Pre-Engineering; Mechanical Design Technology; Electrical Systems Technology; Computer-Aided Design (CAD).
The engineering field has so many opportunities for careers, from those who enjoy doing math computations, to those who excel at working with their hands, and everything in between. Read on to discover only some of the exciting options you might discover when researching career options.
A Traditional Engineer uses their mathematical and science skills to calculate the design specifications of a product. This can include loads, types of materials, size of fasteners, and cost.
For example: Let's look at an engineer that is tasked with designing the wheels for a new vehicle. This engineer might look at the power output, acceleration, carrying requirements, and price-point for the wheel design. They would then calculate the appropriate size of the wheel and the number and size of the fasteners needed to meet all of these goals.
Tools used: Graphing calculators, spreadsheet software, stress-analysis software.
An Engineering Technologist works as an assistant to the engineer to help design, test, and/or work with the manufacturer to make sure the design can be made. This includes designing the product in CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software and creating the detailed technical prints. They may also be involved in making prototypes and testing them.
For example: An engineer has calculated the specifications for a new wheel. These specifications are then handed to the Engineering Technologist who creates a 3D CAD model of what the wheel will look like. The Technologist may then run computer simulations of it and review the design withe the manufacturer. The Manfacturer might say something like, "your design has six bolt holes. That will cost a lot of money for us to change our equipment. If you change it to five bolt holes, we can use our existing equipment."