Its3amAndImFeelingSaucy
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So I'm conflicted...I'm planning on going to college for MechE soon, I love designing and building things, and am fascinated with automobiles and aircraft, but the more I research ME the more it seems like a cubicle hell spending 50 hours a week staring at a screen, Which I just could not be happy with. I need to work with my hands, tinker, and/or spend some time outside. From what I hear it's possible to get a job in R&D or small company where you get to do both designing and physical building/testing things. I just don't want to put 4 years of my life and over $100k to end up spending all my time in an office, meetings, and on a computer; it's very far from my cup of tea.
I know this is a terrible place to ask, but screw reddit, any advice is hugely appreciated, thanks everyone.
Mendovian
Army.
hsimah
An engineering degree is $100k? Wowsers. Mine was $22k. I did software though and I do sit at a computer for 37.5 hours a week.
Rimasticus
I went for EE and I am not even in my field a. Sometimes it's luck on where you end up. You'll need a master's to do real R&D.
swedishmetalhead
You can't be happy at work and a part of an accepted social structure.
imsurroundedbyassholes
ME here, alot of work but my job is designing/testing playgrounds, I'd say it's worth it but I did get very lucky... ps learn to weld...
thepunnypenguin
Take a gap year or go to community college while you decide. No sense paying $25k for a year if you don’t know what you want out of it.
IHaveABigTruckBecauseMyCockIsTiny
As an automotive and automation guy, it's almost entirely computers. Equipment technicians, mechanics, and robotics assemblers do hand work.
Morg729
BME and BNG student here, you get to work with you hands but you don't always get to see what you make, i don't think it's your thing
kcrobble
If you start an AEC career now, AI automation is going to disembowel you before that career is done. Not being debbie downer, just saying
JebussCrust54
+1 for screw reddit
NotThatJoeYouKnow
look into the schools you are looking at for various student competitions or research/fabrication for undergrads
NotThatJoeYouKnow
look at your schools competition in ASME robot football competitions or just ask is undergrads have access to workshop training
NotThatJoeYouKnow
I know for Civil engineering my school had the chapters for professional organizations that ran steel fabrication and concrete fabrication
NotThatJoeYouKnow
that is the american society of civil engineers (ASCE) steel bridge and concrete canoe student competitions
LearMech
Civil engineer here. We get to go play outside plus inside when the weather sucks. I still work a lot on a computer. Stick with it!
Its3amAndImFeelingSaucy
What do you design? I've been mulling civil over too since I hear you guys get to wear out your boots.
LearMech
I design roads. We do site plans as well.
RobyX1
Current ME senior at CSUF. I guess if your school of choice has a program like building a race car, that would be a plus to go there. (more)
RobyX1
The hands on experience can help you get to places like SpaceX or Tesla or other car industry places for design and manufacturing.
Its3amAndImFeelingSaucy
They do, senior project is the precision racing thing
ftdown
Mechanical Engineering degree with manufacturing emphasis? Manufacturing Engineer? Automation Engineer?
ftdown
Mechanical Engineering is a broad field. I would question spending $100k and I would get internships asap to get exposure to as many facets
ftdown
Of engineering that you could.