Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Mechanical Engineer - Industrial
Mechanical engineers can find employment with companies that design and manufacture mechanical devices and systems, such as the government, military, customer service companies and research labs. They are involved in almost all stages of manufacturing, including selecting the appropriate materials, measuring the dimensions, choosing the right machinery, designing and developing the product, testing quality, and troubleshooting the machinery.
Mechanical engineers mainly work with, but not limited to, companies operating in these industries:
- Automobile
- Biomedical
- Customer service
- Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
- Nuclear
- Robotics
- Power and energy
- Piping
- Aeronautical
- Marine
- Oil and gas
- Aerospace
The professionals offer technical support in the fields of design, development, testing, troubleshooting, power generation and power conversion. The job may or may not require travelling, depending upon the employment.
The engineers can also be expected to
- Analyze product designs
- Identify problems in a product
- Create blueprints for product development
- Generate specifications for various parts of the products
- Resolve mechanical problems whenever they surface
- As0sist in plant expansions
- Prepare job safety programs
- Coordinate time and motion studies
- Develop quality control systems
- VPlan and schedule new facilities
Guide to Becoming a Mechanical Engineer - Industrial
Like any other profession, mechanical engineering also requires students to undergo a formal education and practical training to seek entry level employment in this field. In fact, this is the first step towards becoming a mechanical engineer - industrial. Higher education and years of experience are required to an advanced career.
The three-year post-secondary mechanical engineering courses help you gain theoretical and practical knowledge along with hands-on-experience in manufacturing and production of mechanical equipments. The students can build strong fundamentals as well as more specialised skills relating to modern manufacturing and production processes.
The programs cover a wide range of subjects including technology mathematics, properties of materials, machine shop, physics, applied statistics, mechanical drafting, manufacturing processes, applied electricity, differential calculus and analytical geometry, fluid mechanics, tool design, applied dynamics, hydraulics and pneumatics and tool design and quality assurance.
Apart from these, the program also helps students gain excellent computer skills, blueprint reading, and communication, CAD programming skills, report writing and project design, construction and management skills. Shop floor management, facility planning and work cell designing and principles of financial accounting and management are also covered.
Practical Training
Good mechanical engineering courses combine theory, hands-on-lab and projects, designing, building and testing an original piece of equipment, actual workplace assignment and employment placement. This is done to help students put their classroom learning into practice in real world scenarios and gain hands-on-experience. This also provides valuable contacts that can be used as references when entering the world of work upon completion of the program.
Choosing the Right College
Choosing the right college is the most crucial step in becoming a mechanical engineer. There are many colleges in Canada that offer post-secondary programmes in this field. Unfortunately, not all of them are accredited. Centennial College’s program in mechanical engineer is CTAB accredited and offers you required exposure and practical experience to build a career in this field.
In order to apply for the program, you will need:
- Secondary school diploma or equivalent
- English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent
- Mathematics Grade 11 M or 12 C or University or equivalent
Co-op (PTY) requirements include:
- Minimum C grade in COMM-170/171
- Minimum 2.5 CGPA
- Minimum 80 percent of year 1 & 2 courses for COOP-221
