Most Important Mechanical Engineering Skills To Learn

These are some good to know skills that I've either picked over the years or I know are desirable to have. MecE is a very broad discipline so I tried to make this list as broad as I good. Best things to do are to start working as fast as you can, and bring a good attitude! Let me know what you guys think!

Engineering graduate numbers:

Number of listed jobs of different disciplines, from BLS:

[atharvamahindrakar]

1) FEA and CFD
2) CAD
3) Programming
4) Instrumentation and electronics
5) Technical knowledge. ( Hand calc)
6) General softwares ( excel and matlab)
7) Experience ( join co ops in colleges or clubs)
8) Soft skills ( attitude, preparation, communication, writing)

[PS-zjgg]

When I went to university in Germany most professors told us how big of an accomplishment it is to get your Bachelor degree done in 6 semesters (only 5% of students manage to do this and the rest needs more time because they fail courses).
So I went to an interview and was confident about my achievements and mentioned that I am a hard working and successfull student and you know what: The boss interrupted me because it was not important for him.
All he wanted to know about is in which projects I participated. This was an eye opener for me.
So in university we kind of lived in a bubble that did not match reality.

Go out in the industry, speak with the persons in companies that hire engineers and ask them what is importend to get a job and not your professors. Most of them never left university and had a "real" job.

[dr.gordontaub]

As an ME professor I completely agree with this video. We meet with industry regularly and discuss what skills industry is looking for. Communication and 'soft skills' are almost always the first thing that industry professionals are looking for.

I recommend to my students that when they go into an interview have three group engineering projects you were involved in that you can talk about. (No more, no less) Be prepared to talk about what specifically you worked on in the project, what you added to the team, and how were conflicts within the team resolved. Also be prepared to discuss how compromises were made between competing requirements. The interviewer will be looking for several things: 1) How excited are you when you talk about the project? Do you come across as enjoying problem solving and being an engineer? 2) How well did you work as a team? 3) How well do you communicate the requirements and issues that arose for the project to someone who was not directly involved with the project? Do you tailor the level of technical jargon you use appropriately to your audience?

Where do you find these three projects if you don't have any work experience? Join your school's engineering club, dive deep into a senior capstone project, take full advantage of any major class project assigned. Does your mechatronics class have a final group project? How about an experimental design class? These class projects can be one or two of your three projects if you and your group put a good effort in, and are proud of your accomplishments.

[amberramirez]

Currently a junior mech e freaking out about internships and limited experience 😅 thank u for this video

[Bubi]

I live in Germany and I left my university (mechanical engineering bachelor) after 4 semesters due to family issues and a 2 hour one way commute. I started mechanical engineering again at a different but also high reputation university and because I could have so many subjects accredited I started working as well. Having 3 years of working experience in the field by the time I had my bachelors degree and over 4 years near the end of my masters degree is a game changer!
You know people at companies that can vouch for you which is huge, you know how certain things in the industry work and you get a feeling for what you enjoy! On the other hand I know people who were great and fast in their degrees but know nothing about work and struggle to find a job... My strenth lies in communication paired with deeper knowledge in meterial science and IT. That being said, I have a lot of shortcomings regarding electrical knowledge, simulation software and measurements. mechanical engineering is a field where you can't be good at everything but you need to focus on your strengths and try to find the path to what you enjoy most!
- Which can be hard enough besides all the challenges that university throws at you...

[CarlDIY]

This helps a lot man. I’m currently studying BS in Mechanical engineering technology. I believe it’s better to go to college once you find the career you’re really passionate about. I’m passionate about being hands on especially with cars. Unlike many students, I went through life experience first. I’ve realized that I don’t wanna just be a mechanic forever. I wanna work at Honda Manufacturing someday as a quality engineer.

[timstevens]

I grew up working on farms.
I learned how to do everything
while i was going to high school.
I think of it as military training
without the weapons parts.
Also while there is alot of hard physical work,
there is alot of sittin on a tractor work where
you get to daydream all day and get paid for it.
Working on a farm in the spring summer and fall
being out in the weather, was like a paid vacation for me.
i was into electronics computers and robots at the time.
so i would think up sht to do thru the day,
go home and do it at night.
i went to uni but dropped out after 2 n 1/2 yrs
and became a cnc machinist
which is another whole world of fun btw !

[williams.]

As a general rule, once you graduate from college, you’re a freshman again. A lot of the raw Mathematical skills you get while in school provide insight to problems you may solve, but will more than likely end up being solved by programs of various types.

Also, this is a weird one, but build lego sets or find some kind of instruction-based activity to eat up some of your free time. A lot of low level engineering jobs (especially mechanical) will end up spending lots of time reading /skimming instruction manuals & familiarizing yourself with existing systems to catch up with the M.O. that everyone else is used to.

[Mcfazio]

As a mech engineer and someone who have been through all this, this is pretty solid advice, also accurate

[katejohnson]

I'm graduating with my BS in Mechanical Engineering this semester, and I agree so strongly! I had a co-op while in college, and it taught me so many things that I didn't expect. It was an industry that I wasn't enthusiastic about, but it gave me a chance to find a series of cross-discipline interests that kept me motivated! I was able to see where my soft skills were comparable or better than the people I was working with, and more importantly, those particular skills that I could improve.
I also took a minor in Mechatronics because I was able to see where my interests laid, and I wanted to develop those programming and controls skills. They were some of the most interesting classes of my degree!
If there's on extra thing I could suggest, find something that makes you stand out. In my resume for my co-op, I mentioned that I had built guitars and fixed amplifiers as a hobby, and when I later spoke to someone in hiring, they remembered that and said it was very impressive. When creating my complete portfolio for my job interviews, I included interesting projects from school as well as hobby projects, like the guitar. Not only did it make the interview more relaxed and relatable, as one of the interviews had an interest and we were able to have a short conversation where I could give him a tip to fix something on his amplifier, it made me different from all the other applicants. I'm sure it's not the only thing that got me the job, but it gave me a competitive edge by showing my unique hobby where technical skills are required and giving me an opportunity to show more personality.

[totalphantasm]

From something my first internship supervisor told me
“We’ve see your grades. We know we can teach you how to do whatever we need to. We just don’t know how hard you’re going to work and how well you’ll get along with anyone else.”

[typefun]

As a recent Mechanical Engineering grad in my first full-time job, this is the most accurate and valuable advice I've seen on this topic

[MadaraUchiha-ovov]

Thanks for the advice Wissam. I am not an undergrad student, I am a diploma student of MechE. Instead of doing 11th and 12th grade I decided to do diploma just because it offers more practical knowledge. Though I am not as proficient as other 12th graders in maths but I know the applications of maths in engineering field and it's use. I will start my undergraduate this year. I know Python, C++ and CAD softwares, also done a project before starting the undergrad. Your videos help a lot. Once again thanks for making videos.

[radicaltitan]

As a recent graduate in ME from Duke, I can say that data science and electronics are quickly taking over the mechanical engineering space. Companies are now looking for optimization of mechanical properties in materials, or empirical models that represent the mechanical system. And traditional ME software familiarity (Matlab and Excel) is not enough anymore. LEARN C++ and Python!!!! It will heavily contribute to your success.

[GogetaSuperSaiyan]

I’m a junior mech E who is currently struggling to find internships, but I’m glad that you mentioned clubs since I’m in my university’s solar car team getting great experience. I think I’ve solidified my desire to work in renewable energy.

[RB_Musik]

I'm 10 years in. One thing I can also suggest is to keep learning! Take courses and keep advancing. Pursue additional licenses like C.E.T. and Professional Engineer. These licenses say more about you without you even saying a word.

[vansboy]

Wissam this is great! I did an undergrad program as a BME with 2 co-ops. I took on a mechanical engineer position each time for a medical imaging device company... i wish i did mech eng undergrad instead now after the fact, but what you say is VERY accurate.

It is very valuable to get yourself hands-on experience (clubs, internships, etc.). The great thing about engineering is that if you apply yourself, you can land any job you want! great video man, keep it up

[kennymayberry]

As a just-graduated ME, man I wish I'd watched this video while I was still in college! I really did not take advantage of the opportunities my excellent university provided to gain valuable skills and experiences via coursework and clubs. Not trying to complain or write a sob story though, I really appreciate this video for helping me as I get into the right mindset and chart out my path to catch up and start my career!

[irongamer]

As an ME who just graduated June of 2021, and landed a job in August with no experience, presenting yourself and showing how your existing skills supplement your education is very important. I'm now at an amazing job with a fantastic company and i couldn't be happier.

[jaredkennedy]

Interesting. I'm 41, and heading back to school for mechanical engineering after ~25 years of automotive and fabrication work. It looks like this may help me a bit, but it'll still be a bit of an uphill battle getting into the field.