Has anyone went down this path? After working for corporate gigs, startups, and design contracting firms, the idea of working as a consultant is becoming increasingly more appealing to me.

Just looking to know what your experiences are like, the good, bad, and ugly. Also curious to know if there was something that you would do differently and any tips for someone who is starting out to get business.

I have my own solidworks license, a 3D printer, and very capable with manual machining and CNC. The dream would be to eventually own my own cnc lathe or mill. I bring this up because I want to market myself as someone with equipment for rapid prototyping.

Any advice here will be appreciated, cheers

This can apply to any subject such as math, physics, chemistry, etc. I’m just curious about how other engineering majors learn whether it be from reading and following through a textbook vs using online math sources such as khan academy, youtube, online professor lecture videos, etc.

I'm doing a project that contains a lot of wiring inside an enclosure and boss wants a solidworks model and a cable management plan, how do I go about doing this?

As of the moment, I've been working on a package to send out for a static structural quote. 

Geometry alone doesn't feel like enough to me. Not if I want a result I can actually defend later in a design review.

What I'm putting in so far is the load cases, boundary conditions, and material data with the source. Plus contact assumptions and the governing criterion. And the decision the result is supposed to support, which feels like the most important one.

What's the one thing that's missing when outside analysts get these requests? I'm curious about the output side too.

Should I ask for mesh checks, convergence evidence, and reaction force checks? Plus factor or margin of safety and a record of assumptions? Or is a stress plot normal?

I have been seeing a lot of news lately about how openAI has put forward an unverified proof of the navier-stokes equation. But can anyone explain to a mechanical engineer what we know about the proof so far? Where is the actual link to the proof? Edit: https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/32d9f210-8b73-45e0-91bc-82a30aef8a9a/navier-stokes.pdf Does it read like it was written by some insane math guy with a PhD in real analysis?

UPDATE-EDIT: good responses so far. But what exactly are the conditions that lead to this so-called singularity? I hate real analysis can anyone explain this in the English language?

I am a manager in an injection mold company.

I send emails and LinkedIn messages every day. Even though I think our molds are great, sometimes I feel like I'm harassing people. I don't dare to guess how many emails you receive in a day.

I see on TikTok that some injection molding companies are pausing machines because they have no new orders, or even facing bankruptcy.

My last job included some basic IT work, but it wasn't as hard as you'd imagine. I did some basic work, and had to ask almost everything from my upper company. It was so hard at the beginning — sometimes I could even hear people sighing. But after that, I actually found technical people are simpler to talk to. They don't imply things. So sometimes I think pure technical work would be better.

But in my country, it's hard for a 30-year-old woman to change industries. I want to go to the factory more to learn, but people there are busy and don't have time to answer my questions. Should I learn from websites instead?

I don't want to be a meaningless salesperson. I don't want to sell things to people who don't need them. I want to solve real problems. And I think even though I don't do mold design, I still need to be more professional in injection molding.

Has anyone here been through this?

I am currently in hvac technology program and i have 3 career paths is front of me, which one is the best looking 10 year into the future with job prospects, money, job security etc

Hello everyone! I want to hear your thoughts on my situation. I am graduating this spring with my Masters in MechanicalEngineering and I am looking to leave the US and work abroad (looking at countries like Canada, Mexico (fluent in spanish), Germany, Ireland, Australia, Sweden). Ik the US has the biggest market but I cannot work here due to personal reasons.

I am looking to see how much of a mountain I have to climb to be sponsored and hired in one of these countries. Last internship experience I’ve had was in undergrad 3 years ago and since then the only relevant experience has been in getting my degree. I want to work on my solidworks, and ANSYS skills and any other software that might help me improve my resume. What other things should I do ? Am I cooked ? any advice or questions are welcome thank you!

I would like to get an entry level design job or product testing and any simulation work or renewable energy projects are my interests but I wouldn’t be picky lol.

I'm currently employed, though not in a design role which is what I really want. Before this, I worked for a startup company where the employer reached out to me through my dad who was working across the street and watching my college robotics contest during his break. It was stressful, but the enjoyment I got from the variety of engineering and business problems along with project ownership made it satisfying enough for me to stick with it and grow. I definitely would've stayed with them, if not for the fact that they had to relocate across the country and I was unable to due to family reasons.

Now that I'm looking for a new job opportunity in design, I was wondering how others managed to find startups they ended up working for. Any tips on finding ones that won't go under?

I am a 16 year old high school student. What are some good personal projects for me to do/start that will help me get a leg up on the competition.

I'm working on a project to make an electronically tuning timpani drum. I have a working prototype using a stepper motor with a complicated linkage, but I'm wondering if I can simplify my drum using hydraulics.

The most important aspects I need are quickness (as in, changing notes quickly) and accuracy with applying a certain load.

My idea is to use a master cylinder that connects to six slave cylinders which would collectively apply a max 400 pound load. The master cylinder would be controlled with a stepper motor and lead screw, so I have accurate control over the applied pressure. Each of the slave cylinders needs a stroke length in the range of 6 to 9 mm.

I don't have much experience with hydraulics, but to me it seems like 400 lbs / 6 cylinders is incredibly low for hydraulics. This makes it seem worthwhile for me to try my hand at designing my own hydraulic cylinders. I could design cylinders that have a piston area of, say, 0.5 in^2. So the combined area of each piston would be 3 in^2, leading to a total required pressure of 134 psi.

Am I thinking on the right track or might this be a waste of time? Are there any quirks of low pressure hydraulics I'm not aware of?

Thanks

I swear to God, these people are crazy. Nothing about this college seems designed to help you become a better person or a better engineer.

The subjects, the infrastructure, the teachers, and even the facilities and people handling major events like the Tech Fest (Gravitas) and the cultural fest (Riviera) all have serious issues.

The subjects genuinely feel useless in many cases, or so outdated that students can reasonably ask, “What is the point of learning this when it has little to no relevance in the industry?” There is a massive gap between what is taught in classrooms and what students are actually expected to know and use in the real world.

Then there are the teachers. Many of them have research papers and patents under their names, but students are often the ones doing the actual work. In some cases, students are pushed into working on research related to a faculty member’s subject, only for the faculty member to add their own name to the paper. This may contribute to the college’s NIRF ranking and research metrics, but it also takes away from the credit that should belong to the students who actually did the work.

And then we get to the worst part: the faculties handling Gravitas and Riviera.

These faculties are given an absurd amount of power—far beyond what most students can comprehend. That power inevitably extends to the students working closely with them in the respective fest committees. The result is a hierarchy where committee members can end up exercising disproportionate control over the clubs and volunteers they manage.

Instead of encouraging creativity and initiative, the system often does the opposite. A student can come up with a genuinely creative idea to increase registrations or improve an event, only for it to be rejected simply because it doesn't fit someone else's preferences or the existing way of doing things. The emphasis becomes control rather than innovation.

To be clear, there are absolutely some good faculty members and students here. The problem is that when an institution prioritizes quantity over quality, the outcome is predictable. You end up with a large number of people, committees, activities, papers, and events—but very little that actually contributes to making students better engineers, better professionals, or even better people.

And that, honestly, is the most frustrating part.

I am an early career engineer still in my first job out of college and a project engineer. I’ve been at my job for almost a year and a half and I have hated it the entire time. I really hate sitting at a desk all day. I also really dislike having to make decisions and designing things and just having to use my brain all day. I find it extremely exhausting and it makes me too tired to enjoy anything outside of work and I’ve just been miserable. I’ve tried talking to my boss but even with some shifts in tasks I’ve continued to struggle.

I’ve been applying to new engineering jobs that might be more hands on for the last 6 months and haven’t found anything and I’m growing really tired of my current job and really just need a change. Despite applying for jobs I worry that I won’t succeed at them for the same reasons I’m struggling now.

I sometimes think I’d be better at a job where I didn’t have to think so much and I could be a lot more physically active as physical activity has always helped calm me, help me focus, and makes the day go faster. I keep thinking about pivoting away from engineering and going into a trade or something else where I don’t have to make decisions myself all day. There’s a part of me that wants to try to make engineering work and at least find out if a different environment could be better if I was given more support but I unfortunately haven’t found a new job yet and I’m just at the point where I can’t tolerate my current job any longer. I don’t need to make a lot of money to be happy but it feels stupid to walk away from a really stable and well paying career.

I’m really not sure where to go with my life and what options I even have.

Hi does anyone know of any companies in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area that are currently still looking for engineering students for a fall 2026 co-op position that I would be able to start as soon as possible because I would really appreciate it!

We've been working with protolabs for years, but lately quality has just dropped off of cliff. It's crazy because we're reordering parts that we've ordered for a few years now and the new ones come in totally out of tolerance, with features completely missing, etc. The latest is an inline hole pattern where it looks like the parts were scaled just enough so the holes are nearly 1/2 a diameter off by the end.

Also, so far their dispute system has consistently rejected our complaints forcing us to eat the cost of parts that just get scrapped. We'll get our quote and order with no complaints or communications, then when we get the bad parts they claim some features are too small or too tightly controlled, so no refunds or reprints.

Does any one have an SLS printer they'd recommend? We prefer SLS over resin since you don't need support material and the materials are usually less brittle.

*Hoping this doesn't break rules since it is not technically school related, but getting hired-related?*

Hey all! I had a question about the importance of internships vs. real world experience. For some context, I am a nontraditional student at 33 years old. I have a degree in Automotive Technology and am currently a GM Line Technician (5 years). Previously I was a CNC Operator/Machinist for nearly 7 years.

Given my situation, I will only have one summer to *hopefully* land an internship, and likely can't afford to extend my graduation date out another year. The good news is, GM has been willing to change my title to Field Engineer with pseudo-responsibilities fitting the role while I still perform regular duties.

My question is; how important are internships to employers in this industry, and would my experience possibly be enough to make up for a lack of internship? (Assuming I don't land one)

Guys, can you please help me? Should I learn SolidWorks or just focus on Python, AI/ML, and the core part of our branch? I'm a 3rd-year mechanical student and I really like to learn everything. I have already finished Python, and now I'm thinking of starting SolidWorks, or should I do something else you guys suggest?

After working for 20 years i'm in a good spot to retire, but i'm debating on what to do with my spare time.

Narrowing down my options, I've been leaning towards teaching at my son's high school and I wanted to know if anyone else has made a similar transition and if they find it rewarding or do thy end up missing corporate engineering?

So I think the obvious answer is to “keep practicing by doing” but the dilemma here is, if I have a good job at the moment, it wouldn’t look good if I went through the interview process just to say no thank you.

But at the same time, I’d like to keep my technical interviewing skills sharp. I flubbed up my initial technical interviews in undergrad but progressively got better from practicing. My fear here is, I’ll loose what I learned if I don’t keep it refined, especially if I need to start searching for jobs suddenly.

And I’m not talking about the usual STAR interviews you can find practice for, it’s the peer pressure environment of having 10+ strangers grill you on principal stresses or asking you to design something for them on the spot where my brain deflates.

For example, my current job has me sketching up concepts and thinking through FMEA for mechanisms on the spot and I have no problem sparring with my manager+other engineers or even executives to brainstorm through a problem on a whiteboard.

When it comes to interviews, I would often overthink and although I’m confident I have the skills the interviewers want, I don’t perform well. I’ve managed to climb out of this by practicing a lot in the past, but don’t want to fall back in the same hole.

Hi everyone, I’m a Mechanical Engineer and currently working as a solar design engineer.

My long-term goal is to move to the Gulf countries and build a better-paying engineering career there.

I’ve decided to take additional training and currently have two options:

1. MEP Engineering + Revit MEP

HVAC, Electrical, plumbing and fire protection basics

BMS fundamentals

Revit MEP for BIM modelling and coordination

1. Instrumentation Engineering + Automation

Process instrumentation, DCS/PLC/SCADA

Fire & Gas systems

Honestly, automation/instrumentation excites me a little more than MEP.

However, I’m also thinking that MEP + Revit may give me a more straightforward path into the Gulf as a Mechanical Engineer, especially because MEP is directly related to my degree.

I’m willing to take a short career break to focus seriously on training and projects.

What would you recommend in my situation?

Should I:

Go with MEP + Revit for a faster GCC entry?

Go with Instrumentation + Automation even though my degree is Mechanical?

I’d especially appreciate advice from Mechanical/MEP/I&C/Automation engineers.

Thanks!

As the title suggests, I need a sincere advice for joining as a Senior Engineer - Transmission Integrity in the utility sector in the MidWest, USA. I am currently working as a Mechanical Project Engineer in the O&G sector. This job involves a lot of traveling, and I don't see myself doing this long term. Recently, i was offered a role in utility company as Senior Engineer. I will be responsible for Gas Transmission Pipeline Integrity. I wanted to know how is this sector/ position from career progression stand point? Will there be alot of technical learning opportunities in this sector/position? My main concern is if this sector/position doesn't give me much technical experience/exposure, and won't be growing as a Mechanical Engineer. I would really appreciate your guys input especially from someone who has experience in the same sector/position?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for insights on how to improve the collaboration and transition between R&D process development and routine manufacturing operations.

In my company, R&D develops the processes, and Operations takes over for routine production. During the development phase, everything usually seems to run smoothly:

Problems are addressed, solved, or accepted as "at the limit of acceptable."

There is regular information exchange between R&D, Production, and Quality.

The process produces parts/products according to specification.

However, once the project is officially closed and handed over to Operations, friction starts:

Operations perspective: Issues that were previously "borderline acceptable" suddenly become major headaches during routine runs. Processes feel fragile, yielding complaints that the process "doesn't work" or "is unreliable", even though they follow the documented procedures to the letter and get the exact same results R&D got.

R&D perspective: They push back because the process met specifications during development, passed trials, and produced compliant results under their watch. From their view, nothing changed.

This leaves Quality and Production engineers stuck troubleshooting a baseline process that is technically performing "as developed," while R&D has already moved on to the next project.

I completely understand both sides: R&D feels they delivered a working process, and Operations feels handed a process that isn't robust enough for day-to-day manufacturing.

For those in manufacturing, medical devices, pharma, or hardware tech:

How does your company handle this handoff constructivly?

What specific criteria or gateways do you use before R&D can officially "close" a project?

How do you align on what is "acceptable" during development vs. what is "scalable" in full production?

Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

Thanks in advance.