Day at Work: Mechanical Engineer

Nivay Anandarajah is a mechanical engineer with Alloy Product Development. As part of ConnectEd's "Day in the Life" series, Nivay shows us the process of designing headphones for Beats by Dre, which was recently acquired by #Apple for $3.2 billion.

Career info:

Description: Mechanical engineers work with other engineers and professionals to solve problems through designing, developing, building and testing mechanical and thermal devices, including tools, engines, and machines, with extensive use of computer simulations.

Knowledge Required: Mechanical engineering applies the principles of engineering, physics, and materials science for analysis, design, and manufacturing.

Skills: Mathematics, analytical skills, communication, critical-thinking, problem-solving, creativity

Career Path: A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology is required for nearly all entry-level mechanical engineering jobs, and a graduate degree is required to conduct research.

Best Cities for this job: Bloomington, Illinois; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Taunton, Massachusetts; San Jose, California; and Bellingham, Washington

Median Annual Income: National: $80,580; CA: $87,000

Future Growth: Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2012 to 2022, slower than the average for all occupations.

From the field: “Connecting the physics to that actual hobby you have gets you excited to learn.”

Did You Know Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the industrial revolution in Europe and is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers are responsible for analyzing and designing everything from shoes and snowboards to medical devices and transport systems.

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[Macsking]

1 mechanical engineer out of gets a job remotely like this.

[MrFTW]

The title is a bit misleading. This guy is no doubt a mechanical engineer, but it's not like this is what all mech engineers do.

This video simply shows one of the many diverse areas a mechanical engineer can work in.

[myname]

I really want to go to school for this, not just because of a potential career, but because I see all the crap out there that doesnt even work

[stkthst]

Finals time, and I definitely needed this video for inspiration! I was close to second guessing.

[dylanjohn]

This guy....just changed my major...and gave me an insight on what my talent serves best for me....and that is CREATIVITY

[zoinks]

I'm going to study to be a mechanical engineer, although I'm 11. I wanted to become one since I was about 6 or 7. I watch alot of these videos to see what's its like, I gave this a thumbs up, thanks!

[GigisFix]

Thank you for sharing! I have always been interested in building things because I love modifications made between one product's initial design, to how they transform them over and over to be more efficient/suit a specific use. I own different versions of the same ear buds, shoes, tablets, and phones. The specifications by size and hardware are what matter to me most in a product; I'm an electronics sales representative and really hate to sell products to people based on price or bandwagon appeal (brand name). I would love a job like this where you make prototypes until you feel satisfied with the outcome, but a lot of people on YouTube who share their "mechanical engineering experience" tend to be whiney about lack of creative control. These people claim to want to create their own products, but if you want to do that, then I don't see why they don't tamper with materials at home. You can't expect a company to let you create products for them from scratch because that would basically owe the rights/patents to you as an individual and you could your own business. If you have a product, then there has to be quality assurance analysts to test the parts as they're manufactured, and I imagine that companies already have access to all of the information, so it is more efficient "not to fix what isn't broken."

[ConnectEdNational]

Hey, high school students! Tell us what you think about our Day in the Life: Mechanical Engineer.

[austinjenkins]

Hi I'm a 7th grade student in middle school and have always loved design, creativity, and inventing. I took a course this past semester on 3D modeling and was very interested in it and got a 100 in the class and have found a career I would most likely enjoy and that is mechanical engineering. I was looking to see what other people have done with this job and stumbled upon this. I've never watched this channel before but after seeing this I am proud to subscribe and think this was perfect for me. I checked out the extra info on this career and found some very inspiring things. I'd just like to say thank you for posting this and showing me something new that may one day help me excell in this.

[pqcjhyq]

i hear that many mechanical engineering jobs aren't like this and that they're a bunch of cubicle paper work. what is this specifically this is the type of hands on engineering job i need

[karenroman]

You should do a motivational video for engineers.

[zekedagk]

I wanted to be product designer and the first person to break it

[ATATCRABB]

I'm going to show this video to my children ages 11 and 9 who are home schooled and interested in creating things. Thanks!

[tedoymisojos]

Great quality videos. Thanks a million for producing these. Its very helpful.

[Gaet]

if you guys still in high school and like to work with your hands. go to trades school, forget universities, you'll have a better chance at getting a job after trade school, i promise👌
and remember college is not the only way to success

[boergerplays]

I'm in intro to engineering and this seems pretty cool

[Vogel_]

cnc machinist right now at 21, thinking of getting my met, with my cnc certificate I should be able to get it in 2 years, really wanna work more cad/cam software

[JakeVoorhees]

Thank you for this video. Test test test plenty of prototypes and failures :) That's the path for innovation!!

[williamching]

Wow cool! I am currently studying mechanical engineering and i never knew you mechanical engineering would be working with cool products  such as Beats. I always thought you would be in a old workshop/factory all day. Also, what is Nivay specific job title? Design engineer? thanks

[ShmokeNaPancake]

GREAT VIDEOS. I would really LIKE to see MORE engineering vids. They are VERY inspirational, and ALSO well made. :)