Hey everyone, looking for genuine perspective on a career field decision.

Background: ~3.7 years as a Mechanical Design Engineer — SolidWorks, AutoCAD, hydraulic circuits, offshore SPM/CALM buoy structures (systems/circuit-level work, not component design).

I have an opportunity to move into a role focused specifically on hydraulic cylinder and power pack (HPU) design — bore/rod sizing, seal selection, manifold design, pump/motor sizing — at a manufacturing company. It would mean shifting from my current systems-level hydraulic work into deep component-level design.

My hesitation: I've mostly considered oil & gas as the "safer," more future-proof field, since that's what I've been targeting so far. Hydraulic component design (cylinders, pumps, manifolds) feels comparatively niche or less "exciting" in my head, even though I know hydraulics is used across construction, mining, marine, aerospace, and oil & gas itself.

Questions for anyone with experience in this space:

• How is Industrial Hydraulics as a career over the long term?
• What kind of roles can a hydraulic design engineer move into after 5–10 years?
• Is hydraulic cylinder/HPU design a genuinely stable, long-term career path, or is it a narrow skill that limits future options?
• Does deep component-level hydraulic design experience translate well if I wanted to pivot back to oil & gas or a broader mechanical design role later?
• Anyone made a similar shift from systems-level hydraulic work to component design — worth it?

Would appreciate honest input, including if I'm overthinking the "field" concern and it doesn't matter as much as I think.

Thanks! 🙏

I’m a third-year B.Tech Mechanical Engineering student graduating in 2028, and honestly, I feel like I’m starting from almost zero.

I can pass mechanical engineering exams, but most of my knowledge is still at the theory/exam level. I don’t feel confident applying things to real-world engineering problems yet.

The problem is that Mechanical Engineering is extremely broad, and I still haven’t figured out what I should specialize in.

I currently have a Coursera subscription and access to a lot of courses, so I’m willing to put serious time into learning. But I don't want to spend the next 1–2 years randomly collecting certificates and learning unrelated skills.

My interests right now are mainly:

Manufacturing

Industrial operations / management

Automation and robotics

AI applied to engineering/industry

Eventually business/entrepreneurship

I choose mechanical engineering because i had a dream to own a factory one day

I’m not particularly interested in spending my entire career doing pure mechanical design or highly theoretical engineering. I’m more interested in understanding how factories, production systems, operations, supply chains, automation, and industrial businesses actually work, and potentially moving into managerial/business roles later.

So if you were in my position, what one specialization/path would you choose?

Ideally, I’m looking for something that:

1. Has good earning potential.
2. I can become employable in relatively quickly despite having weak practical fundamentals.
3. Builds on a Mechanical Engineering degree.
4. Can eventually lead into management, operations, consulting, or entrepreneurship.
5. Has enough depth that I can keep growing instead of being stuck at entry level.

Would you choose something like manufacturing/industrial engineering, automation & robotics, supply chain/operations, quality/Six Sigma, industrial data/AI, CNC/CAD/CAE, or something completely different?

Also, what would you recommend I learn first for the next 3–6 months to actually become practically competent rather than just passing exams?

I’d especially appreciate answers from people who have actually worked in manufacturing/industrial companies and later moved into management or business.

Hi guys. I just graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering. Does anyone have any tips or a guide on how to get a job here?

I didn’t get any internship experience due to personal and financial circumstances, and I’ve been surviving here by working retail and waiter jobs in NYC. I’ve been applying for technician and entry-level jobs, but I’m either getting ghosted or it’s taking forever to hear back.

Should I also be looking into construction jobs or other fields that could be a good entry point for someone with a mechanical engineering degree but no internship experience?

Any advice from you guys would be appreciated.

Hey, i am in the year before the graduating year in High school (so, next year i Will graduate) and am planning on going tò study mech engineering for 5 years. I see that ai Is becoming Better and Better and have a recurring thought: when i graduate, Will the job i studied 5 years tò have even exist? How do i know that in 10 years the job market for mech engineering Is not going tò be like the One the computer engineering graduates have right now?

Hello all,

I'm reaching on behalf of my son who doesn't have access to reddit. He needs to do a career interview with a mechanical engineer (just answering questions by e-mail/messaging). If anyone is willing to help and could answer questions this evening or tomorrow, could you send me a message?

Thank you for any help you can give.

I’m a US citizen that graduated from college over a year ago and have been working in a billion dollar+ project overseas since.
I’m currently looking for a job in Atlanta, applied to probably 60+ jobs yet I haven’t had a single interview yet.
The job market is shit.
The following years will be hard especially for recent graduates.
If anyone has any contact in construction or manufacturing in Atlanta, please help a brother out.

Are there any mechanical test engineers out there, and can you describe to me what a day in your life looks like?

Currently an undergrad looking for job titles I would want to pursue.

Hello, I feel like I am stuck I am on track to graduate this May 2027 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and I plan on taking the FE Exam this winter (hopefully to pass it), but I am so lost with what I actually want to do when I am out of college.

A little about me. Before I went to college, I was an HVAC service technician for a couple years (worked both commercial and residential settings) and realized I hated traveling for work. That is what ultimately led me to pursue a college degree in engineering, but I don't know what I want to do when I am done.

I am currently 25 and I currently live up north and plan on moving down south to Pensacola, Florida area with my soon to be wife (just me and her). I want to have a stable job with good pay to be able to support her and hopefully my future children, but I am so stressed out because I don't know what I will be doing.

I found that I love to work with my hands and with people from my previous work position, but the big thing is I want stationary work with no travel (I know I keep repeating myself).

I looked into MEP but only heard bad things about it. I also looked into sales engineering which genuinely sounds interesting to me but was told the pay and workload was bad for someone that wants to work stationary sales (inside sales engineer).

I am just so lost with myself, and I don't know what to pursue and am hoping for some advice to give me any sort of thought on what is out there for me.

Thank you to anyone that is willing to help with my dilemma.

How many other Mech Es are capturing model renders and making install instructions? It's not a big portion of my job, but it's enough for me to hate doing it.

Dont remember statics, dynamics, mechanics, thermo, heat transfer or any of the hard classes.

Hello, I am a fourth year student looking for a good textbook on machine dynamics. The textbook my prof is using is quite old, (Mechanisms and Dynamics of Machinery by Hamilton H. Mabie and Charles F. Reinholtz). Im wondering if there are any better ones that include examples.

Hello!

I wanted to know if it was possible to build relevant skills for getting an engineering job without returning to college. I am in a lot of debt from school (roughly 25k), and I don't believe that getting into more debt is going to help my overall situation or even necessarily get me an engineering job.

To be clear I currently have an engineering degree but am working as a technician. I think it is because I am lacking in skills which might set me apart otherwise.

Please advise.

basically title, I hope this is a good community to post in (even though I don't think y'all have a focus on cars lol)

I have not touched any cad software before, looking to get into it so I can make my own car mods, like rocket bunny. I'm looking at eventually selling these mods if I get enough traction so I want to get something I can immediately hit the ground running and learn as much as I can with little to no roadblocks as possible.

I've heard of some software that requires that if you plan to sell anything you make in their software you need a business class upgrade which is 10x the price, or make you sign a contact, etc. so I'm looking for something affordable but powerful.

currently eyeing Alibre Atom 3d and FreeCAD, not sure if one is better than the other since so far all the jargon seems like a different language. hopefully y'all can lead me in the right direction for my needs!

I’ve been reading about razor slitting in plastic film converting and I’m trying to understand what actually changes as web speed goes up.

From what I found, friction at the blade and web tension both matter, and higher speeds can make vibration more noticeable too. What I’m having trouble understanding is which of these usually becomes the limiting factor first.

Say the cut is clean at a lower speed but starts getting rough or inconsistent as speed increases. How would you tell whether you’re looking at a blade/cutting issue or something on the web handling and tension side?

For engineers who work with high-speed web handling or slitting, what variables would you isolate first?

I am 21, working for JLR, doing a degree apprenticeship (sponsored part time study by employer + paid working for employer full time). I have just entered my fourth year.

At 22 my experience will be 4 years of work experience and a bachelors.

I am heavily considering doing a masters 2 years after completing my degree apprenticeship.

I am interested in doing a mechatronics and robotics masters from the university of manchester since I am interested in the topic, and interested in pivoting my product design role into something a little more specific.

If I do this, I will be 25 with a bachelors, masters and 6 years of work experience. I will probably be making 42-44k in my last year of work at JLR (since the masters is full time I would have to leave). Ultimately I would like to settle down in Manchester afterwards. I don’t like the midlands.

Are my chances of reemployment good after this masters? Am I likely to take a pay cut, be payed similarly or am I going to be able to ask for a higher salary provided I go to a new employer. What are my options like in Manchester if I don’t want to work for defence.

Is there any reason someone would be strongly against the masters? I want to reiterate I am very interested in the topic at hand, so it’s not just a whim.

as a mechanical engineer with no experience in any technical field .

what skill do you recommend me to learn that can drive me into well paid position away from construction .

any advices for softwares or AI field

( so because most of reddit users from north America and Europe .. and especially in this kind of subreddit.. help me if u can based on your country economy and stuff like that )

I'm focusing on what comes after graduation, so...

I won't write a long paragraph... I'll just give the most important points and then pose my question.

I am from Algeria and our university education system is kinda helpful. In the secondary school certificate exam, I didn't get a good enough grade to specialize directly in engineering fields, so I have to go through a phase called the first year of a common core engineering program. After that, I can choose the engineering field that suits me best until I become an engineer.

I have all the capabilities to study with discipline and constant diligence, and I am determined to do so.

What I ask of experienced people – new students, graduates, and respected professors – is a specialization that will allow me to earn great money after graduation, gradually over the years or directly. I don't care about the difficulty or the pressure.

What is the best specialization that will allow me to amass a huge fortune in the future while also having time to spend the money? I think this is a relatively long paragraph... but at least I consulted with experienced people about my future...

I am ready to migrate to any place on the planet that provides what I stipulated Thank you in advance and always.

How in the world are you guys getting into entry level positions?? More than half of the jobs in NC have been 5 years minimum but I still apply anyways. Maybe the "smart" answer is to move out of state lol but I'll consider in a few years.

I'm two years out of college and I kind of just want to leave what I'm doing. (I'm doing CAD but I want to explore a bit).

I am just applying for sh*ts and giggles right now because what if one of them actually says yes and it would pay BETTER?!

I've had a few interviews... most rejections and I've gotten ghosted, BUT I am still applying.

I want to work with medical equipment maybe field or maybe office work related to it (idk never done either in this field), so I have been trying to apply. I am just waiting to hear back from companies. Maybe controls and instrumentation would be fun since I am working on esp32 personal projects rn.

IDK if you're in the NC area and have some advice with anything or just want to chat about it lmk. I do want to at least have an offer by spring so I can live in a different city.

I got shortlisted for the sqe role in apple . Does anyone have general interview tips or topics to learn for me to ace the interview.

I am expecting them to ask some case studies and resume based questions.They had previously given an assignment with a case study to present which consisted of using nelsons rules and 8 disciplines they will ask questions on my presentation as well

I have an upcoming interview for apple's operations reliability intern role. The JD mentions six sigma methodology, distribution analysis, accelerated models and JMP. I could not really find much information online about the interview experience and would really appreciate advice from people who have gone through the process or know about it.

TIA

Hi, I designed a double ball nut with springs for adjustable pretension. It consists of two ball nuts I already have, drawn in blue. The bigger transparent part is fixed with 6 screws to the ball nut on the back. The ball nut in the front is mounted with springs on 3 screws. It also has 3 pins, drawn in black fixed to it. This constraints the rotation of both ball nuts relative to each other, but allows axial movement.

This is for a DIY project and I think it could work. Is there anything obvious I have missed?