Did you know on average Tesla produces 900 Model 3 cars per day? Manufacturing engineers play a pivotal role in achieving this impressive number. They are responsible for everything from determining how the car and the components will be made to optimizing the process to produce a large number of cars. Manufacturing engineers are responsible for building everything around you. They are needed in every industry, from aerospace to medical devices to food.
I thought it would be a good time for me to interview a manufacturing engineer to get their perspective, since most of the blog is my experience as a research and development engineer. In full disclosure, this manufacturing engineer also happens to be my husband! We met in college and we were both studying mechanical engineering. He’s been an engineer for twelve years and has worked in a few different industries.
What do you do?
I am a manufacturing engineer. Currently, I work for a company that makes scientific detectors that amplify photons and ions to help see what the naked eye cannot.
What was your major and how did you choose it?
I majored in mechanic engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering. Growing up, I did a lot of construction. I like working with my hands so I thought mechanical engineering would be a good fit.
There was the option to choose a concentration so I took advantage of that opportunity. I chose a concentration in aerospace engineering because I wanted to focus on a passion of mine, which is space and flight. It’s an amazing thing to get people in the air and space.
How did you choose manufacturing?
My first job was in manufacturing. I liked it but I also wanted to know what else was out there so I changed jobs to try another industry. This job change made me realize how much I missed it, so changed jobs back into manufacturing. I enjoy working as a manufacturing engineer because it challenges me, I am good at it, and I am passionate about it. There are so many different disciplines of engineering so you just need to find your right fit.
What helped you prepare for your career?
Choosing a college that challenged me, prepared me for my career. I have always taken the more challenging path. For high school, I chose to go to a harder academy, which led to a college that was technically challenging. College was very demanding, but prepared me well for my career. The college had a lot of project based work, which is needed in industry. So I thought my college gave me a big advantage going into the work force.
How did you get your first job?
I got my first job by a professor mentioning in class that he had an alumni that had reached out to him with an opening at Pratt and Whitney. This company manufactures jet engines. He gave everyone interested the alum’s contact. I reached out to her with my resume. She brought me in for an interview and I got the job. I think it helped that I did my senior design project with Pratt and Whitney. That gave me experience working with the company.
How did you get the job you have now?
Prior to my current employer, I was working at Pratt and Whitney. Even though I enjoyed my time there, I had a really long commute. This was challenging for my family. I really liked manufacturing so wanted something in that industry, that was closer to home for a better work/life balance.
Then, I found a company near where I lived that had an opening. They manufacture parts that go into many aspects of industry including spacecrafts for NASA. I thought they had a good mission. Therefore, I applied. It was a good fit for my passion and also for work/life balance.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The first thing I do each morning is skim my email and check my phone for any emergencies that come up because the first shift operators gets in before I do. Almost every time it is something that went wrong with the process that needs to be addressed right away. It can either be a quick fix or something that’ll take me all day. This is the primary role of a manufacturing engineer, keep the process running and producing products.
I also check my calendar to see what my work day looks like.
Once that has been addressed, I review the rest of my emails and take care of anything else that needs to be answered quickly, which ranges from vendor questions to internal emails.
Then, I refer to my checklist, which is a list of action items including day to day actions for my processes and project work. I prioritize tasks each day to determine what I plan to accomplish. The tasks are dependent on the process. Some items need to be addressed when the process is running where as others can happen once the process is done running (we only run one shift).
Once a week, I try to reflect on the inefficiencies in the process that I ran into. I try to brainstorm how the process could be better. This fuels future projects.
Any surprises along the way?
Growing up in school I thought I didn’t work well under pressure, I thought I always needed a plan. I am still a planner and have attention to detail. However, in industry I learned you can’t plan for everything. There are going to be “fire drills” or things that come up that you need answers almost immediately or at least a path to figuring it out. Therefore, I learned I do work well under pressure, which is something I never knew about myself. I was surprised engineering pushes you and teaches you things you never knew about yourself.
What’s your best advice for an engineering student?
Don’t be afraid to fail at times, both in college and your professional career. It was a hard concept for me to grasp, but my boss tells me all the time it is okay to fail. Every time you succeed, there are many failures that came before that success. The important thing is you keep trying and you learn from the failures.
Did you have any fears going into engineering?
My biggest fear was I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and if I had the capability to be an engineer. These fears were exacerbated by not having an internship. I was concerned if I couldn’t get an internship then, I wouldn’t be able to get a full-time job. This caused me to have a lot of fear and anxiety going into engineering.
However, I found the most important thing to know is as long as you are willing to put in the work and not give up, you can make it as an engineer. Even the smartest people in the company don’t have all the answers. It is humbling to know that just starting out, you can have an immediate impact because no one knows the answer to the problem. This levels the playing field.
Key take-aways:
- Try to find a college that has project based work, this will better prepare you for industry.
- You are not locked down to the first industry you get a job in right out of college. Don’t be afraid to explore other industries to see what discipline you like best.
- Professors can be a great resource for internships and job openings.
- Failure is inevitable if you choose a career in engineering, but the important thing is how you learn from the failures and use them to achieve success.
- If you do not get an internship in college, you can still go on to have a successful engineering career.
Do you have any questions for him that I did not ask? Let me know in the comments below!
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