Mastering in ME, what career path should I take?

Question

I am an Engineering physics major in my senior year now. I have decided that I want to go on and get my masters degree. I am beginning to think about writing my statement of purpose letters but before I can do that I need to have a clear idea of where I want to end up. I am pretty sure I want to master in Mechanical Engineering. I want to do something hi-tech and I want to be easily employable anywhere I live.

Just brainstorming some ideas to do as a career would be working on spacecraft, working on weapons- small arms weapons or missiles, working on military vehicles, alternative fuel or alternative energy, working in the automotive industry. However I know these ideas are vague and specifically what I want to do is too hard to say.

know any tips or resources I could use to help me decide?

Answer 1

OK, I have a masters in mechanical and my passion is machine design. I design for the Navy. As a government employee, we are getting forced into being project managers more so than design engineers, but that may be more a function of 20 years of experience as well.

Look at the ASME Journals and see what you think is the most interesting. Find a program that does this kind of research and apply. Check out NASA, JPL, Sandia and other National Laboratories.

As the other poster mentioned, simulation and  CFD is high tech, Robotics is big, Mechatronics is big, Go to the Machine design magazine and Design News websites and see what is cool. I also like Gizmag from Austrailia. Look at what DARPA and the Office of NAVAL Research and the National Science Foundation have as Grand Challenges.

Think about what you can do to help humanity with the current energy woes.  How about a device that somehow stores energy during the day and releases it gradually during the night due to the temperature flux, or perhaps the reverse of that? Perhaps you can find the right fluid to convince to undergo a phase change from  they typical difference between night and day in some area, maybe use a database to control volumes and pressures, and then store the energy through some change in volume? There are a lot of possibilites.

Answer 2

The simulation industry is secure, fascinating, and rewarding.  It also requires highly educated employees in jobs with high learning curves which means it will be very difficult for you to be replaced by overseas competition.  Moreover, simulation is still in its youth and with the boom in computer power your expertice will be wanted in the future.  Try looking into finite element analysis and CFD.  It's hard to not think this stuff is cool!