzling rhetoric but without content. It doesn't really matter what that content is, so long as you have some.
posted by janell at 11:07 PM on June 12, 2010
I'm a Computer Science major two years from graduation and I don't really want to change my major at this point, but I'd at least like to explore the possibility of doing this as a job some day and possibly studying something related to it in grad school.
I teach robotics to engineering students at the university level. One of the problems we have is our engineering courses don't teach programming (or if they do, don't teach it effectively) because the only time we get students who can program is when they're self-taught.
On the other hand, I've encountered research groups run by computer science departments who have the opposite problem; they buy off-the-shelf platforms (not in itself a bad thing) and cannot keep them in good repair or upgrade them until they get a student with some self-taught ability in that.
So if there are people working on robotics in your computer science department, they could probably make use of your skills.
A word of warning, though: The worldwide market for mobile robots is smaller than the worldwide market for mobile phone ringtones. And most of the interesting technology is currently so expensive the military is one of the main markets for this stuff.
posted by Mike1024 at 1:31 AM on June 13, 2010
I teach robotics to engineering students at the university level. One of the problems we have is our engineering courses don't teach programming (or if they do, don't teach it effectively) because the only time we get students who can program is when they're self-taught.
On the other hand, I've encountered research groups run by computer science departments who have the opposite problem; they buy off-the-shelf platforms (not in itself a bad thing) and cannot keep them in good repair or upgrade them until they get a student with some self-taught ability in that.
So if there are people working on robotics in your computer science department, they could probably make use of your skills.
A word of warning, though: The worldwide market for mobile robots is smaller than the worldwide market for mobile phone ringtones. And most of the interesting technology is currently so expensive the military is one of the main markets for this stuff.
posted by Mike1024 at 1:31 AM on June 13, 2010
Sorry to rain on your parade, but like almost everyone else here says, you won't get very far with intuition if you don't add hardcore technical training on top. My husband is very much like you - innate mechanical aptitude and ability to visualize mechanical parts interacting - but he doesn't have formal college-level education in engineering. He has been frustrated by that for years. He was able to get a job as a repair engineer, developing repairs for big complex expensive machines, and it suited his abilities quite well but without a college degree he was always at a disadvantage in the corporate system (despite being better at his job than anybody else in his group).
It also makes him a little sad to admit that he will never design his own big complex expensive machines, because he doesn't have the theoretical background and the days of revolutionary engineering breakthroughs by tinkering bicycle mechanics are long gone. Repair engineers are lesser mortals in the company of design engineers.
So I think you will have to grit your teeth and learn the fundamentals of engineering if you want to use your intuition to its fullest.
posted by Quietgal at 9:17 AM on June 13, 2010
It also makes him a little sad to admit that he will never design his own big complex expensive machines, because he doesn't have the theoretical background and the days of revolutionary engineering breakthroughs by tinkering bicycle mechanics are long gone. Repair engineers are lesser mortals in the company of design engineers.
So I think you will have to grit your teeth and learn the fundamentals of engineering if you want to use your intuition to its fullest.
posted by Quietgal at 9:17 AM on June 13, 2010
Response by poster: Well, thanks for the advice, all. I'm not too terribly surprised, although I was hoping there was something out there that would work.
I do have a minor in EE, so I could probably do something leaning toward the electrical side of things. I may also look into taking some mechanical engineering classes, even if just for my own knowledge.
posted by DMan at 10:52 AM on June 13, 2010
I do have a minor in EE, so I could probably do something leaning toward the electrical side of things. I may also look into taking some mechanical engineering classes, even if just for my own knowledge.
posted by DMan at 10:52 AM on June 13, 2010
Something you might be interested in without changing your major is embedded systems programming.
This field is the use of microprocessors embedded in devices as diverse as medical instruments, avionics, consumer electronics, automobiles, and industrial machinery. It requires specialized programming skills that are quite different from typical desktop programming and an understanding of how electronics and mechanical devices work in the real world.
Your degree program should have a embedded microprocessor lab course that you should try out. You could consider morphing your major into computer engineering. In any case it would be useful to take an introductory circuit analysis course so that you understand the basics of voltage and current. Then an introductory electronics course so that you understand transistors. These basics plus your programming skills could lead to a very rewarding and interesting career in electro-mechanical systems.
posted by JackFlash at 10:55 AM on June 13, 2010
This field is the use of microprocessors embedded in devices as diverse as medical instruments, avionics, consumer electronics, automobiles, and industrial machinery. It requires specialized programming skills that are quite different from typical desktop programming and an understanding of how electronics and mechanical devices work in the real world.
Your degree program should have a embedded microprocessor lab course that you should try out. You could consider morphing your major into computer engineering. In any case it would be useful to take an introductory circuit analysis course so that you understand the basics of voltage and current. Then an introductory electronics course so that you understand transistors. These basics plus your programming skills could lead to a very rewarding and interesting career in electro-mechanical systems.
posted by JackFlash at 10:55 AM on June 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Hope I've made some sense! It's really hard for me to put into words and that's part of what I need help with.
posted by DMan at 8:55 PM on June 12, 2010