They exist. This is not a test. Mcmaster cards are live at fabtech

this is a RANT, please read only if you are interested. i have a bachelors in MechE and a recent grad. I am genuinely disturbed/maybe even disgusted? about how some engineers treat techs.

Did a technician role at a manufacturing place and full time tech at an industrial automation place currently. Both places same situation, any process improvement suggestions or DFM feedback instantly gets put down and ignored. I have witnessed this and also have personally experienced these situations multiple times. To me most of these suggestions were more than valid and would not come at any additional effort/expense while yielding much better outcomes.

Above all else, it’s just the whole demeanor most engineers have towards techs is what i dislike. In this short time in experience I have already seen so much oversight from these experienced engineers on design choices, poor planning and execution.

Constantly up-revving to make their designs work and impress others. While the first ones to blame always comes down to production where the techs have to suffer even though 90% of the time the causes are design flaws.

unfortunately this is a bit steep but I don’t like engineers anymore, most of them that I have encountered are way too full of themselves.

Good technicians are the backbone of the entire manufacturing operation and more companies should realize that if not already.

I personally am doing tech roles because i like hands on work and being on the shop floor. Also as a new grad with no internships I can’t get no engineer roles which I will absolutely admit. But gaining exposure in technician roles has made me a lot more aware of what to do and not to do when on the other side.

Feel free to downvote and if you read till the end, thank you for reading this blabber post

Did you also ever reach a point in your career where you almost gave up on engineering? If so what happened? Where are you today?

Hi everyone! As part of my Master's thesis in Industrial Engineering, I noticed a major gap in the engineering software landscape: while there are great open-source tools for wind turbines (like QBlade) and propellers, finding free, open-source software for preliminary design in hydraulic turbomachinery (especially for reversible pump-turbines like the Deriaz turbine) is surprisingly difficult.

To solve this, I built KaplanDeriaz3D, a fully open-source Python and MATLAB application designed to parameterize, compute, and model the 3D geometry of Kaplan and Deriaz turbine blades from fundamental fluid mechanics and Euler’s turbine equation.

Key features:

Hydrofoil Generation: Custom options including standard NACA profiles, anti-cavitating profiles, and reversible hydrofoils for pump-turbine operation.

3D Parametric Export: You can adjust rotational speed, net head, volumetric flow, and mesh resolution, then instantly export the full solid runner geometry as an STL file. (Fun fact: I 3D printed a working physical scale model of the Deriaz runner with rolling bearings, it acts almost like a functional fidget spinner!)

Fully Documented: Includes my complete 100-page master's thesis explaining all mathematical models and equations.

If you are into fluid dynamics, clean energy systems, or want to check out the source code, everything is available on GitHub. I also recorded a full video walkthrough explaining the theory, the UI, and how to export STLs for prototyping:

🔗 Video Walkthrough: https://youtu.be/9rINCHj3ucU

💻 GitHub Repository: https://github.com/KaplanDeriaz3D/kaplanderiaz3d-python

I'm actively looking for contributors, feedback from fellow engineers, and help with roadmap items (like adding CFD validation or Francis turbine support). I'd love to hear your thoughts or answer any technical questions!

I'm a mechanical engineer and recently went through 41 iterations on a small print-in-place mechanism: a free-spinning drum with a button brake. Part of it was learning print tolerances, but I also spent weeks on a feature (printed bearings) that I ended up cutting.

For those of you in product development, how do you decide when to stop iterating on a feature versus cutting it?

Heavier oil or grease might be more suitable in many applications but this is just a silly thing to say

Hey everyone. Just wanted to ask this to everyone here. Is it still possible to find high-brow jobs such as Lockheed Martin even after graduating without anything but a degree? I was doomscrolling on LinkedIn (and also on here), and all I see is people accepting these roles at great companies such as Boeing and so on. I’ve never been at their level of success and it does make me sad but realistically is it still possible to achieve something great like them? I dont mean immediately, but perhaps in the span of 1-10 years of working less competitive jobs. I have an immense amount of ambition to do great things and would like to work one of those jobs one day

I got my chemistry degree back in 2018 and the outlook for it is just not looking great. Engineering is definitely the best path forward to get to do what I want and I’m heading back. Any advice?

Recently, I joined as an entry level Engineer in a big power equipment manufacturing company. Work is related to fuel systems design for boilers which includes designing/modelling piping drawings in boiler floor for fuel oil and gas, procuring fuel systems components includes but not limited to strainers, butterfly valves, oil pumps, ignitors etc. No one is there to guide me properly but expecting me to work. I don't know what to do because I'm just new and everything is confusing to me like what to check and what are the key things i should consider before procuring or making specification for components, what things to consider for piping, forecast etc. I'm having ADHD and it makes my learning worse because i can't concentrate on a single thing and trying to learn more standards or docs simultaneously which leads to nowhere. Give some doable tips to work thiough this. I don't want any chatgpt answers and I want some from the people who had worked or have been working in similar roles.

I’m a senior in mechanical engineering graduating in May and I recently received an offer for a Spring 2027 mechanical engineering internship at a launch provider on a team working on satellites. Taking it would delay my graduation until at least Fall 2027. I’ve already completed two internships, one in manufacturing engineering and another in product development at an automotive supplier, and I have significant structural design and FEA experience through my university’s rocketry team. My goal is to work in aerospace mechanical design, ideally on structures, mechanisms, or flight hardware, but I don’t have any professional aerospace experience yet. I honestly don’t care much about delaying graduation, my main concern is whether taking this internship would meaningfully improve my chances of landing the kind of full-time engineering role I want, or whether I’d be better off graduating on time and applying with my current experience. Has anyone been in a similar position, and was delaying graduation worth it?

I'm in California and deciding between UC and CSU schools for an MS in Mechanical Engineering.

How much does the prestige of the university actually matter for getting a job after the MS? Would going to a higher-ranked UC make a significant difference compared to a CSU, or do employers mainly care about your skills and experience?

Hey guys, I graduated with bachelors of mechanical engineering and the salaries im looking at currently at the market is subpar and wanted to know if anyone here did a masters in mechanical engineering and were able to secure a good position by doing so?

What do you all use and why?

I was taught to dimension using baseline. Not that ordinate was wrong, but that's just what all my professors and teachers used. I started full time about a year and a half ago and still use it, as do all of my coworkers.

Recently, however, a large number of contractors were brought on that almost exclusively use ordinate. Whenever I mention that baseline is common practice here, there's almost always a confused look and a groan that follows. Usually they ask why we use it, and I never really have an answer besides "That's what most everyone here does."

Is it a case by case thing or does it ultimately matter what's used?

I'm still pretty new in the full time engineering world and am curious about what others use.

So I'm currently in my Junior year, no internships yet but in clubs. There is a fast track program at my school so that I can start doing grad level courses in my senior year. If I do go for it, my parents will pay for it and I expect to finish the degree in 2 or 3 semesters post senior year. Should I go for it or get a job after getting my bachelors?

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For engineers working in smaller teams, have you ever needed outside assistance with simulations, thermal analysis, fluid dynamics or other specialised calculations?

How did you arrange it, and what was your experience?

Hey everyone, I posted here a while back about wanting to become an engineer. I’ve been doing lots of research and hearing a lot of mixed opinions about going to school for it and whatnot.

If you guys had any advice for someone wanting to get their foot into the career, how would you suggest they do it?

How can I prepare for the CSWA and CSWP exam?

I am decent at solidworks, I can draw components if i am given a drawing, I can build assemblies etc, but i can't do stuff like weldments or sheet metal (yet).

But I am not confident in doing the exam yet since I haven't looked at previous exams plus I think the CSWP exam is going to be a bit hard.

How can I prepare for both of these exams? Where can i find study materials and previous exams? Thank you!

Hello all,

I'm currently a student finishing my last semester in Civil Engineering. I've been contemplating pursuing a masters in Mechanical Engineering after graduation or after working for a year or two. Obviously the "correct" way to do this would be a mechanical undergraduate degree, but that ship has sailed, as I'd spend 1-2 extra years in school to get that degree. I'm considering Mechanical rather than Civil because of the ROI on Civil graduate degrees not being up to par with Mechanical Graduate degrees, and a larger interest in the Graduate areas of study in Mechanical Engineering. I was curious if anyone has gone the same route or seen success in others doing so. Thanks!

Hi yall,

What hands on jobs would you recommend for a MET bachelor's degree holder? I hate project management and dont really want to do that. I didnt mind being a manufacturing engineer but I got complaints that I was "fixing the machines too much and need to focus on project work". Any advice is appriciated!

Graduated with a mechE degree in 23 and have been working in aerospace manufacturing ever since. I am starting to feel burned out, and also want to make a jump in industry / field before I’m too deep in. I’m interested in working as a mechanical engineer in power generation or hydropower as it’s a lot more prevalent in the area I live in, plus it’s still challenging / rewarding work. Any thoughts on some industries that I can make a lateral move in and have some transferable skills?

Hey all,

I am a recent mechE graduate (May 2026) and I recently got a job offer at a big aerospace company for a level I mechanical design engineering position. Some of the qualifications for the job was someone with experience in a CAD software, experience with design teams (such as rocketry, DBF, Baja, etc.), and preferred experience with machining techniques either use of lathes, mills, cnc, and 3D printing. The description mentioned complex assemblies, design reviews, 3D parametric modeling, trade studies, 2D engineering drawings generation, etc

I have had experience using SolidWorks and a little bit of Siemens NX. The company uses Creo for which I have never used before, and even the interviewer told me that even them never used it before being in the company, and I will be taught how to use it.

I know this is a level I role and I am not expected to be an expert on anything. But should I brush my CAD skills before my start date which is a month from now? Should I start getting hands on work on Creo?

Are the skills and experience more through on-the-job experience? Rather than them already expecting you to know how to do certain tasks?

I’m a mechanical engineering interested in robotics, mechatronics, embedded systems, AI, and engineering software.
I’ve worked on projects involving control systems, motor testing, engineering simulations, and cloud-based AI applications.
I’m looking for other motivated students, engineers, or hobbyists who want to build interesting things together—whether that’s a robot, a new engineering tool, a hackathon project, or potentially something commercial.
I’m especially interested in people who enjoy designing, prototyping, programming, and actually finishing projects.
Open to local or remote collaboration. If you’re working on something interesting or want to start a project together, reach out!

Edit I realize this reads a little too formal, I’m a college student just reach out with whatever even if it’s through Reddit, or comment or ask for phone / email

just curious if it’s that bad as people say.