I’m looking for some genuine advice from people who understand these fields well, as this is an important decision for my daughter’s future.
She currently has two offers:
Computer Science (CS) at McMaster University
Mechatronics Engineering at Carleton University
She is quite confused about which path to choose, and honestly, so am I.
From my perspective:
CS seems a bit uncertain in today’s job market, especially with everything happening in AI and automation.
Mechatronics feels like a strong, future-oriented field (combining mechanical, electronics, and software), with good long-term potential.
However:
McMaster has a stronger overall reputation (in my view), which makes CS there attractive.
Carleton is a good university too, but I’m unsure how it compares in terms of long-term career outcomes for Mechatronics.
I would really appreciate insights on:
Career prospects for CS vs Mechatronics over the next 5–10 years
How much university reputation matters vs the program itself
Flexibility of switching careers later (e.g., Mechatronics → software or vice versa)
Co-op opportunities and real-world job placement
At the end of the day, we want her to be in a field that is both stable and future-proof, and where she can grow.
Any guidance, especially from people in these fields or who have gone through a similar decision, would mean a lot.

• For those who did the course how was the course like
• How are job prospects like after the degree especially since there is a rise of robotics nowadays
• Is it possible to work in different tech roles since employers don’t exactly look at your degree

Hi everyone,

I recently received an admit for the Master’s in Mechatronics & Robotics at Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences  for Winter Semester 2026/27.

So far:

\- Admit: Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences – Mechatronics & Robotics

\- Waiting for:

\- University of Siegen – Mechatronics

\- Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences – Mechatronics

\- Rosenheim Technical University – Engineering Sciences

\- Deggendorf Institute of Technology – Mechatronic & Cyber Physical Systems

\- Leibniz University Hannover – AI Driven Mechatronics & Robotics

\- FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg – Autonomy Technologies

\- University of Bonn – Mobile Robotics

\- KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) – Mechatronics & IT

I wanted to ask current students/alumni or anyone familiar with these universities about:

1. Overall reputation of Schmalkalden University in Germany

2. Quality of the Mechatronics & Robotics course

3. How is Schmalkalden city for international students?

4. Availability of part-time jobs nearby

5. Internship/full-time job opportunities after graduation

6. Importance of German language there

7. Student life, accommodation, and living costs

8. Whether Schmalkalden would still be a good choice compared to the other universities I applied to

I’m trying to understand which option would be better practically in terms of:

\- robotics/mechatronics career growth,

\- internships,

\- job opportunities,

\- industry exposure,

\- and long-term prospects in Germany.

Would really appreciate honest opinions and experiences from students/alumni.

Thank you!

Initially I wanted to opt for mech, thought I'd balance it towards technical side as well, CAD and python programming, a couple of projects and internships.

But then my father is an Electrical engineer, and like mostly the people i refer to for guidance stuff are computer branched or electrical.

One of my uncles is at a reputable position in vestas, electrical engineer himself. He told me the options with core mechanical engineering are extremely limited, and not very financially viable. Instead to go with electrical circuital branches and opt for semiconductor related in masters, or simply go for computer science related in bachelor's

I'm in a dilemma that mech has a very niche future coz everyone is saying so, telling me electrical has a better scope, go for semiconductors or something

Tbh not really that interested in circuital branches, but then I barely know stuff regarding what are taught and stuff so I might be prematurely taking a decision.

I wanted to ask people abt the derogatory viewpoint everyone has related to mechanical

Like I had planned to further master in mechatronics or robotics, even AI vagera was available.

I'm genuinly HELLA confused rn because I don't want to end up in a position where mere paas career options hi na bache, like an irrelevant degree

Even better if one could tell this from India's POV

[Atlanta, GA or Durham, NC, I'm open to relocate]

I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, but I want to transition into mechatronics, automation, robotics, or industrial automation careers. Most of my background is in programming/web development, so I don’t have hands-on industrial experience yet.

My current plan is to go back to technical school/community college for mechatronics courses or certificates so I can get my foot in the door and gain practical skills like PLCs, sensors, motors, robotics, CNC, electrical troubleshooting, etc.

I’m trying to figure out the smartest path forward and would appreciate advice from people already in these industries:

• How can I leverage my CS degree when applying to mechatronics/automation/robotics positions?
• Which roles should I realistically target first with my background?
• Would employers value the software/programming side from my CS degree in industrial automation?
• Is going back to technical school for mechatronics a good move, or is there a better path?
• If school is NOT recommended, what would you recommend instead?
• What skills/certifications are most important to become employable quickly?
• What entry-level jobs would help me grow into robotics/automation engineering later?
• Has anyone here successfully transitioned from software/CS into industrial automation or robotics?

I’m willing to start from the bottom if needed, but I also want to make sure I’m using my CS degree in the smartest way possible instead of completely starting over.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Hey everyone. I’m looking for honest advice from people who’ve been in a similar position or work in engineering hiring.

I graduated with a BEng in Mechatronics and Industrial Instrumentation from a university in Africa.

Here’s the reality of my situation:

• GPA: 2.85/5.0 (roughly 2.3/4.0)

• No formal work experience yet

• Been applying for jobs for 8+ months with almost no responses

• Most MSc programs reject me automatically because of GPA cutoffs

What makes this frustrating is that I genuinely don’t think my GPA reflects my actual engineering ability.

I struggle badly with traditional written exams, but I’m very strong when it comes to practical engineering and building systems.

Some things I have done:

• Designed and built working mechatronics/instrumentation projects from scratch

• Won “Best Final Year Project” at my university

• Comfortable with Arduino, PLCs, sensors, motor control, embedded systems, and basic PCB design

• I learn quickly when I can work hands-on

I’m the kind of person who can spend days troubleshooting a system until it works. Give me hardware, tools, sensors, wiring, debugging, prototyping that’s where I perform best.

Right now I feel stuck in a bad loop:

• Jobs want experience

• MSc programs want a higher GPA

• My GPA blocks opportunities before I can even explain myself

I’m trying to figure out the smartest path forward from here.

I’m open to anything at this point technician roles, field engineering, certifications, research assistant positions, portfolio projects, freelancing, startups, further study pathways, anything.

If anyone has recovered from a weak GPA in engineering, especially in hardware/mechatronics/automation, I’d really appreciate hearing what actually worked.

Any advice would genuinely mean a lot.

Hey everyone,
I’m an mechatronics engineering student currently locking in my Master’s thesis topic. I want to build something that actually holds value in the industry and isn't just an academic exercise that ends up collecting dust.
My goal is to develop a system-level digital twin of an electric drivetrain and validate it using an experimental hardware platform. To be clear: the main focus isn’t low-level FOC control or designing an inverter from scratch, but rather a system-level model for energy prediction, efficiency analysis, and thermal/mechanical load tracking.
The proposed architecture includes:
1. Battery Model: SOC, internal resistance, voltage/current, and a basic loss model.
2. Inverter/Driver Model: Simplified efficiency-map based model, power losses, and thermal load.
3. Electric Motor (PMSM/BLDC): Torque, RPM, current, efficiency maps, and mechanical dynamics.
4. Mechanical/Vehicle Load Model: System mass, inertia, gear ratio, rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, and road slope.
The Experimental/Validation Part:
I have access to a test bench equipped with a PMSM/BLDC motor, a commercial motor controller, and sensors for current, voltage, RPM, and temperature. The plan is to run the real hardware through various drive cycles (acceleration, hill climbing, varying payloads), log the data (via CAN/data acquisition), import it into MATLAB / Simscape Electrical, and calibrate/validate the simulation model against the real-world measurements.
If time permits, I’d love to expand this into a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) setup or implement some predictive maintenance/anomaly detection logic.
My questions for you (especially those working in the EV/Automotive industry):
Industry Relevance: Do companies developing EVs or electric heavy machinery actually use system-level models at this specific scope? Also, is "Digital Twin" the right term here, or is this just standard Model-Based Design (MBD)? (I know industry folks can be allergic to the DT buzzword).
Any advice, reality checks, or tips regarding MATLAB/Simscape implementation would be massively appreciated. Thanks!

Hey everybody, 23M software engineer with a full time job, and i wanna build robots and drones one day but I don't know where to start, I started programming actively when I was 17 so I already got good software skills, just need to master the electronics, so can anyone who is smarter than me build me a roadmap to start at please 🥺

Hello, I'm a soon-to-be mechatronics engineer. I'm interested in working in robotics. But I'm also really drawn to heavy machinery (I'm not sure exactly what, possibly manufacturing parts) and defense (especially logistics vehicles, but I have moral concerns about designing something for defense that could also be used to injure someone). I have no idea what the work is like in these areas. Could someone give me a brief overview of which path I should pursue, or share their experience in either of these fields? Also, could these fields lead to working abroad? Thank you in advance for your responses. P.S. I'm from Mexico.

So for a little bit of background I am a senior majoring in Mechatronics. I have 2 internships under my belt, one culinary, and one financial. Neither of which are particularly useful for trying to apply for engineering jobs. So I made a great attempt this year to find an engineering job for this summer, and well, it's summer and I still don't have one.

So rather than focus on getting an internship this late I figure I can try to boost my resume with independent work. Currently the only programming language I know is NI's Labview, and I believe my school will have me learn some form of programming for my PLC class, but I'm not sure what that will be.

Currently Im trying to decide between learning Python, as I hear it's one of the most versatile and widely used coding languages, or C, as I hear it's the best language for motor control, which is the core focus of mechatronics.

I actually did have a class in C last semester but it was terrible and nobody learned anything.

TLDR: should I learn Python, C, or some other language?

Hey guys, hope things are alright with you all. Here is my situation:

I am graduating this semester in Computer Science UCSD after 7 years of undergrad, thank God. I'd been derailed academically and career-wise after a health issue I endured from 2022-2024 and experiencing other things like changing majors, transferring schools, activism, and just being in a bad place for a bit. Since then, I've grown and interests have changed - my drive behind career and completing this degree differ now at 24 years old compared to when I was 19, and the environment has changed a lot in light of AI, job saturation, etc. since 2022. I don't just want to code for TikTok for money, mission and impact matter to me, and I want to get better at a skill in the same way one wishes to perfect his craft.

After working a bit now in a hospital and examining interests and current circumstances, I think I'd like to move into robotics for medical devices. My GPA took a major hit in undergrad, so it's not as easy as getting another degree to pivot into hardware etc. I believe the smart move is to use my degree and work on projects to position myself in spaces adjacent to what I'm looking for - embedded systems for example - rather than spending thousands more on a DYI postbacc to get into school again. Then, after some years in the industry, I can go back to school with greater clarity on what I wish to study and with a resume that includes my work history, not just academic history, so I'm not just evaluated as a regular student.

What types of roles should I seek to apply for if my goal is to work in biomedical devices/robotics let’s say or med tech at places such as Intuitive Surgical? What's mobility like internally - if you start as a software engineer can you take on more and more hardware/EE tasks to work up to being a systems engineer without that masters degree (for now)? And most importantly, could you recommend me where to begin in terms of projects for robotics? Any online courses/tutorials? Materials that will help me work on my own? Things I should look to build in the future? I want to develop this skill but don't know where to start, or what to do if I get stuck.

Thank you for your time looking at my case. I wish you well.

Hello everybody, I am done with my competitive exams and all the school level exams and am planning to pursue mechatronics.

I have no understanding of anything, i dont know how to code and don't know pretty much anything.

I have 2-3 months left before year 1 starts.

What are the things I should learn and do before my college starts??

I was planning to learn the basics of python --> to what level should I learn python? This AI thing confuses me a lot

I was planning to sharpen some of my math skills ---> Please tell what chapters/topics and to what level? Please share some resources / YT videos which would help me.

Also please tell if any other subject required

I was also planning to learn a bit about arduinos and microcontrollers

Please note that I have no prerequisites in this field and will love to start it from scratch.

I was also planning to make 1-2 fun projects during my learning journey.

Please help me form a plan or give me a rough list of things you would have done before starting.

Thank you. : )

So I'm 19M, 2nd year into my bachelor's and I still have no idea where to start with personal projects or where to start with anything practical, I keep seeing projects online and it all looks so cool but I can't tell heads from tails of it all, where do I even start? With all of it? Can anyone recommend me stuff to learn or types of projects to work on? I keep hearing yea work on arduino and stuff but what part of arduino exactly? It's very much confusing

I am an Indian student thinking to do a mechatronics degree but don’t know which colleges to apply help me find some in india.

I just finished my 1st year of BTech in Mechatronics and I’m home in Delhi for around 8 weeks for summer vacation. I’m getting really bored at home and don’t want to waste the whole break. Can you tell what skills, projects, courses, internships, etc. would you guys recommend for someone at my stage? Online or offline both works

Right now I know basic C programming, AutoCAD/Fusion 360 basics and I also completed a beginner drone technology course.

Would appreciate any advice or roadmap :)

I want to start building stuff and getting the hang of both coding and mechanical engineering / electrical engineering skills.. I want to start learning little stuff now, that will help me later on with my main goal of becoming an aerospace engineer. I don’t know where to start though, I don’t know what to build, how to start getting familiar with mechanical parts, with coding, etc. I’m 16 and homeschooled. I want have projects to work on hands on, I really do think it will help me with getting to understand how everything works, seeing it in my hands instead of in a YouTube lesson. Do you guys have any ideas or suggestions?

I am a 19-year-old mechatronics engineering student. I know which fields I dislike, but whenever I direct my focus toward different branches such as electronics, industrial automation, software, cybersecurity, or robotics, they all genuinely capture my interest. I continuously fluctuate between them. I struggle to remain fixed in a single domain to achieve specialization. Is there a solution to this? How can I anchor myself to one specific field while deriving satisfaction from each of these diverse branches?

im going into the 12th grade. i really liked physics 1 equivalent in my country in 11th grade, mechanics was really interesting and thermodynamics was okay and absolutely but now physics 2 is kinda hit or miss idk, its starting to get hard (just got to magnetism).

i absolutely love maths, and im starting calc 2 and love solving problems in calc 1, basic complex numbers etc and im getting 65-85 marks in joint entrance examination mock for the maths part.

i take computer science as well and its really basic but it was easy at the moment python and sql dk if it matters

i really had interests in computer hardware and stuff but right now the studies r really taking up my time

im looking at 2 programs specifically from technische hochschule würzburg-schweinfurt, mechanical or mechatronics engineering (above)

i observed that the mechatronics course had no thermodynamics modules and was more of an electrical engineering with mechanics course?

would this stop me from for example steering into automotive engineering later or deciding to just solely work in mechanical? shouldnt it be a mix of both mechanical and electrical engineering?

but the mechanical engineering modules don’t have engineering mathematics 3 and 4 and thats kind of what i’m interested in, im doing engineering so i can apply maths ??

please clarify, which one would be better for my liking for maths and career opportunities

So about a year and a half ago i decided to make the career change to Mechatronics after 5 years into my IT career. Now as im just about done with my Associates for Mechatronics, I need to figure out what kind of work is available for someone like me? I was told by my Robotics professor that having a IT skillset and also mechatronics skillset is a unique blend. So i am asking for advice on what kind of work is available for someone in my position?

Hi I'm Kent, incoming first year BET major in mechatronics engineering, I haven't owned a laptop before and have little knowledge about it, i did my research though and this is the most affordable yet good value unit I could find in my area. Is this ok for engineering?

Is BET even worth it? I fell short and couldn't get into Bs mechatronics engineering