the machines we encounter every day much like the cars air conditioners refrigerators personal computers and many more devices were made possible by mechanical engineering virtually every aspect of our life is touched by mechanical engineering it can be simply put as a branch of engineering that involves the design production and operation of machinery it also happens to be one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering disciplines mechanical engineering requires an understanding of core areas such as mechanics dynamics thermodynamics material science and electricity in addition to these core principles mechanical engineers use tools such as computer-aided
design and product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants industrial equipment and machinery heating and cooling systems Transport Systems aircraft watercraft robotics medical devices weapons and much more history mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century however its development can be traced back several thousand years around the world when the first wheels were put to practical use by mounting them on an axle to make a cart in the 19th century developments and physics led to the development of mechanical engineering science the field has continually evolved to
incorporate advancements throughout recorded history people have been inventing and building increasingly more sophisticated devices and machines in order to improve the conditions of life interestingly enough one of the most significant drivers of innovation in the field of mechanical engineering particularly in its early stages has been a war what mechanical engineers do the role of a mechanical engineer is to take a product from an idea to the marketplace in order to accomplish this a very broad range of skills are needed mechanical engineers need to acquire particular knowledge and complex skills they need to understand the forces
and the thermo environment that a product its parts or its subsystems will encounter to design them for functionality aesthetics and the ability to withstand the forces and the thermal environment they will be subjected to and they also need to determine the best way to manufacture them and ensure they will operate without failure perhaps the one skill that is the mechanical engineers exclusive domain is the ability to analyze and design objects and systems with motion the job duties of mechanical engineers depend on the industry they are in but could include designing and implementing cost-effective equipment modifications
to help improve safety and reliability developing project specifications with colleagues often including those from other engineering disciplines developing testing and evaluating theoretical designs discussing and solving complex problems with manufacturing departments subcontractors suppliers and customers making sure a product can be made reliably and will perform consistently in specified operating environments managing projects using engineering principles and techniques planning and designing new production processes producing details of specifications and outline designs recommending modifications following prototype test results using research and oolitic conceptual and planning skills particularly mathematical modeling and computer-aided design considering the implications of issues such as cost
safety and time constraints working with other professionals within an outside the engineering sector monitoring and commissioning plants and systems how much do mechanical engineers earn [Music] according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Mechanical Engineers earn an average annual salary of eighty four thousand dollars please note that this figure is for guidance purposes only salary of an individual depends upon education years of experience skillset demand of the job in the respected country among many other factors work environment mechanical engineers generally work in offices they may occasionally visit work sites where a problem or piece of
equipment needs or personal attention they work mostly in engineering services research and development and manufacturing mechanical engineers normally work about forty to forty-five hours per week though in some private industries or during certain project phases weekly work can take up to 70 hours or more pros and cons of mechanical engineering mechanical engineers are visible mostly in any sections of the world today for the reason that their work could be suitable to almost any kinds of businesses therefore if you're a skilled engineer employment is likely never a problem for you but in order to really have
the best employment you should be greatly equipped with knowledge about all things that are covered in the study of mechanical engineering to be more knowledgeable you could also take an advanced study course with the other subtypes of engineering here are some of the pros and cons of being a mechanical engineer pros of being a mechanical engineer one it's an evergreen branch mechanical engineers are always in demand therefore if you are a mechanical engineer employment is never a problem if you are a truly skilled engineer - wide range of sub disciplines there is a wide range
of subjects available in mechanical engineering you can specialize in automobile engineering aerospace engineering Marine engineering mechatronics engineering and many more with such a broad range of career opportunities you are very likely to find something that suits your needs three excellent pay potential you get paid a lot if you are experienced and have good technical and management skills once you get placed in a good company you don't have to worry about your future for exciting workplaces becoming a mechanical engineer could take you to some interesting places such as oil rigs deserts the deep sea automobile industries
and power industries if you are specialized in designing you can work in an office environment five global opportunities there isn't a country in the world that doesn't need mechanical engineers and there are a number of mechanical engineering courses which can testify to that six innovations for the future mechanical engineers are at the forefront of future technologies mechanical engineers are developing new technologies for a number of industries including transportation construction robotics and much more you could discover invent innovate design and create amazing products if you are a sound mechanical engineer seven respected profession mechanical engineering is
a well respected profession mechanical engineers are considered an important part of the community and without them progress of global community and development of the modern world is impossible now we'll move on to the cons number one competitive atmosphere although mechanical engineers do receive favorable advancement opportunities generally these don't come easy it is difficult for new graduates to get placed in good companies unless there are some very good colleges or have great skills with the exception of self-employed Mechanical Engineers which can be difficult without prior experience the best paying jobs in the field often come from
large or multinational corporations whose working environments have become increasingly competitive due to recent economic conditions fresh graduates start out as low as assistant or associate engineers and undergo thorough training and evaluation for a year or two after which a few get promoted promotions are heavily performance-based as an engineer gets bumped up to a higher level competition gets more serious also it is very well known that good companies don't like to recruit new mechanical engineers they like the experienced ones too educational requirements the minimum requirement for entering the field is a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering
or a closely related subject course undergraduate studies must cover math physics chemistry solid and fluid mechanics thermodynamics material science process control and equipment design these would help a fresh graduate get a job but may not be sufficient to guarantee a career companies encourage their engineers to take Graduate Studies often offering tuition subsidies and promotion opportunities as incentives this is done over and above the necessary short courses seminars conferences and development classes required to keep engineers current three extreme pressure with great importance come significant job pressure the projects you head up as a mechanical engineer are
sometimes massive and scope and budget significant failures can lead to losses for your company or a raise and the company's insurance premiums problems with your work can hurt your employers reputation or your own there are a lot of costs and risks involved with the job hence there is a lot of pressure as liability can become high on errors for workload and hours another downside and mechanical engineer faces is the unpredictability of his workload your work may vary from week to week for instance in a manufacturing plant a mechanical engineer does routine maintenance and process control
work in one week while the next week sees him working on another project a more dynamic person may find this interesting but for someone who prefers a routine workload may find it difficult to handle also it will not be a tie in suit job working day in and out in a well furnished office unless you are in a designing field mechanical engineers normally work about forty to forty-five hours per week though in some private industries or during certain project phases weekly work can take up to 70 hours or more five-course work can be quite difficult
if you don't have the aptitude for it then you might not be able to get through the study phase you can easily get bored if you're not interested in this field also the amount of stuff you learn at the University is negligible to what you do in industry in industry you'll probably solve a problem that has never been encountered before well if you are planning to become a mechanical engineer consider talking with some real mechanical engineers in the workforce who have good work experience and consider reading engineering blog articles to get an idea about engineering
life [Music] let's talk a little bit about future progression as we wind down the prospects for mechanical engineers overall are expected to be good the field of mechanical engineering is expected to grow 9% from now to 2020 six as fast as the average for all occupations as mentioned by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics job prospects may be the best for those who stay abreast of the most recent advances in technology particularly for those with training in the latest software tools computational design and simulation and have experience or training in three-dimensional printing will have better
job prospects such tools allow engineers and designers to take a project from the conceptual phase directly to a finished product eliminating the need for prototypes mechanical engineering students who can learn to create virtual simulations before proceeding to the design build and test stages might find themselves in high demand by companies because these skills will allow firms to reduce product development cycles having a core understanding of the subject soft skills and good grades from a highly rated institution should give a job seeker an advantage over the competition [Music]
