college decision on auto engineering

[barische]

im a senior in high school, and it time for me apply to college. i was thinkin ion mechanical engineering. first i decided on goin to community college for 2 years on engineering then transferring to a 4 four year college to finish off my college and get bachelors degree. i just wanted to hear from u guys what u guys think about engineering and would i be able find jobs relating to cars in big companies like BMW. i m located in New jersey. anyhelp would be nice thank you

[needle332rur]

hope you like math ;}

[tastade]

Yes, you have to like math. However, once you graduate, you may or may not use the math much. It just shows you know how to think

When I went to school, I was trying to decide between Electrical and Mechanical engineering. I decided on Electrical. My advisor told me "If you like Circuits (class) better than Dynamics (class), do electrical, otherwise do Mechanical". I hated Dynamics, loved circuits (and received a better grade in circuits), so I went electrical engineering. I told myself I would never do computer programming. Ironically, I am now a Software Engineer.

I will say that out of Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer (software) Engineering, that it is probably easiest to find work as a Computer(software) Engineer. Followed by Electrical, than Mechanical. The reason I ended up Software is that I couldn't find a job doing Electrical right after school (and that is with a Masters). So I accepted a software position, and I actually enjoy it a great deal.

The reason companies want software engineers, is there is a huge demand to move everything from hardware to software as it is much cheaper. I.e. most computer modems are now Win Modems, where most of the signal processing is done in software instead of in hardware. That is why a Win Modem costs about $15 vs $50-100 for a hardware modem.

I would go straight to the 4 year school unless it is cost prohibitive. If you go to the two year school you might lose your motivation to finish your degree after 2 years when you have to switch. Plus, not all of your credits may transfer. You have lots of time to decide which major you want to do, just make sure you take your general requirements classes first. I didn't decide on Electrical Engineering for 3 semesters, and I still graduated in 8 semesters (with Bachelors). My masters was 4 semesters. I am not trying to descourage you from Mechanical, if that is what you like, go for it.

It might be difficult to find a job with a car company right after graduation, they tend to hire experienced people, as there are a lot of applications for each job that they have an opening for. For BMW, they probably do most of their mechanical engineering in Germany anyway.

[barische]

thank you guys. yeah i like math and im good at it. the only reason im goin to community college is because i dotn have much money. and it is free for me because im in the top 20% of my class.i guess in community college ill take all general classes like physics, math and english then i was thinking about switching to rutgers university, i dotn know if u guys know that place. but thanks for ur reply.

[robcarync]

i was thinking of civil engineering or mechanical engineering...im not too crazy about math but i am good at it.

im thinking about going to NC State after high school since they have a top 25 or so engineering school in america and its only 30 minutes away.

i dont really know what kind of jobs i could find with either of those careers though...

my dad is an electrical engineer at INtel and hes always worried about getting laid off and his job getting shipped over to india or germany. ah outsourcing...its a bitch

im already taking AP calc 1 and 2 so i may even be able to place up a few levels when i enter as a freshman

i also like computer programming but i see that as more of a hobby than something id want to get real serious with

[L84THSKY]

Interesting that this subject would come up. I started community college back in 1982 when I graduated high school. Went into the Air Force in 1984, and did some more college. After the Air Force, I went back to night school at NYIT, I'm still in school now. My major is Electrical Engineering, and I have been going to night school for 6 1/2 years. I estimate graduation in Fall of 2005.

When I originally went back to school at NYIT, I was admitted as either a Computer Science or Electrical Engineering major. I stayed on a dual track for the first 2 years, since the Math and Science was the same. When I got to Calc III, I had to make up my mind. Comp Science doesn't require it Elec Eng does. I took the advice of some engineers I worked with and took the Elec Eng path.

The bad part was that the school transferred 55 credits as a Comp Science major, and only 30 credits as an Elec Eng major. That means when I decided to go E.E., I just added about 2 more years of school till graduation. My school requires 136 credits for an E.E.

Yes the Math sucks, and I still have to deal with it now. In fact, I am taking Communication Theory this semester(tonight), and it's all about Fourier Transforms....I.E. MATH!!!!!

If it wasn't for the fact that I was a Microwave/Satellite Communications Tech in the Air Force, I might have gone Comp Science. You have to go with your passion, and forget about money.

Do not go to community college unless it's a money thing. You can save alot by doing the humanities and math/science there. The down side is you may get lazy/bored and never go on to a 4 year school

Originally Posted by barische

thank you guys. yeah i like math and im good at it. the only reason im goin to community college is because i dotn have much money. and it is free for me because im in the top 20% of my class.i guess in community college ill take all general classes like physics, math and english then i was thinking about switching to rutgers university, i dotn know if u guys know that place. but thanks for ur reply.

[barische]

yeah the only reason im goin to community college is because it is free for me because im in the top 20 % of my senior class. i really think that i wouldnt get bored after 2 years. hopefully then i can get some more scholarships and finish my bachelors degree, then maybe even masters. i was thinkin about Rutgers university, do u guys know how good are their engineering programs. thank you guys.

[L84THSKY]

My friend from NJ, who I mentioned in another post, got out of the Air Force, and went to Trenton State, I think, for Electrical Engineering. I imagine Rutgers is a good school. It is a private school, isn't it? Then you have to worry about the cost. I go to NYIT(Private), and it cost alot.

Originally Posted by barische

yeah the only reason im goin to community college is because it is free for me because im in the top 20 % of my senior class. i really think that i wouldnt get bored after 2 years. hopefully then i can get some more scholarships and finish my bachelors degree, then maybe even masters. i was thinkin about Rutgers university, do u guys know how good are their engineering programs. thank you guys.

[maurolin]

mechanical eng. is F*&^ING HARD. I Started on Mechanical in 1996, moved to Electrical and stayed there.... if what you want to be is an auto Technician.... go to a Tech school, community college.. .. BMW school in SC, Atlanta etc.
Engeneering WILL SHRINK YOUR DICK. no party no chicks no fun bme boards... MATH MATH MATH and a bunch of india, pakistani and arab teachers!!! LOTS OF THEM!
hehehe but ALWAYS follow your dreams! aim and shoot.. if you get stopped, aim and shoot again!! (DON'T SHOOT THE TEACHERS!!!)

[barische]

i know that rutgers is a state college and the cost for titution is like $12,000 a year and probably can get some scholarshiops to pay for like maybe half of that.

[donslade]

As a mechanical engineer working in the automotive industry I have one word of advice: internship. If you really want to get into this business the best thing to do is to start an intership with one of the auto companies. Check with the placement office in the school you wish to attend to see if they have any information or if they partner with any of the auto companies for internships or co-op positions. Any internship or co-op experience will go a long way towards getting you hired with the company you want to work. Also join the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) chapter in your college/university and participate in their activities (Mini Baja, Formula SAE, etc.). Mechanical and Electrical engineering are the best fields, with Computer/Software engineering close, and Industrial engineering closing out the list. Chemical and Metallurgical are also in big demand - the common thread is lots of math, physics, chemistry, etc.). Also plan on a pursuing a Master's (MBA or other engineering discipline) after you're hired to prepare you for future positions.

The big auto companies (GM, Ford, DC, BMW, Honda, etc.) usually only do interships at their home locations but they do sometimes have programs at assembly plants or remote engineering/test centers. Don't overlook the suppliers (Delphi, Visteon, Lear, etc.) becuase some of them also have programs available and you'll get exposure to multiple OEM's. Some programs will even pay for a portion or all of your school.

Getting hired by one of the OEM's is probably the best way for most people as their pay is usually higher and with better benfits than the suppliers but they are much harder to get into. Some of the suppliers have more opportunities but their work base is usually not as stable and are more prone to layoffs. But don't let anyone tell you otherwise, engineering, expecially with in the automotive industry, is a tough field with a lot of very bright people. It is very competitive, with its own culture.

Good luck,

Don Slade

[barische]

ty man