The career path to becoming a fully qualified steam locomotive or marine steam engineer is a very long one, and as worthy of respect as the guys that fly international passenger jets today.
Two degrees - Mechanical and Manufacturing, Bachelors in each. Put myself through school 30 years ago working as a millwright and then as a machinist and finally a tool & die maker. I’d still rather stand in front of a lathe than sit at my computer, but I’m equally comfortable with either. I can build anything I design, which usually keeps my designs nice and simple! Some of the best engineers I have worked with were not degreed, but they had the common sense and experience to do the job better than most that were.
I have a degree in chemical engineering, I worked on the production side for Sun Oil while I was in university. I never used the degree. Instead, I joined the RCAF and flew fighters for 10 years, then flew for a major airline until I retired. My oldest daughter has a double masters in biomedical engineering and an MBA, my second daughter has a bachelors in biomedical engineering, and my son has a degree in engineering technology, and splits atoms on a cyclotron at UBC. I still have my plastic pen holder and my drafting tools somewhere in the house. Do you know how you can identify an aggressive engineer? He is the one looking at your shoes. Bob
That was a quote from him. I realize that one size fits all doesn't begin to describe any profession or job.
What do you mean, a slide rule? I have my original, plus 4 others, and a bunch of E6B computers, circular slide rules used for solving navigation and fuel planning problems. I form an emotional attachment to things and can't think of letting them go or tossing them out. Bob
I knew there were a bunch of smart asses here, now I know why! I've got a 12th grade High School education, that's all I wanted, I was sick of school. I've learned most everything I know from hands on experience, mechanical, electrical, heavy equipment operation, fabrication. I don't always do things "by the book", but do them to accomplish the job safely. Have spent the last 34 years and over 3 million miles in a truck seat, watching out for others on the roadways while getting my deliveries there on time. Been working full time since I was 15, will hit 60 in a couple of months. Didn't have the money to go to college, and didn't really want too at the time. My life might have been easier if I had of, but I didn't get the guidance to show me that. Instead, I was instilled to go to work and do a good job, and I'd go far. Not complaining, I've been self employed the last 23 years and have done things I never thought I would be able to do. And I've re-engineered a lot of stuff over the years to make it better, simpler, or just easier to work on. So maybe I'm not an engineer, but a re-engineer?
I have a mechanical engineering degree, but my real education has been the result of life experience.
I'm an engineer. I run the train around under the Christmas tree every tear. Seriously in my job before I retired as a DOH County Superintendent dealing with citizen complaints always came with the comment something like; "my Uncle is an engineer, a friend of mine who is an engineer, etc. and none of them had any common sense. Working with co-op college engineering students the ones that I preferred were from a more technical oriented school where field experience was available rather than all class room. I am also a retired Operating Engineer.
Did 20 years in the Engineers,Cat spreads and paving spreads..left in '08 when the bottom fell out.Went over the the dealership side,do these now..
I was a mechanical engineer with a company that was involved solely in engineering and design (i.e., consultant engineers). I can attest to the notion that there is a enormous difference in capability between the least and most talented engineer, even those with similar resumes. The scariest thing to me is that I suspect other professions have similar disparities between the best and the worst, the one of most concern being medical!
There is a local engineer here involved with cars who has very limited hands on real world experience or background, qualified yes, however he'd be lucky if he knew how to change a flat tyre or the difference between a gas or radiator cap. The engineer I'm working with on my car is the total opposite with a diverse hand on approach and background. He really knows his stuff inside out and is a pleasure to work with and very knowledgeable. Best of all he is a car guy and can see the failings of other so-called experts. Once I'd explained the rationale behind what I'd done, how I'd done it and why etc etc, he was on board right away, tick of approval and call me when it's ready to be licensed.
Not only a Commodore 64, highly modified of course, but also a Vic 20 and several Amiga computers. Bob
BSME from University of Washington paid for by working as an “engineer” on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska in the summers and a mechanic during the school year. First job was working in the mining and tunneling industry. One project I participated in was the design of a muck extraction unit for a tunnel boring machine after two original attempts failed on the French side service tunnel on the Chunnel project. It was based it on a concrete pump design operating in reverse to take high pressure undersea rock and chalky mud and bring it to atmospheric pressure before discharging into a muck car. It was an awesome experience working with engineers from all over the world and went on to work on tunneling projects in Norway and Switzerland before the travel was too much for a young family and I left for an automation engineering position. Eventually started my own engineering and manufacturing company with primary industries served including Toilet paper production and glass containers manufacturing mostly for beer and wine . . . we like to say that “we have you covered on both ends.” Lately we have been doing a lot of work in aerospace with composites and transmission test stands and I have less and less time for old GMC trucks . . . I have designed brake components, suspension improvements, HEI distributor retrofits, rocker arm assemblies and transmission shift linkages in SolidWorks including laser cut parts and press formed parts. All for 270 and 302 inline powered pickups. An OD MY6 A833 with a stock column shift behind a 270 makes for a sweet driving experience.
Stationary Engineer , Deadman’s Steam School . Don’t laugh it’s a ligit school . We had huge air compressors , turbines , pumps, Diesel engines , heat exchangers , you name . I didn’t work on much automotive stuff at work , but I had to fix everything from a pregnant whore to a basketball game .
I had an uncle who would tell me, that he was an engineer graduate of Southern Hawaii Institute of Technology, where he took up space. he would reminisce. "ahhh good old S.H.I.T."................as a kid, I thought it was a real thing
I see this too. I got into it because it interested me and I was always wanted to learn more. I did a 4-year tool and die apprenticeship that started in 1981, worked 5 years straight in a R & D machine shop, you could eat off the floors. When assigned a job, it was yours from start to finish. Lathe, milling, grinding, no matter what if you started it, you finished it. I learned silver soldering, soft soldering and did a lot of RF waveguide assembly. I jumped into a 2-year degree in 1986 that took me 10 years to finish at night, that got me a AAS in Mechanical Engineering. That year I switched jobs into the Methods group, another sink-or-swim situation. I methodized jobs for the machine shops and assembly areas, got my feet wet in tool design and CNC programming on large horizontal and vertical mills. In 1996, I was enrolled in a BS in Manufacturing Engineering and started getting the core courses out of the way. Fluid mechanics, electronic packaging, heat transfer, advanced calculus, intro and advanced chemistry, more physics, tool design. I had a good GPA, around a 3.7 when the dust settled. It all was worth it and I still climb the ladder at work. I'm a Senior Product Specialist on a few lines of bomb racks and missile launchers. I'm now working on a new one, 2 bomb racks for a brand-new bomber. Bomb racks come in 14" and 30" sizes, one I'm working on is a combo of the two. Both prototypes went into vibe testing yesterday and we should have them back late next week... unless something breaks. I handle everything between Design Engineering and the factory floor. Quite demanding at times, we have overcome a lot of problems that pop up. Unfortunately I'm the last of a dying breed, the kids coming up behind me don't have the practical experience that is essential to the job. I was set in my engineering quest by age 7.
That's the thing...there don't seem to be many folks who are really interested in machines, and also are able and willing to do the math needed to become an engineer.
The Jalopy Journal
