The Engineering Thread

Alright, well we've got us here a few engineers!  So rather than taking over the Random Ramblings thread, I thought we could have our own!  What type of engineering do you do?  What CAD software do you use, if at all?  Know any good engineer-jokes?  If you're not an engineer, do you have any friends who are?

Well, I'm a mechanical engineer.      Graduated in May of 2010 from CSU, Chico.  I mostly design sheet metal enclosures and modifications to enclosures for electrical panels (like power distribution units and the like, i.e. big metal boxes with circuit breakers, switches, relays, terminal blocks, and lots of wires) though we've been doing a fair bit of design using T-slotted aluminum extrusions (80/20, Bosch, etc.).  It's a contract engineering/manufacturing firm so we do all sorts of stuff, though the emphasis is definitely more electrical.  I use SolidWorks for basically all my design but we recently bought Creo too.  Fun fun!   

Trained as an electrical engineer but haven't done a bit since graduating. Should have been a CS or software engineer.

No CAD involved in programming though I was very good in drafting so that was my main job back home before finally graduating, using a high-end CAD system designed by McDonnell Douglas called Unigraphics in the mid/late 80s to create 2D/3D models and drawings. It was very nice.

I received my BSIE from the University of Houston.  I currently work as a plastics engineer at one of the largest manufacturers of trash bags.  We're a house brand for several companies (Costco, Sam's, B&J's, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.).  We utilize AutoCAD and have drafters that we work with for our drawings.

Got my BSCE (Civil Engineering) from the University of Washington back in 1998. I worked for about 9 months as a Geotechnical Engineer (soils engineering) before deciding I needed to switch to Structural Engineering (buildings). Civil Engineering is a broad based degree that covers Water Management, Evironmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Transportation, and Construction Engineering. Most CE's specialize in one of those fields. Us structural guys don't typically draft (except by hand on occasion for small stuff) so we employ drafters to draw up our plans. We use AutoCAD, and tons of other software for design.

I once drove and electric train set.  That makes me an engineer, right?

Staybrite wrote:

Got my BSCE (Civil Engineering) from the University of Washington back in 1998.  I worked for about 9 months as a Geotechnical Engineer (soils engineering) before deciding I needed to switch to Structural Engineering (buildings).  Civil Engineering is a broad based degree that covers Water Management, Evironmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Transportation, and Construction Engineering.  Most CE's specialize in one of those fields.  Us structural guys don't typically draft (except by hand on occasion for small stuff) so we employ drafters to draw up our plans.  We use AutoCAD, and tons of other software for design.

Ah yes, I remember them talking about those Evironmental Engineers in high school at Career Day

Although, all of us want to be Imagineers at Disney Epcot.

Through The Dark Radio wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Got my BSCE (Civil Engineering) from the University of Washington back in 1998.  I worked for about 9 months as a Geotechnical Engineer (soils engineering) before deciding I needed to switch to Structural Engineering (buildings).  Civil Engineering is a broad based degree that covers Water Management, Evironmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Transportation, and Construction Engineering.  Most CE's specialize in one of those fields.  Us structural guys don't typically draft (except by hand on occasion for small stuff) so we employ drafters to draw up our plans.  We use AutoCAD, and tons of other software for design.

Ah yes, I remember them talking about those Evironmental Engineers in high school at Career Day

Although, all of us want to be Imagineers at Disney Epcot.

Hey! I'm good at math....I don't have to be able to spell too!!!

alldatndensum wrote:

I once drove and electric train set.  That makes me an engineer, right?

Yes that makes you an engineer.

Ah, that's a classic missing from the Joke thread. "How does a train hear? With its engine ears!"

Ok, I'm done.

Question… What branch of engineering is transportation network planning (like building a road/rail network, or designing a train/bus/airport station)?

Driven wrote:

Question… What branch of engineering is transportation network planning (like building a road/rail network, or designing a train/bus/airport station)?

Most likely a combination of City Planning (not an engineering degree) and Transportation Engineering (which is a branch of Civil Engineering here in the U.S.) Most transportation engineers work on streets and roads in my country. The design of the stations themselves fall under "building design" and would be designed by an Architect and Structural Engineer (again Structural Engineers are a branch of Civil Engineering in the U.S.)