Career Choices. What to do!?

[LowchevyII]

So im at a juncture in my life where i need to start making some decisions.
Im currently a student at Cal State Fullerton trying to figure out what i want to major in.

Im enrolled currently as a Mechanical Engineer with a minor in business. However, im not sure if i want to be a mechanical engineer as im not too sure what exactly it entails. I have also pondered turning my minor in business into a major but what concentration (finance, marketing, management, etc).

I guess what im asking is what are some paths you guys have gone on? what did you guys major in, and what do you do for a living. As wishful of thinking as it sounds, i want job satisfaction. I dont want to wake up and dread work everyday. Ideally it would be something automotive related, but not necessarily. Just something stimulating.

thanks guys, looking forward to hearing your answers

--jeff

[tones2SS]

Not sure if this helps, but there are a lot of engineering jobs out there. Seems to be a demand for engineers.

[Bryce]

I am an engineer for an aerospace company. I work in the test lab an I am a recent graduate. Ask any questions you want. I love my job and recent grad engineers are in high demand especially ones with hands on skills, like car building!

[T_Raven]

I'm interested in what everyone has to say as well. I'm an auto tech and enjoy the job, but it's hard on your body and the money isn't what it should be. I've considered going back to school for some kind of engineering, but like the OP don't really know what the jobs would entail.

[SLO_Z28]

Every considered the armed forces? The life of an officer isnt that bad, and the pay is pretty good too. At the very least you could pay off your student loans quickly.

Personally I work for the state as a mechanic. Im over-worked and underpaid but I love this job. Its kinda fun knowing that the things I wrench on regularly go 120mph. Youve gotta like what you do for a living or youll never be happy.

[burntnova]

I have been in the USAF for almost 14 yrs now and I have loved almost every day of my career choice. I am a Fire Truck mechanic but trained on all aspects of the mechanical world. Uncle sam has paid for all my training including advanced diesel schools, welding, painting, you name it they have sent me to school...Plus I retire at age 39 with a retirement check starting immediately....But no matter what you decide to do, your only going to be happy if you enjoy what you do.

[The WidowMaker]

i have a BA in criminal justice from CSUF, but im a firefighter. i wouldnt do anything different. i will NEVER be rich, but i'll never be poor either. in the good times people will love you, in the bad times they will all want your pension. unfortunately now is a bad time for anybody that works for or is associated with the govt.

[LowchevyII]

I am an engineer for an aerospace company. I work in the test lab an I am a recent graduate. Ask any questions you want. I love my job and recent grad engineers are in high demand especially ones with hands on skills, like car building!

Thanks so far for the responses guys. It would be a lie for me to say money is secondary in my career choice, but its not most important. Ive given thought to the armed forces as my dad was a crew chief in the Air Force. Not sure if i want to go that route though being about 2 years away from graduating, once i make up my mind :lol:

As an aerospace engineer, what all is entailed in your job? ive been trying to get some insight as to what engineers are doing. I talked with the high performance engineer at Toyo last month, and its not really what i thought. He is more of just a trend spotter. He told Japan that america needs drag radials, so their engineers came up with something. He told Japan that they needed tires for drifting so they came up with something. Not really what i was hoping to see. Thought it was going be a little more hands on, not relaying info.

Anyway, keep the answers coming. Also interested in people who went the business route too. Bottom line is i dont think i could put up with being a desk jocky.

[Bryce]

i do a lot of design work as well as coordinate an do tests.

I am designing the test fixtures for A350. I amthe only design engineer in the testlab at my company, we have over 2000 people in my location with multiple locations around the world.

I design and work with my mechanics to build a 4 axis positioning system for a gas burner to perform fire tests. And lots of other cool stuff.

[LowchevyII]

Your job sounds crazy!

out of curiosity, how well does your engineering background carry over to your building of your falcon (which looks awesome by the way)

[city_ofthe_south]

[QUOTE=LowchevyII;288012]I talked with the high performance engineer at Toyo last month, and its not really what i thought. He is more of just a trend spotter. He told Japan that america needs drag radials, so their engineers came up with something. He told Japan that they needed tires for drifting so they came up with something. Not really what i was hoping to see. Thought it was going be a little more hands on, not relaying info.[QUOTE]

I'll probably get flamed for this and normally wouldn't put in my 2 cents but what the hell. My reposnse to your experience above is unfortunately this country is full of people who don't "make" anything. However, communities like this are full of people with great talents who deserve to be building (and in many cases probably are but I can't guess how many talented folks aren't doing their dream job because it doesn't seem to exist) the products we USE in this country and get paid well for it - guys/gals just like you. You like cars, want to physically engineer something and have a brain for business ... start a car company. Far as I can tell, there aren't any left here. I dunno maybe that's crazy, but Henry Ford was probably crazy too. I guess my post can be shortened to why not make the job you want? Yeah I'm ignoring the money part. Sometimes you get lucky and produce something the world needs and make money doing it. Sometimes you do it cause you love it and only a few people need it.

[GregWeld]

Here's some good advice... Marry well... retire early... do exactly whatever you want to do. :rofl:

Seriously -- having two kids in college (well - one after this last weekend!)... neither has any idea what they "really" want to do. I don't know how anyone could at this age. What do you have to make a comparison against... not much... right? So how could anyone possibly choose a path and know with certainty that is what they will love to do the rest of their life.

I'd say - think about a career - close your eyes - and what is the first thing that pops into your head... no changing - no managing the thought...

It's like making a color choice for a car project - you have to SEE the same color every time you think about it... and then not waiver and let someone else talk you into changing it. Whatever "it" is. Some people just want to be professional greens keepers... COOL! Some want to be nurses... or programmers.. But I don't think the happiest people make career choices based on pay. That just won't work. Or won't work for very long...

Here's what I've told both my kids -- GET YOUR EDUCATION FIRST... i.e., graduate college... THEN you can be anything you want to be - even if that's a truck driver... but you're a truck driver because that's what you want to be - not because you have to be.

[LowchevyII]

Here's some good advice... Marry well... retire early... do exactly whatever you want to do. :rofl:

hahah best advice thus far, Greg :thumbsup:

But serously, City ofthe South and Greg, thank you guys for the info. Its definitely a hard choice i need to make and come up with something. Need to do some soul searching I suppose.

Keep the info and suggestions coming. Not asking to be told what to do but i am definitely not opposed to suggestions and stories of how you guys got to where you are today

--Jeff

[GregWeld]

Jeff --

Seriously -- there's a stat somewhere showing how FEW people actually end up working in the industry - or doing the job - they got their degree in.

Personally - I'd work for Roger Lee (Ironworks) or Cris (Gonzo) for free if they'd let me - just to learn some better fab skills... because IF I had to work - doing that type of work would make me happy every day. Thank god neither of them would have me in their shop. :rofl:

Life is what happens to you - while you're busy making other plans.... :cheers: :woot:

[bdahlg68]

I have a Mechanical Engineering Technology degree. I interned with a company called ZF Lemforder who happened to have a plant in Brewer, ME, about 10 miles from college. I was a Mfg Engineering Intern. At graduation, I was actually hired as a Sales Engineer after applying for a design engineer position - which was great as Sales was more or less exactly what I wanted to do at that point in time, since I knew I didn't want to sit in front of a tube all day. I ended up moving out to Detroit and the rest is history. It's 9 years later and I still work for ZF Lemforder, but now work as a Global Project Manager. An engineering degree will give you a lot of flexibility. This is especially true if you have some decent experience and are looking to carry that out of engineering and into another field like Sales. Your education will help you into a certain type of position or industry, it's what you do once you start working that defines how far you take it. There is a sign in Jimmy John's that fits to this whole thing. "Do what you need to do when you need to do it so that someday you can do what you want to do when you want to do it."

[SLO_Z28]

Seriously -- there's a stat somewhere showing how FEW people actually end up working in the industry - or doing the job - they got their degree in.

QFT,
My supervising Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain all have degrees in engineering, and all 3 of them would rather be cops.
I majored in religion, and im a mechanic. Im still on the fence about joining the armed forces though, I wouldn't mind learning to fly.

[OOCustoms]

i definitely back greg on the "get the education first then do what you want".

Im fairly young at 26 and have had too many jobs to list! I started with 18 months at wyotech in wyoming for custom cars planning on doing nothing but customs afterwards. Now, ive done everything from working at a hot rod shop for a couple weeks to a speed shop, building and painting street bikes to owning my own pizza shop for a short time to working on two racing teams now I have my own small custom fab shop and work full time in the roofing industry.whoo! Ive bounced around a lot! I guess i get bored and need a change. I too have been thinking about going back to school and you have me thinking about engineering since it somewhat entails what we love....cars.

All in all, just focus on that education and never pass up an opportunity to learn more or experience something new or to make new friends. you never know what they will do in the future and whether you can use their resources one day. When the time comes for you to find a job, we all can hope that the economy is in much better condition and jobs will be abundant! good luck with it all!

[LowchevyII]

QFT,
My supervising Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain all have degrees in engineering, and all 3 of them would rather be cops.

This is what frightens me to death. I would hate to have gotten my degree in Mechanical Engineering and then wish i would have stuck with getting my management or finance or marketing degree.

kinda of a scary realization ive been having lately :faint:

[Bryce]

Your job sounds crazy!

out of curiosity, how well does your engineering background carry over to your building of your falcon (which looks awesome by the way)

Well I have designed a few susepnsions and working on two more. I focus on materials and making things as light as possible. So every day in class I would try to apply what i leared to cars and how can I go faster be lighter and stronger.

I love my job it was taylored for me.

[71RS/SS396]

What you are currently majoring in is a very good mix of skill sets. There is a high demand for engineers with business skills, you will have a lot of options once you graduate and if you later feel like you want be in finance you can always continue your education.The degree just removes the ceiling from your income potential.

[Danp454]

Hey Jeff,
I'm also a SoCal resident (Tustin) and will be attending CSFU this fall as a Mechanical Engineer student. I have spent the last 7 year trying to get a career as a firefighter. I don’t regret my choice to chase down my dream, but I do wish I finished my degree in engineering, hence my returning to school. Choose a major you like and you will not see it as a headache when you study. You will finish and have a degree that is what is important not what is written on it. Hear me out here it shows your possible employer you stuck it out…..you persevered and graduated with a 48% drop out rate (2009 USFU statistic) Also you can be taught, yes there are people out there that can't be..... trust me, and that is a very attractive quality to an employer. I have a little time in “the real world” and it will behoove you to have a degree no matter what degree or job you get. I hope I have said something here that will help. If you decide to continue on the path you are on as an engineer maybe we can help each other out.

Best of Luck,
Dan Pursley


Yeah only one post, and a member since 2005 what can I say...I'm not a talker/poster.

[LowchevyII]

Hey Jeff,
I'm also a SoCal resident (Tustin) and will be attending CSFU this fall as a Mechanical Engineer student. I have spent the last 7 year trying to get a career as a firefighter. I don’t regret my choice to chase down my dream, but I do wish I finished my degree in engineering, hence my returning to school. Choose a major you like and you will not see it as a headache when you study. You will finish and have a degree that is what is important not what is written on it. Hear me out here it shows your possible employer you stuck it out…..you persevered and graduated with a 48% drop out rate (2009 USFU statistic) Also you can be taught, yes there are people out there that can't be..... trust me, and that is a very attractive quality to an employer. I have a little time in “the real world” and it will behoove you to have a degree no matter what degree or job you get. I hope I have said something here that will help. If you decide to continue on the path you are on as an engineer maybe we can help each other out.

Best of Luck,
Dan Pursley


Yeah only one post, and a member since 2005 what can I say...I'm not a talker/poster.



thanks for the words, Dan. Everyone on here seems to be pretty certain i should stick out engineering as well as have all been very insightful. Shoot me a PM on here when you start taking classes. Best of luck to you as well with your career and educational endeavors.

[DataBit]

Your job sounds crazy!

out of curiosity, how well does your engineering background carry over to your building of your falcon (which looks awesome by the way)

I am a sub engineer in aerospace. Now working on rectification. An engineer could be deployed for different sections, inspection, test, rectification, design etc etc.

For the first question of this thread.
Why not you try to check your aptitude? Many types of attitude and aptitude tests are available to check one's IQ, approach and mind set.

As for my experience, if you like to repair or (damage) the home appliances (trying to fix them), you have an attitude towards mechanical engineering.

[55Sedan]

I am a sub engineer in aerospace.

WOW!!! I didn't know they had submarines in space! How cool is that?!?! :lol:

Seriously, when I was 24 I joined the Navy. (3rd oldest guy in boot camp!) It took that long to figure out I wasn't going anywhere in life. I got four years REAL job experience in the Navy and then they paid for me to go to school for four years (G.I. Bill).

I have never heard of 'CSFU' but I think I went there! I graduated from the other CSUF (Fresno) with a BS in Industrial Technology....lazy man's engineering. I concentrated on manufacturing automation (more plc's than robotics) and am now an IT guy at a cheese plant. Pay is good. Work is plentiful. I wanted a job where I can get my hands dirty AND I get to plan projects and think through problems.

Like so many other of these guys have said, don't sweat so much making the decision what you want to do for the rest of your life. I've moved around in/out of similar fields for about 15 years and I am still learning.

Life is like building a car.... gotta start with a good foundation. If you don't like the color of the car or the style of the wheels, they can be changed later! And it doesn't matter how damn good looking the car is if it doesn't run. Get your degree in something that interests you and THEN worry about what you want to do.

Oh, and your current college credits should count in your favor if you join the military. I had enough to get out of boot camp with my first stripe. And while I was in the Navy they paid for me to continue to go to college. The military is not a bad deal for a lot of people, but it is not for everybody.

Good luck!

[DriverzInc]

My 5 best friends from high school all went to UCSB, and are now all mechanical engineers. They all came out of UC after 4 years, made very good money right out of the box, and are all now living comfortably. They have skills that I only wish I had as a car guy, and can pretty much design, and make anything for their projects. 2 work for Lockheed Martin, two for Raytheon, and one for Loral Space Systems.

If I could go back and have a discussion with my 18 yr old self, I'd say get your SH together and either go M.E., or go to UTI.

[youthpastor]

So im at a juncture in my life where i need to start making some decisions.
Im currently a student at Cal State Fullerton trying to figure out what i want to major in.

Im enrolled currently as a Mechanical Engineer with a minor in business. However, im not sure if i want to be a mechanical engineer as im not too sure what exactly it entails. I have also pondered turning my minor in business into a major but what concentration (finance, marketing, management, etc).

I guess what im asking is what are some paths you guys have gone on? what did you guys major in, and what do you do for a living. As wishful of thinking as it sounds, i want job satisfaction. I dont want to wake up and dread work everyday. Ideally it would be something automotive related, but not necessarily. Just something stimulating.

thanks guys, looking forward to hearing your answers

--jeff

Check this out- http://www.48days.net/

I've found this site very helpful- bottom line is - nobody can tell you what makes YOU happy- fullfilled - you have to discover that for you self- I am doing something totally different from my major- but I enjoy it- Chris

[Revved]

Definately stick out the schooling if nothing else just to have the paper behind you. I speak for many in the automotive community that got into the business out of highschool or voc tech school and made good money right out of the gate for being 18-21. Which was great and wonderful until 10 years down the line when you are trying to support a family, pay the mortgage, save for retirement, build projects, save for college, ...... and you start realizing that those guys that went to college are working half as hard and making the same or more money.

Just like starting your own business- it's much easier to do when you are young and single without kids and the added expenses of life that come down the line. Even if you decide to get into the auto business in some form or another at least you have a degree to fall back on that 1) gives you a backdoor if things aren't working out, 2) in most cases justifies you a larger paycheck than the guy next to you without one, 3) all things being equal gives you the advantage when it comes to promotions. 4) gives you exposure to skills that the guy next to you doesn't have which feeds into 1-3

Good Luck!! and get that degree! You can be the one owning the cool cars instead of the one that has to work on them! :thumbsup:

[ArisESQ]

I went to Santa Clara University and got a degree in Electrical Engineering. After I graduated I worked in aerospace for 3 years (Space Systems Loral). Decided I wanted a change, so now I'm in law school in southern california.

My biggest point of advice to you is to get the engineering degree. It'll set you apart from a vast majority of college graduates right away, and it's pretty applicable to a ton of different fields.

Also, just a thought, but consider switching to Electrical Engineering. I know it may not seem as interesting to you now, but at the end of the day you'll have a more versatile degree in the future... not that an ME isn't versatile, but EE is a growing field, and it's already really broad.

[LowchevyII]

My 5 best friends from high school all went to UCSB, and are now all mechanical engineers. They all came out of UC after 4 years, made very good money right out of the box, and are all now living comfortably. They have skills that I only wish I had as a car guy, and can pretty much design, and make anything for their projects. 2 work for Lockheed Martin, two for Raytheon, and one for Loral Space Systems.

If I could go back and have a discussion with my 18 yr old self, I'd say get your SH together and either go M.E., or go to UTI.

Man i thought this thread had kind of fell by the wayside but i just noticed its bump when ill steez left his response. thanks for the heads up guys. im thinking about sticking it out the more i think about it and the more advice i get.

Justin-- My buddy's uncle went to Cal State Fullerton and graduated with a M.E degree. He also works for Raytheon. Not sure if you are familiar with anyone there being that your friend is the one that works there, but his name is Rick Stanton. He actually built a '69 Torino Talladega that was featured in HOT ROD. http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0712_1969_ford_torino_talladega/index.html . Really sick car.

But i digress. I really enjoy reading your guys' insight, experience and opinions. keep them coming and thanks to all that have answered!:cheers: