An Essay About Mechanical Engineering

In the last one hundred years or more, mankind has been making huge and extreme technological advances. Everything from automobiles to computers, and even robots that clean homes have been invented recently. There are many contributing factors, such as innovators and inventers like Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, and Alexander Graham Bell. Individuals across the world benefit from the works of these men and many other intellectuals. However, there are few more responsible than those who are engineers. More specifically, those who work in the field of mechanical engineering. To further understand mechanical engineering’s crucial involvement in everyday life and much more, one must explore their history, skills, and their educational standards.

Mechanical engineers must have some amount of creativity and imagination, because they will be solving problems. That being said, engineers should also be able to identify problems and solve them logically. In addition to creativity, they will need to be able to work with others efficiently while designing and building projects. Math, like calculus and statistics, will pay an incredibly large role in essentially everything they will do. Therefore, it is essential that a proficiency in math is present. These skills are extremely critical to a mechanical engineer’s success. Equally important is education. A proper education is very important because mechanical engineers must be precise and accurate in their calculations. An incorrect measurement or a misplaced part could result in tragedy depending on the type of the machine. “A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering is usually suitable to qualify you for an entry level job.” (learn.org “Educational Requirements”) However, some colleges offer 5 year or more courses to attain master’s degrees. Mechanical engineers typically take courses such as Principles of Design, Physics, Chemistry, and higher level math and science classes. An individual can go further in their education, by obtaining a Ph.D. or a Professional Engineering license. “A Professional Engineering (PE)

Like any other decisions, taking the pros and cons into consideration should be a top priority. Becoming a mechanical engineer has many positive aspects. For example, they are well paid. “The annual median wage for mechanical engineers was $84,190 in May 2016” (bls.gov “Mechanical Engineers: Pay”) In addition to high pay, there are a plethora of job opportunities and chances to be promoted. “In addition, over the coming 10 years mechanical engineers will see above trend growth within their industry. They should experience a 4.2% rate of growth during this time period.” (studentscholarships.org “Career Related Questions”) Also, there is a freedom that comes with being able to create designs and solutions to projects and assignments. Some negative aspects include unpredictable assignments and stress. In some situations, human or other living beings’ lives could depend on the accuracy and stability of an engineer’s design. Projects could result in long work hours to meet deadlines and stipulations. Furthermore, advancing in the career could result in having to further education, costing more money. The freedom to design personalized projects could also prove to be a negative, if creativity is not a strong suit or if the task is difficult. An aspect that could be both positive and negative is traveling. Traveling to the location of the site or job could be required, which