So You Want To Be An Engineer. Ray Floyd
The first path is the design of new computer systems, where the design is more involved with new application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), new methods of using multiple processors for increased throughput, ever decreasing circuit spacing within the chip designs, and similar activities aimed at new computer designs. The second path is more along the lines of designing new operating systems that provide real-time process support, multi-processor support, and new applications for the average user.
In the first path, the program will more than likely be referred to as computer engineering, whereas the second path may be called computer science. The first path will be more oriented to digital and analog circuit design, with courses and labs designed to support the needs for circuit awareness. The second path will be more involved with the programming of computer systems, from basic assembler, to compilers, to the operating systems needed to support new computers in the most efficient manner possible. In some cases, the two paths may be offered in different departments within the university.
Now some might say, you almost always field-test products. Yes, very true, often where the field can be a fabric mill, a car rental counter, a hotel lobby, or a deep-water oil rig. Of course, testing is not limited to the field, but may also be undertaken in a test facility within the plant. In the latter case, there will often be specialized equipment not easily transported to the field. For example, in classical tests the equipment — such as temperature-humidity-altitude chambers, anechoic chambers, acoustic chambers, and radio field measurement chambers — are all large physical units not generally portable. The point is that engineering, whatever field chosen, will probably require effort in many different environments, and involvecertain sub-specialties within a given engineering field, be it civil, electrical, mechanical, or some other. One problem with test engineering is that few universities offer such a specialized degree. Test engineers generally develop through assignments in Product Test, or a similar department, where a team performs testing on a new product that includes mechanical tests, electrical tests, and software tests. In many instances, usability testing may be included to ensure the product is useable by the intended user group.
Some universities offer a degree in Quality Engineering. More often, students who have an interest in becoming a Quality Engineer will study a number of general engineering courses, winding up with a degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering. For the engineering student interested in becoming a Quality Engineer, courses in statistics, simulation, and quantitative management will provide some of the tools that will be needed.
What then does the new graduate expect to do as a Quality Engineer? To begin with, the Quality Engineer will function as part of the Development Team, consisting of Development, Quality, Product Test, Manufacturing, and Marketing members. In this role, the Quality Engineer will be involved with new product development, early manufacturing verification, first article inspection (new parts from vendors), part failure root cause analysis, field tests, and final product manufacturing release. Other areas that require Quality Engineering support are vendor qualification, operator process procedure evaluation and qualification, standards adherence, and product sampling for correct operation. The Quality Engineer touches many aspects of a product from its inception to final delivery. Quality Engineers may find opportunities in either Quality Assurance or Quality Control.
The Civil Engineer may well be the one who we see in action most frequently, and whose work we benefit from daily. They are responsible for roads, community and city planning, railroads, as well as many other project aspects available for our daily use. The Roman engineers who were responsible for the road and city layouts were the forerunners of today’s civil engineers. Civil Engineers are the largest single engineering group of all Professional Engineers (with Surveying Engineers second). This certification is required by most states as a protection for the safety and reliability of public-use structures such as buildings, towers, bridges, and roadways. Relevant courses include dynamics, statics, strength of materials, architecture design, and structural strength, which provide the underlying theory needed to ensure the structures being used are safe.
The Surveying Engineer is the second largest contingent within the ranks of Professional Engineers. Setting property lines, city limits, and similar activities can involve vast sums of money. States therefore wish to ensure that the work done is done correctly and professionally, and require the surveyors to take a battery of qualification tests as well as frequently requiring an apprenticeship.
Although there is no formal degree program that the authors are aware of with the title of Sales Engineering, there are many opportunities for engineers to enter the Marketing and/or Sales organizations based on their technical training. In particular, if the engineer enjoys working and interfacing with the public, the chances of success are high. Engineers in this particular career path can be successful because of their technical knowledge and their ability to transfer that knowledge to the customer. Most customers are grateful for a salesperson’s ability to break down the technical jargon to something more understandable and much less technical in nature. In many corporations, it is the Sales Engineer who often rises rapidly within the company hierarchy.
When asked about human factors work, most people will think first of the field in its infancy, where time-in-motion studies were the primary emphasis for those calling themselves Human Factors Engineers. Like the Quality Engineer, there are few schools that provide undergraduate programs in Human Factors Engineering. More often, degrees in Human Factors Engineering are found at the graduate and doctoral levels, where specialization is more common. In the undergraduate programs, courses in statistics, CAD, psychology, systems engineering, and communications will help the new engineer understand the needs of the Human Factors Engineer.
Beyond time-in-motion studies, what activities can be found in the realm of the Human Factors Engineer? To begin with, the Human Factors Engineer will be concerned with the physical aspects of equipment. Questions as to table heights versus operator height, control placement versus operator reach, control recognition (color, shape, size, function), color recognition (size, color, shape), and similar physical aspects of the products and machines all fall under the purview of the Human Factors Engineer. Another principle area that came into vogue in the mid-1980s is in operator usability testing. In usability testing, a number of test subjects are organized with a defined educational level, physical characteristics, and other properties representative of the intended final users of the product. The subjects perform a set of tasks, and the completion evaluated to determine whether a product is usable within the defined user population.
The Reliability Engineer is primarily responsible for identifying and managing asset reliability risk. In particular, the Reliability Engineer will review production losses and equipment maintenance costs, and attempt to reduce both for an increased return-on-investment. In the process, the Reliability Engineer will perform root cause analysis on failures, looking at possible hazards, failure modes, equipment maintainability, and, in short, life cycle management of equipment and processes. The Reliability Engineer would be expected to have classes in materials, chemistry, statistics, test methods, and associated