Mold shop or Engineering firm

[MBG]

What would you do? I currently work at a mold shop and going to school for engineering. IF you got a job offering to an engineering firm would you take it? I LOVE working with my hands and the machines (I am a toolmaker currently and loving it) but I wouldn't mind doing the engineering either.

What would you do?

[ViperTX]

Mechanical engineering at a college or university where it's more "hands on".....you can usually tell if it says "xxxxxx Institute of Technology" then that's probably the correct school.....check them out....visit the campus....look at the curriculum....at most universities you'll take 110 hours of other stuff (mathematics, english, history,etc.) and less then 30 hours in your field......Institues of Technology are just the opposite to some extent.

[spalm]

I’m a little confused. You say you are already going to school for engineering, so this is not about school, right?

The term Engineering Firm can mean a million things. Even at one firm this can vary from position to position and also vary as the firm changes to meet this ever changing world. Talk to this company. Try to see how you would fit in, what is the job description, and what is the job potential down the road. In this new scary world, having lots of different skills is a real asset. In a classical firm, engineers design and technicians build.

I work for an electrical engineering firm as an engineer. I like to work with my hands, and I also like to work with my brain. I have a technician who does most of my hands on stuff now days. The truth is that I could do what he does, but he could not do what I do. That is why they pay me more than him. I still get to do the hands on stuff when it gets real complicated (or when I just want a break).

I would recommend digging a little deeper about their offering.
Steve

[mxtras]

If you enjoy the hands on stuff, stay there. Engineering can really get old if you enjoy getting dirty. Of course - each place is different but I have had two engineering gigs in the last 18 years - both were very interesting but it can get ugly fast and is usually pretty stressful. There are plenty of times I wish I could just drop back to the shop floor and crash some machines....I mean make some chips.

Scott

[yinou]

I agree with 'mxtras'. Stay put until you can get to an "engineering" firm that will combine the desire to work with your hand and do some deisgn/numbers stuff. I'm a mechanical engineer that gets to work with all of the machines on our floor from manual lathes to CNC mills to molding machines to vacuum coating chambers. I love the work because I get to design and crunch the numbers at the start and then sometimes make the part from blank stock to fit into a mold tool and then mold final part. I even get to run the metrology and certify the final quality, on occasion. It doesn't hurt that I own a part of the company so you should look at buying into a part of whatever engineering/manufacruing firm you choose - for you I would not recommend a pure engineering/design type company but one that gets to execute some part of what you get to design. Good luck.

[jhwatts]

If you pursue a formal engineering degree and you get into the engineering field it is difficult to go back to being a machinist. You will be over qualified to be a machinist. See my post at this link.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16227

[mxtras]

Stay on the floor and work on your degree. This adds versatility and makes you more attractive for advancement. Also, the experience you get on the floor will make you far more likely to become a reasonably competent Mechanical Engineer.

How are your welding courses going?

Scott

[MBG]

Originally Posted by mxtras Stay on the floor and work on your degree. This adds versatility and makes you more attractive for advancement. Also, the experience you get on the floor will make you far more likely to become a reasonably competent Mechanical Engineer. How are your welding courses going? Scott

yea I think that is the best. At the job they want me to do flow diagrams, piping @ instruementation diagrams and Utility diagrams. What ever they are ahahaha. I think I should working on my mechanical ability more...

and my welding courses I chose not to sign up and took employment instead..

can't do it all I guess....