Comments on: Part-time jobs for Mechanical Engineers?

Question: Part-time jobs for Mechanical Engineers?

sirion — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 21:21:55 -0800

What part time engineering jobs are there for a mechanical engineer just out of school?

I've got one year left of a pair of degrees: Mechanical Engineering and Opera Performance. I'm gonna pursue the music degree when I finish, but could certainly use some $$ on the side to support this.

How do I use my engineering degree to make some bucks on the side without taking much time from my music studies?

I do have 1 semester worth of flexibility left, with which I could take a course or two that might help me be more qualified for some sort of job.

Qualifications:
-3.97 GPA from a good engineering department (USC)
-No work or internship experience (Though I have a number of independent student design projects that have been described on my resume in such a manner that it's not as blaring of a hole in my resume as it could be)
-Will have some machining experience, a semester of CAD (Program: IDEAS), very limited computer programming skills, fairly advanced(for undergrad mech engr) fluid dynamics/hydraulics

With such a seeming emphasis on $50k/year full time worker drone jobs for engineering graduates, what $10-20k/year jobs exist that require far less time?

Mostly looking for job categories that would exist in most cities, like 'CAD drone', etc, and general information that will help point me in the right direction

By: acoutu

acoutu — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:34:18 -0800

As far as I know, there are few part-time engineering jobs. Given your limited experience, an employer would probably feel the need to invest a great deal of resources in you, just to get you up to speed.

I think you'd have better luck looking for short-term intern-type positions. Could you do that and take opera at night or in between contracts? Your Mefi history suggests that opera is your true passion. Can you get into an internship/co-op program at school and save up some money to get you through the following semester of opera?

How are your writing skills? Could you do freelance technical writing or editing?

Could you do part-time engineering sales for a start-up?

By: electroboy

electroboy — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 06:24:59 -0800

Check out the local technical college's career office. They usually have some part time job placement assistance. Other than that, call some places that you think could make use of your skills: engineering firms (mechanical and civil, they both need CAD monkeys), custom auto or motorcycle shops (fabrication, machining, stuff like that. Failing something directly engineering related, lots of companies look for engineers because they're practically guaranteed to have good math and problem solving skills.

By: mediaddict

mediaddict — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 13:16:14 -0800

Look at craiglist. I constantly see engineering jobs under jobs->parttime