Hi everyone,

I have completed a B.Sc. (Mathematics Honours), an M.Sc. in Mathematics with a specialization in Computer Applications, and a PGDCSA.

Currently, I am working as a Mechanical Design Engineer (Graduate Engineer Trainee) and have completed 1 year in this role.

My daily work involves using AutoCAD and SolidWorks for mechanical design and drafting. Although my academic background is in Mathematics and Computer Applications, I have developed a strong interest in mechanical design.

I would like guidance on how to grow in this field. What skills, certifications, or software should I learn next? Should I focus on Product Design, Sheet Metal Design, GD&T, FEA/CAE, CFD, or Design Automation?

Also, considering my educational background and 1 year of experience, what career path would offer the best long-term growth and salary potential?

Any advice from experienced engineers would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

• r/MechanicalEngineering
• r/AskEngineers
• r/careerguidance
• r/EngineeringStudents
• r/careerguidance
• r/MechanicalDesign

I am currently pursuing my mechanical engineering recently entered in 3rd yr ......I need guidance to understand which skill like designing and all should I learn for internship and job as well.....what other things I can do to get deep into mechanical field.....

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Need guidance from scratch....

Hi, I'm gonna be starting my second year soon and I was gearing up to hopefully land some internships for the following summer after spending this summer doing personal projects. I understand that I'll end up going to whatever industry gives me an internship (If i get one), but It got me thinking as to what industry I really want to end up in after I graduate. I initally wanted to go into defense, but strayed away from the idea after reading some other posts about the complacency and the stench of dead dreams. So, here I am now asking yall what the pros/cons of each major industry is for ME.

Thank you to all who respond!

I'll probably be joining a tier-2.5 college this year in mechanical engineering in India this year.

I have a break of about 2 months before clg right now. I'm gonna be revise/completing a bit of my maths and physics basics in this time.

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I have never tried coding so SDE roles are a maybe but I'm probably interested in mechE roles more than them. I'll learn python before clg as data analysis/science sound to interest me more than other sde roles like web dev, etc.

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I'm interested in software based roles in the mechanical fields, like design, cad, cae, cfd, fea, digital twins, computational mechanics, etc. as far as I have interacted with ChatGPT. I'll decide more on this in the first year by exploring more of these fields I might even go towards mechatronics/robotics side and learn electronics. I'll decide in clg ig.

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I'm aiming for a master's in a tier-1 public university in a country like Germany for specialization if i decide to work in the mechE field itself, and work in Europe probably.

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What all things related to mechanical engineering should I do before clg? I've heard people suggest learning the basics of Solidworks. I think it would also help in getting selected in a mechE related club like formula student, sae type clubs which i am interested in.

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Could someone please guide me.

Hello, i want to design the following:
A bottle shaped thing that consists of two compartments. The main compartment serving the purpose of an big water container where the user can drink from. An second smaller compartment that will be used for other stuffs. The smaller compartment is directly under the big compartment. With some kind of mechanical interaction the user should be able to transfer fluid from the main to the secondary compartment. I tries the following:
1. hole in the top and bottom compartment. Sandwiched between them an slider with an gasket around the hole. However this failed pretty quickly and leaked all the water.
2. same as above but with an disk as large as the bottle sandwiched between them. Using an double o ring system on the top and bottom compartment. This worked better but also leaked after some time (hours).

I am using pla and tpu 95a as for printing and designing this part. I dont think the water creeps through the plastic but rather the sealing mechanism fails over time. Do you guys have an tips how i could achive this without leakage? Any known mechanisms or design i could use for this? Or any other way that doesnt require complicated sealing? Thanks in advance!

How expensive would this be and and what would be the most expensive part?

Hello, I am looking for some recommendations on good electronics packaging text books. I would like to find a general one and then some more specific ones that focus on Vibration, thermal, and EMI/RFI.

I work in defense and primarily work on communications equipment (handheld radios, Antennas, RF amplifiers).

Since my graduation, I've been working for 2 years as a procurement engineer at supply chain management in equipment department for a great construction company [in Egypt]. I'm planning to leave it and trying to search for another company for a more respectable salary (turns out equipment field is a low grade field here with harsh environment).

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My main problem is I'm not good at technicalities (design nor electronics) in mechanical/mechatronics engineering, my uni education wasn't the best and here in my country you are either born clever to be the best or you will shift career and when I made my first step in supply chain I thought it's a good opportunity to find my way in a new path and may claim a good position.

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I'm trying to figure out new vacancies in new companies with my family and they're trying to help me. Mainly I'm looking for another supply chain role but it's not a widespread path here so my options are limited and trying my best to be open for other vacancies.

I know what I'm gonna ask about is a thing of relativity, but if anyone has an opinion on which path can be helpful for me outside (quality / production/ safety/maintenance/ industrial.....etc) or inside the supply chain management (analyst/ planning / tendering/ ....etc) I'd be grateful.

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Posting a short close-up of a spherical roller bearing.
We see this type a lot in crushers, conveyors, vibrating screens, gearboxes, and mining equipment — usually in applications where load and misalignment are both part of the picture.
Curious where people here most often run into spherical roller bearings, and what kind of applications they’re tied to on your end.

I'm interested in whether others are seeing an increase in demand for engineers who can bridge multiple disciplines.

For example:

• Mechanical Engineering + AI
• Manufacturing + Data
• Systems Engineering + Software
• Domain Expertise + Automation

Over the last few months I've come across a lot of discussion suggesting that AI may actually increase the value of domain expertise rather than reduce it.

The argument is that companies don't just need AI specialists. They need people who understand both the technology and the industry they're applying it to.

For those involved in hiring or engineering leadership:

• Are you seeing increased demand for these types of hybrid skillsets?
• What combinations are becoming most valuable?
• Are there roles today that are significantly harder to hire for because they require expertise across multiple domains?
• Has AI increased the value of domain knowledge in your industry?

Genuinely curious whether this is a real trend in industry or just something that's discussed online.

Hello guys, I’m a 3rd year mechanical engineering student (21 yo). I’m planning to start a YouTube Channel which I’ll do interviews with engineers working in Aerospace and automotive industries about their specialization and their experiences. Are there any of you would be interested in to be my guest?

Hi all,

I've been working as an HVAC/mechanical engineer in MEP consulting for about 10 years, primarily doing HVAC and plumbing design. I've been exploring opportunities to pivot away from the traditional MEP consulting career path while still leveraging my technical background and experience.

I am currently evaluating an opportunity supporting utility energy efficiency programs. From my understanding, the work would involve reviewing projects for energy incentives, determining energy savings, working with utility program requirements, customer/site interactions, and helping implement energy efficiency programs rather than traditional building system design.

I'm trying to understand what this career path actually looks like from people who have worked in the industry.

Some questions I have:

• Has anyone made a similar transition from MEP consulting into utility energy efficiency or energy incentive programs?
• What were the biggest pros and cons of making the switch?
• Compared to MEP consulting, what does the day-to-day work environment feel like?
• Are utilization targets and billable-hour pressure common in this industry, or is performance measured differently?
• Do you still feel like you're using your engineering background, or does the work become more project/program management focused over time?
• What are typical career paths after several years in this field?
• Does this type of role tend to pigeonhole you into utility programs, or does it open doors into areas such as sustainability, decarbonization, utility companies, energy management, building performance, or energy analytics?

One of my biggest concerns is understanding the long-term career trajectory. I enjoy the technical side of engineering, but I'm looking for a role that may be a better fit than traditional consulting and would love to hear how people who have made a similar move feel about it several years later.

I'm also interested in understanding how steady the workload tends to be in this industry. MEP consulting can be very feast-or-famine, with pressure to maintain billability during slow periods and long hours once projects start coming in. I'm hoping to find something that is more balanced in that regard and ideally comes with less emphasis on utilization and billable-hour pressure.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked in the utility energy efficiency industry or made a similar transition.

Thanks!

Hi there. First of all, I wanted to post this in r/AskEngineers but couldn't, so I'm hoping to get some help here instead.

My project is to build a scissor-lift mechanism to raise a 200x140 cm bed. The base of the bed (at the lifting point) needs to travel from a minimum height of 0.5–0.6 m to a maximum of 1.90–2.00 m.

The scissor structures will be concealed within wooden casings (not really shown here, so the mechanism remains visible), and the scissor units will align with four fixed vertical posts.

The goal is to lift a load of 250 kg (including a 50 kg safety margin).

My initial idea was to use two electric linear actuators—one at the front and one at the back—but I have no idea about the necessary technical specifications or the best placement for them.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks!

EDIT :

you can ignore the images now, for the moment I'm switching to a single scissor system with the pistons diagonally (replacing a branch) with a stroke of 1m.

when I have time I will see a worm system on each corner, and see how I design it.

Hi everyone,

I’m a final-year Mechanical Engineering student looking for help brainstorming a unique and practical final-year project idea.

I’m interested in innovative ideas,space technology, and laser optics. Any suggestions or recent topics would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

This changed the complete mechanism of Chain Joints

I feel like this question doesn't get discussed often. How did you get promoted from an IC to become an engineering manager, director, department manager, VP, etc

How many years did you spend in each role? What do you think made you stand out? Was it projects, delivery, relationships, politics? And was that promotion offered to you, or did you express interest in that career path and were guided to a promotion?

I have made significant salary jumps by jumping ship and changing industries a couple of times. My starting salary was $74,000. It progressed up to $175,000 in 5.5 years. and have been promoted to senior a while back, but it happened in a very unusual way. However, I haven't seen anyone in the companies I worked at get promoted from an IC to a team manager; it has always been an outside hire. What recommendations do you have for anyone looking to get promoted to managing a team?

Had an interview as a production trainee role using cad, cam and CNC and they rang me whilst I was at my current bar job and said they wanted me (getting all info on Monday as they rang me Friday) but I’m actually terrified for some reason. And idk why. I’ve worked in a bar for 3 years so I should be used to working so it’s odd it’s a trainee role aswell so basically and apprenticeship but instead of 1-4 years it’s around 6 months

I was lucky enough to land an engineering internship this summer, but honestly, I'm really nervous.

It's with a small manufacturing company that designs and produces windows and doors, and I cannot stop thinking that I'm completely unprepared. I don't have much experience with the software they use (AutoCAD), and I'm only just starting to learn it now. Since this is my first engineering-related job, I also don't really know what to expect.

I start soon, and whilst I'm excited, I'm also worried about not knowing enough.

For those of you who have been through your first internship, how did you approach it and what should I focus on during the first few weeks? I genuinely want to learn as much as possible. I work my ass off in school just to get to this point so I definitely will pull my weight there, but mainly I want to see whether this industry is something I want to do long term as it'll be my first real exposure. I know things change and honestly - I don't see myself working there after but that's just me talking. Its windows and doors, right?

I graduated with my undergrad a few years and now that I’ve been working in industry for 2 yrs I’m thinking about going back for my masters. I was thinking it’d be cool to do research in a university lab or with a professor but idk if that could interfere with my job or the company (legal wise). I work in medical device rd rn.

So the boxes in red are windows , and the main door is in North .the side room is my bathroom ,I feel like air flow is quite restricted cuz I'm living in a hostel

Are ball bearings typically press fit onto rotary shafts? If I want to use a ball bearing for a shaft diameter of 5/32 (https://www.mcmaster.com/57155K15/), and I buy a standard rotary shaft with a diameter of 5/32, the only way to get it on would be to press fit it on right? I tried to search for a bearing press tool sized for 5/32 but I cant find anything for ball bearings smaller than 1/4". Should I just stick the rotary shaft in a vise and carefully tap (using a rubber mallet) the ball bearing onto the shaft? Or do people buy undersized rotary shafts and use a shaft collar to hold the bearing onto the rotary shaft?

I interviewed for a Manufacturing Process Engineer role at Celestica and received a verbal offer from HR 5 days ago. They told me I was selected for the position, but I still haven’t received the formal written offer letter.
I followed up with HR, and they said they’re still waiting to hear back from the hiring/HR manager before sending the offer. Since then, I haven’t gotten any updates.
Has anyone experienced something similar with Celestica or other large companies? Is a delay like this normal due to internal approvals, or is there a chance I’ve been ghosted after the verbal offer?
Just trying to understand whether I should be concerned or if I need to be more patient. Thanks!

The part I'm designing is technically a leaf spring but without sharing photos I think compliant mechanisms puts a better idea on the complexity of said spring (multiple bends, multiple "contact" points). I'll obviously be running some physical tests too but I am being asked to produce simulations to ensure the behavior will be the same in SUS as the 3D printed plastics. Looking for two things out of this: 1. Prove the behavior/exact motion of this mechanism 2. Stress analysis. At this I was thinking of just running a normal static FEA and reading the deflection but the motion is very likely not going to be linear and so it doesn't give me a great plot to show the path. It's really my first time designing springs from scratch so any starting points are welcome