the ONE skill that changed my life as a mechanical engineer

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University only equips us with foundational technical skills and never actually tells us the recipe needed to succeed in industry as a mechanical engineer. In this video, I go into detail about the #1 most important skill that I wish I knew before stepping foot into the real world. After mastering this skill, I started to get more job offers, my career progressed faster, and most importantly I loved my job more. I'll also share two other highly valuable skills and several pieces of advice that benefited me greatly as a mechanical engineer working in SiIlicon Valley and Boston for 4+ years.

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[EngineeringGoneWild]

JLC3DP 3D Printing & CNC Service Starts at $0.30

[rexmundi]

As an old machinist working with young engineers here’s some advice. Get a physical copy of the McMaster and MSC catalogue and look thru them in your spare time to familiarize yourself with the available hardware. Off the shelf is always cheaper. Learn how to design and spec sheet metal parts. They are super cheap and fast from places like send cut sent. Stop over tolerancing parts. +/- 0.005" is a hell of a lot faster and easier to hit than .0005". Stop making sharp or tight interior corners on parts. Especially if the part is deep. A 24mm deep pocket with a 1mm corner radius is gonna cost you a lot of time and money. Finally, be nice to the machinist. We can really jam you up if you’re not nice and piss us off.

[thoughtbombdesign]

25 year ME here. Creativity, Communication, and Design for Manufacturing are hugely important. I 100% agree that these are the skills that will make you stand out and have the most fun. This is when people who are actually interested in engineering start to stand out from those that got the degree because it was on a list of good careers. It definitely takes time to build these skills so don't expect them to appear overnight. Just soak up as much info as you can about every process you come in contact with. Be humble and learn from everyone you interact with. Other engineers, vendors, and especially assembly techs and machinists. For the first 5-10 years you can do good work but I feel like your biggest goal should be to gather tools and understanding.

[tomcarroll]

When in doubt, go out to the shop and ask the machinist how he wants to do it. He will be floored that someone from the office took an interest in his lot in life. He will give you perfect advice and will always treat your projects with extra care. I used to do this and know what I am talking about.

[benneth]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from hearing the intro. You did a very good job at explaining this.

[calchen]

“Never value your work above your life” Subbed

[brocklydoodle]

I 100% back this. While I was in school I made friends with a machinist who was getting his degree. I ended up getting into the machine shop allot with him and learned a ton about how things are made. It helped to be able to design parts that could be easily made. I recommend taking some machining classes while getting you're ME, it will help much.

[martylawson]

So a lot of companies like to talk up how much they value creativity, but day to day it's all about consistent execution, communication, and evolution. Also, the best source of creativity is everyone else. I.e. once you've identified a problem go look for how everyone else is solving similar problems and borrow the best combination of ideas.

I'm glad you mentioned 3D printing. I've found it to be super valuable as a communication tool. I.e. it's FAR easier to explain technical details to co-workers if they have a physical object to examine and play with. TLDR, get a good consumer grade 3D printer for the office.

[TheeFlyingK]

Regarding designing for mfg/assy, having skills in the repair world has been a game changer. When I was 19, I started a powersport business, grew it for seven years, then cashed out, bought house, truck, then went to college for ME. The skills I gained throughout that timeframe was invaluable. Taking those skills into the design world of "how do I build this realistically", has been unmatched by my peers. The mindset I have walking into projects is entirely different, and it shows. The moral here is work on/build/repair/retrofit/etc and you're ability to turn ideas into real designs will payout. It drastically helps with this idea of "design for mfg".

[TurbineResearch]

Best thing you can do as an engineer is throw your ego in the trash along with your degree and listen to those around you who have more experience than you. Befriend machinists and listen to their advice because they know the physical limitations that you need to understand to design a part that can be manufactured in a practical way. Even if someone knows less than you about a particular subject doesn’t mean they won’t have valuable knowledge to share with you about what they are doing. Listen, be humble and learn to work with a team because no matter how smart you are as an individual you will never compare to a team of minds working together to accomplish a task. Sorry if this across as blunt but if you try it you will see. Cheers

[elmashy]

I think you gave me the map, a key to an old door.

[davidchanget]

Excellent advice! This biggest oversight of engineering curriculums is practical application.

[EngineerIanY]

I’m 17 working as an engineer for a livestock company and it’s so cool hearing everything from you matching up with my experience even tho most of our products aren’t insanely complicated so much goes into small things and it just makes me appreciate mechanical and electrical things a lot more

[czeslawpi]

I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 1998 and we studied DFMA in school. It really depends on the job because many companies are quite limited on manufacturing options. I did not find it very relevant during my time in automotive, but I worked at the OEM level where not much real engineering design happened. I agree that creativity is important, especially if you work for a service type company like I do.

[datdang]

Thanks for the great video that helps me realise that as a mechanical engineer that has 2 years of working in oil & gas industry, I still have very little knowledge of the manufacturing methods. As a design engineer working in a conservative industry (and company), the creativity is hindered by the bulky design process and innovative products, while the roles are well separated but the communication between the teams are rather poor, so the job of design engineer is challenged by the lack of involvement in the full design process (from concept to production & operation).
But one thing I've realised, as you said soft skills - communication, though I'd call it interpersonal skill - is very important for a design engineer.
I realised that I like it more when I use these skill at work, than the pure technical skills, so I'm directing my career to the product development aspect, rather than just part design. But who knows, if I can find a job that lets me go through the entire mechanical product design process, then I may have different ideas :D

[jeseniaduron-jfyq]

I love to listen to your videos. I love it my son he’s going to start mechanical engineering this fall 2024 He say he want to work with engines I don’t know anything about mechanic engineering but my son. He’s been listened to your videos too. He’s been learning a lot from you, your videos are amazing. 👌💯👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[houliangyu]

Thanks for sharing these invaluable insights! Keep on making helpful and fruitful content! You're the role model I look up to!

[Karaon]

the last few words hit real hard. I got quite depressed some time ago beacouse I was already getting some nice clients myself running a furniture business but met some people who's take at it was closer to my ideal market than what I had locally. Much less particle boards and mostly plywood and wood suited my skills and interest as much as the belief in better materials to make stuff with. Unfortunately the motivation for the goal to make the best designs and organising work for the workshop in different country than all clients houses (24h drive away) for a whole year including some installations done by myself like stairs, kitchens, wardrobes, wall paneling etc etc. + the toxic people paying me really dragged me down. Next up winter with little income, another company in the same country run by people from my own, similar story but made much more money doing way less, all work from home. Literally dream job for some. But the people and the structure was so fucking off I didn't really feel it right from almost the very beginning. So another 12 months wasted and now I'm recovering almost from that depression and after almost half a year with no pension and some debts it's DAYS to finish my own CNC, bought a 3D printer which i love and want to build much faster one already (never would have thought it's so nice to have).
People!
Learn some good shit, I literally read manufacturers catalogues of accessories and construction profiles etc., get some knowledge/experience ratio or ask the guys who process the materials like mentioned. And trust your gut.
btw. Im not a real engineer but who cares. Not even going to start explaining myself because as an adhd person I learn all I want when I need it.

[hassendamache]

i gained a lot of insight from this video, thank you!

[vegan.rex_]

I just finished my first-ever mechanical engineering internship. Tbh, I was miserable. My mental health dwindled like never before. I was tasked with things like laser cutting, cad designing and document management but the problem was my boss. He was strict and brutal. I would burst into tears as soon as I clocked off and left the office, hellhole. I don't know if this particular job was bad or if engineering in general is bad. I have no healthy expectations from my next job either.