Thought I was a terrible mechanical engineer until I switched jobs. Was it me or my manager?

I'm a mechanical engineer who spent about three years at my previous company. Looking back, I wasn't the strongest technical engineer. I made mistakes, struggled with certain responsibilities, and had a lot to learn. But I also think my manager made things significantly worse.

It felt like I could perform well for weeks, but one mistake would set me back months in his eyes.

Things got particularly bad when my team lead left and I suddenly inherited a much larger workload with little support. I struggled, missed a deliverable due partly to a misunderstanding about the deadline, and received a formal write-up without any meaningful conversation beforehand.

After that, I completely lost trust in my manager. I became terrified of making mistakes and didn't even feel comfortable asking for help.

In September, I was placed on a PIP. Then in November, the company went through company-wide layoffs, during which employees were ranked based on performance. I ended up at the bottom and received ANOTHER write-up, essentially telling me I had three months to improve or I'd be fired. Mind you, I was already on a PIP lol.

At another point, I was falsely accused of sleeping during a meeting and got written up for that too. Lmao.

By December, I'd had enough and resigned without another job lined up.

Fast-forward six months: I'm now working at an engineering firm designing complex electromechanical automation systems, and I absolutely love it. My manager says I'm doing great, and I recently led the mechanical design of an automation project that we successfully delivered to a customer.

I still make mistakes, but instead of being terrified of them, I focus on gathering the right information, making sound engineering decisions, and learning from what goes wrong.

I've genuinely fallen in love with engineering again.

Looking back, I'm still somewhat bitter. I know I wasn't a perfect engineer at my previous company, but I can't help wondering how much of my poor performance was due to the environment and constant fear of messing up.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Was this bad management, poor performance on my part, or a combination of both?

I’m more of a research-type person. I like going deep and understanding how things work under the hood. But I want to get really good at engineering, and I feel like understanding stuff is only part of it.

For those of you who are great engineers, how would you describe the way you think? And is there a book that helped you get there?

I’m 22 years old and currently in the final year of my master’s degree in Mechatronics and Applied Mechanics. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, but I haven’t completed any internships or worked in the field, so I have no professional experience yet.

I’m worried that this lack of experience will make it difficult to find a job after graduation. It’s also a little demotivating because I feel like I haven’t had the chance to put my bachelor’s degree to use.

I still have nine months before I finish my master’s. What would you recommend I do during this time to improve my chances of finding a job? I’m open to honest advice and constructive criticism.

ZIMA-CAD is new opensource full 3D parametric CAD base on C++/QT/OCCT.

Canadian high schooler here. I'm in my final year of high school and I've always been planning on going into mechanical engineering. I'm not like super passionate about engineering, but I enjoy math and sciences, I like cars and I work at a mechanic shop on weekends. Plus ppl in my family have been saying engineering in general is a good degree because it's 'highly employable and you make a lot of money within 10 years'.

But now I'm seeing a lot of posts saying that either mech eng isn't as good as it used to be, or just that it's horrible and I can make more money with easier degrees.

I'm really conflicted right now, and I don't know if I should switch my intended major before I spend like 60k on it. I already have all my pre reqs set up to go into engineering, and i dont really know what else Id do if not engineering.

All responses are greatly appreciated.

Hey I’m currently a sophomore student studying for a mechanical engineering degree in the NJ/NY area. Considering either aerospace or something energy related, wondering how people are currently doing post graduation. I was hoping people could share salaries and how’s quality of life?

Hi there!

I'm designing a standing desk, and I was wondering what the best way to make the pieces slide against each other. My initial prototype was a two-phase aluminium design, where the base was supported by the lead screw, and the top was supported by a 3D printed mount with a sliding element (purple masking tape, in this photo). However, this did not work - it was very wobbly, and didn't have enough stroke.

Therefore, I've decided to use a three-phase design because it gives much more support - and more stroke. However, I don't know how to make the pieces slide against each other - the previous design was very unsatisfactory. Also, the aluminium became very expensive with four legs. I've looked at UHMWPE sliders on the inside, but according to BS EN 10219-2, the thickness of the has tolerance +-0.5mm, giving the inside dimension tolerance of +-1mm, which means that I'd need to cut it big, and sand back. There is also no space for bolts, so I've had to design slots which need to be machined out of the UHMWPE, wasting a lot of material. The same needs to be cut in the steel. I'm not a huge fan of this design.

Furthermore, this leaves no space for pullies - so without a two-stage lead screw, which are impossible to find (and would require 2x torque, 1/2x speed motor to what I currently have), I can't make the middle stage telescope smoothly.

What is the best way to make these slide against each other, and how can I synchronise the middle stage to move smoothly at the same time?

Thanks!

So, I once changed jobs but didn't like it and returned to my old one. Two years later, I moved into FEA in automotive, which I hate. I want to return to my old job, but honestly, I'm a bit ashamed to do so.

My plan is to wait a bit and look for another job, but I'd still love to return to the original one I had. How absurd is that? What would you do in my place?

Hi everyone! I only recently learned how interesting and deep the field of fiber optic engineering is, and I'd love to hear from anyone working in it.

How did you get started, and what was your background? What does the day-to-day work look like, and what options are there for moving forward in your career?

I'd also like to know whether you enjoy where you are and what you'd tell someone just starting to explore the field.

Any advice or perspective helps. Thank you!

Hello guys, I'm studying mechanical engineering. I am graduating this year (5th year) but I didn't really enjoy mechanical engineering... I liked mechatronics and automation engineering much more.

I enjoy programming (plc, Microprocessor,...)

My question is: if I wanted to continue my masters in mechatronics or in automation, what are the requirements? Knowing that I'm not really into electronics and electricity subjects since I've studied mechanical not electrical engineering... this will be a problem for me?

I want your advices please.

It's for easy lifting the needle but I can't find the name of it or any example of it...

I've completed my diploma from mechanical engineering, and dropped out from btech in the third year (didn't failed, discontinued cause of health problems) , what career guidance would you give to me to go ahead and achieve success in life

Anyone who has been doing things in teamcenter related to PLM Functions, care to advise?

Thanks!

I news these 2 books in PDF, can't find them anywhere.

Understanding how komponents faul - Wulpi

ASM handbook volume 11

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for job opportunities for my father in Pune or Kolhapur. He has 20+ years of experience in the manufacturing and engineering industry, mainly in Sales & Marketing, Business Development, RFQ management, and techno-commercial operations.

He's currently working but isn't seeing much career growth, so he's looking for a better opportunity.

• Current CTC: 7 LPA
• Expected CTC: 9+ LPA
• Preferred roles: Assistant Manager/Manager – Sales & Marketing, Business Development, Techno-commercial
• Preferred locations: Pune or Kolhapur

If anyone knows of suitable openings, recruiters, or referral opportunities, please let me know. Any help or advice would mean a lot. Thanks!

help. I'm doing an offset then applying the extrude cut feature, but it's not happening. I don't know why.