What EXACTLY do mechanical engineers do?

Question

im a mechanical engineering student entering my 3rd year. ive have talked to many many engineers and though i havent actually asked them specifically what they do, i have learnt a lot. i just dont seem to understand what they do when they tell me. its always stuff like "im working on this engine" "im working with..." "im in charge of..."

i want to know, from start to finish of your work day/ week, what you are doing. im aware there are probably thousands of different types of jobs you can be doing, so any answer is great.

is it something like: i woke up, went to work, did paper work until 5 everyday.

or is it more like "i woke up went to work, designed a new prototype for an engine part, then the next week we built it, tested it, put it together, it didnt work, so we redid it.. etc etc etc???

Answer 1

the later..depends on your work but definately the later

Answer 2

.  What you do as a mechanical engineer will depend on the type of company you go to work for.

.  Some MEs concern themselves with purchasing equipment where you need knowledge of mechanical engineering principals to know when the vendor is being less than honest about his product.

.  Some MEs actually do calculations and design of mechanical equipment and systems, like boilers, heat exchangers, furnaces, grinding mills, steam piping, other product piping systems, material handling systems (like conveyors of various types or overhead cranes).  

.  Its a broad field with a lot of opportunities; more opportunities in some areas of the country than others.  Houston, Texas has a lot of ME opportunites.  Wichita Falls, Texas has substantially fewer.  

Answer 3

Last year I worked on a number of subsea oilfield tools. Conceptualized, designed, and tested them. Had meetings with other engineers, technicians during the course of development. Met and visited manufacturers who made the parts I designed. Did some trouble shooting to get parts on time. Tested them in the lab by simulating working conditions. Prepared test reports, assembly procedures etc.

This year I am mostly working on heat transfer analysis of insulation on subsea equipment. Helping other engineers in tweaking their insulation designs. Speaking to different plastics vendors to develop new insulation materials.

Will start working on fracture mechanics for life estimation of subsea equipment soon.

I hope you get an idea ... also ...

Mechanical engineering is the seminal branch of engineering. All industrial progress started from mechanical engineering.

As a mechanical engineer you could be working in any of the following broad fields:

Automobile, aerospace, oilfield, manufacturing, chemicals, power plants, electronics, acoustics, toy makers, pharmaceutical, medical equipment, imaging, mining, transportation, clothing/textiles, software development,

In your day-to-day work you might be involved in:

analysis, design, testing, installation, quality control, inspection, planning and scheduling, fault analysis, experimentation, making presentations, attending meetings, preparing and reviewing documentation (paperwork), writing technical literature, giving and receiving training, mentoring new engineers, managing your subordinates, preparing project proposals, trouble-shooting, improving existing designs, making sketches by hand, making drawings on the computer, supervising technicians and drafters, making sales calls, receiving calls from the field for tech support.

Answer 4

The later is good, you might ad some meetings and travel either to suppliers or manufactures.