Mechanical engineer personality type
What Are Three Personal Characteristics of a Mechanical Engineer? | Work
By Mary Dowd Updated June 27, 2018
Mechanical engineers design, build, test and repair machines, ranging from nanorobots to 5-ton spaceships. In addition to superior intelligence and a passion for machinery, mechanical engineers possess other personal characteristics that help them develop high-level technical skills. Many mechanical engineers are deeply analytical and highly creative, for instance. But that doesn’t mean they're artistic or dramatic types. Mechanical engineers apply their creative bent to designing machines teetering on science fiction.
Analytical Thinker
Everywhere you look there are engines, motors, thermal sensors, generators, turbines, robots, elevators, refrigeration units and countless other machines meticulously designed by mechanical engineers. Like all scientists, they observe, test, hypothesize and analyze experimental data.
Mechanical engineers are logical thinkers who view the world through a rational lens. Naturally curious, they gravitate to puzzles and problems that require abstract thinking. Their personal characteristics come in handy when troubleshooting equipment failures or fixing malfunctions in a new prototype.
Creative Innovator
Along with mathematical genius, Albert Einstein possessed vision, imagination and boundless creativity. Mechanical engineers share a similar orientation and thrive on innovation. They enjoy the challenge of designing new, better and cheaper ways of manufacturing products. When faced with a problem, they're resourceful and perceptive when uncovering whether the flaw is in the design, materials or mechanisms. Brilliant solutions and groundbreaking discoveries are their specialties. They’re perfectly happy working alone but also thrive on teams where they can exchange rapid-fire ideas. Computers are used creatively to design new machines, such as robots and nanobots.
Hard Worker
Mechanical engineers are intensely driven and determined. Their tenacity and perseverance enabled them to complete a college degree in a rigorous engineering field that requires mathematical ability, mechanical aptitude and scientific understanding. In the workplace, they tend to be focused, goal oriented and intrinsically motivated. They immerse themselves in projects, diligently consider all possibilities and move forward decisively. Mechanical engineers are valued for their work ethic in many industries, including aerospace, manufacturing, research and development.
Career Pathway
Becoming an engineer starts with carefully developing a college plan of study with an adviser in the department of mechanical engineering. Most students enter the program with considerable math and science coursework in high school, including advanced placement courses. Students majoring in mechanical engineering take classes like calculus, differential equations, chemistry, physics, manufacturing and design, systems and controls, solid mechanisms and thermal science.
Requirements for a bachelor’s degree also include general education classes, such as humanities and social studies.
Salary and Job Outlook
Mechanical engineers make an average annual salary of $89,800, or $43.17 per hour, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2016. Those in the top 10 percent income bracket earned salaries in excess of $131,350. Job demand is expected to grow 9 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is as fast as average. Opportunities will be best for those skilled in automotive engineering, computers and robotics.
References
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Spacecraft
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OOH: Mechanical Engineers
- Big Future by the College Board: Career: Mechanical Engineers
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OES: Mechanical Engineers
- University of Michigan: Mechanical Engineering: Bachelor's Degree
Writer Bio
Mary Dowd holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s in counseling and student affairs from Minnesota State Mankato.
Helping students succeed has been her passion while serving in many areas of student affairs and adjunct teaching. Currently she is a dean of students at a large, public university. Dr. Dpwd’s writing experience includes published research, training materials and hundreds of practical online articles.
Personality traits and qualities of a Good Engineer
Looking to hire exceptional engineers with skills and personality traits that can change the world?
Engineers have diverse personalities and characteristics. When evaluating engineering candidates, employers must keep in mind that many personalities could make a good engineer and the hiring process should look for the best fit for a team's needs.
Many of the traits of a good engineer are the same as for any good employee, including communication and leadership skills. Beyond those, there are several specific engineer personality traits that typically translate well into the job. Look for these when hiring for your next vacancy.
Interpersonal and Leadership Skills
The traits of a good engineer start with the basics. Soft skills, such as honesty, trustworthiness, and an excellent work ethic and are fundamental to any profitable employer-employee relationship.
The concept of a lone engineer developing a breakthrough patent hidden away in a basement laboratory is unrealistic. Today's engineers work on complicated, multi-faceted projects that cross many disciplines. Every engineer will interact regularly with several members of a team, each having different skills and responsibilities. Employees must show respect for each team member, and demonstrate leadership qualities, even if they aren't the official team leader.
Communication Skills
A good engineer needs to communicate well, both orally and in writing. Everything from the problem definition to discussions of the possible solutions to the instructions for manufacturing or producing the final design must be accurately and clearly conveyed to others, including clients, team members, and the C-suite.
At the same time, an engineer must be able to listen and receive feedback in order to modify the project or product and satisfy evolving requirements and conditions.
Engineering Traits
The following skills and personality traits are general requirements for all engineers.
Math and Computer Skills
A qualified engineer should be good at math, at least through the level of calculus and trigonometry, and understand the importance of following the data when making design decisions. A corollary to that is that they need to be fluent users of the software that supports their engineering discipline.
Organization and Attention to Detail
Engineers must be able to find and organize all pertinent data, and to use the information correctly. This requires a good memory and strict attention to detail.
Curiosity
Engineers are curious folk, like the child who takes apart a toaster to find out how it works. The innate curiosity of any high-quality engineer should drive them to figure out how to make something that works work even better.
Creativity
An engineer's creativity looks different to what we typically think of as artistic creativity. Rather than focusing on a message or a feeling, creative engineers solve practical problems, such as how to store more data in a smaller amount of memory. Engineers must be able to look at the big picture, conceive a range of solutions, and then narrow down the possibilities through testing and experimentation.
Critical Thinking
Engineering solutions must work in the real world, where complex variables compete. As a result, engineers need critical thinking skills, developed through experience and training, in order to solve open-ended problems that have no single right answer. Their job is to optimize a solution within the constraints, including time, money, material, and manufacturing capability, as presented by their employer.
Intuition
Once they have developed and optimized a solution, a good engineer must have the self-confidence to stand behind that solution, even without complete data or proof.
This trait will manifest as an intuitive sense of what can or will work.
Engineering Personalities
In addition to the general traits described above, engineers working in different fields often display the following different types of personality traits:
Civil Engineer Personality Traits
Civil engineers work on large projects, such as roads, bridges, power plants, and water and wastewater treatment systems. Because these projects concern human interaction with the environment, good civil engineer personality traits include a broad sense of civic mindedness.
Civil engineers typically want work that is meaningful, to themselves and to others. They also must also have a good eye for aesthetics, because their projects will be visible to the public.
Robotic Engineer Personality Traits
Most robots are located within factories, and robotic engineers work on making automated manufacturing processes faster, more accurate and more efficient. Robotic engineers need a good sense of logic to analyze the steps in a process, in order to reproduce it or improve on it using robots.
They must also have a good mechanical sense and an ability to visualize machinery moving in 3D.
Because they often work in a busy factory environment, robotic engineers need to be observant and sensitive to their surroundings and get along well with people from all walks of life.
Mechanical Engineer Personality Traits
Good mechanical engineers are assertive and confident, with a strong mechanical aptitude and the uncanny ability to visualize processes and objects in 3D. When designing a part, they must be able to imagine how it will fit within an assembly.
Mechanical engineers should have a good feel for different materials and how each is affected by temperature, vibrations, and mechanical stresses. They also need to understand the best methods for manufacturing a given part.
Electrical Engineer Personality Traits
Electrical engineers are good at math and science, with strong analytical minds. They must be hard-working and detail-oriented, in order to design the intricate electrical circuits, components, devices, and systems needed to support a wide range of projects, such as electric car batteries, aerospace flight controls, or nuclear power stations.
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where to study, salary, pros and cons
Author: Professional Guide
Updated
Mechanical engineer (mechanical engineer) is a specialist who is engaged in the design, construction and operation of mechanical equipment, machines, apparatus in various fields of production and the national economy. By the way, the ProfGid career guidance center has recently developed an accurate career guidance test that will tell you which professions suit you, give an opinion about your personality type and intelligence.
The profession is suitable for those who are interested in physics and mathematics (see. choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects). 9Ol000
The profession of mechanical engineer is considered universal. Representatives of this profession are involved in the production of material goods in all sectors of the national economy - from the production of household goods and food to electronic equipment and space rockets. Basic engineering education and work experience make it easy to navigate in the constantly updated world of technology.
Mechanical engineer - a specialist who is fluent in modern engineering and technology, inventively uses engineering methods in solving problems of mechanics, knows the economy and organization of production of the industry in which he works.
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Profession features
A mechanical engineer can choose to specialize in different directions - designer, technologist or tester.
The functional responsibilities of a mechanical engineer depend on the direction and field of activity:
Designer is engaged in the design and construction of machines and mechanisms, as well as systems for the integrated mechanization of production.
Technologist organizes the processes of installation and adjustment of mechanisms and actively participates in this. His responsibilities also include the development and organization of optimal technological processes using automation tools.
Tester performs direct testing and maintenance of mechanisms, analyzing the conditions and the optimal mode of their operation.
The daily specific activities of a mechanical engineer depend on his place of work. For example, a mechanical engineer of a machine-building plant, working in a workshop, performs the following functions:
- checks technical documentation;
- plans the placement of equipment and the organization of jobs;
- calculates production capacity and equipment loading;
- controls the process of welding technology, supervising the work of welders;
- checks the correctness of the welding and assembly processes of products;
- carries out daily quality control of work, identifying defects;
- organizes diagnostics, technical inspection and repair of mechanisms and equipment;
- draws up technical specifications for the reconstruction of existing and creation of new equipment;
- takes part in the development of complex projects for industrial engineering enterprises and in the calculation of the economic efficiency of projects being implemented.
A mechanical engineer working in the agro-industrial complex is engaged in:
- organizing the work of the machine and tractor fleet of an agricultural enterprise;
- provision of spare parts, components and materials.
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Pros and cons of the profession
Pros
The profession of a mechanical engineer is widely in demand in the modern high-tech world, which is associated with the activation of manufacturing enterprises in all sectors of the national economy. In the era of the widespread introduction of innovations in Russia, the demand for these specialists is growing every day. Moreover, there is an acute shortage of real professionals.
The benefits of the profession include many options for specialization and areas of application.
Cons
The work of a mechanical engineer involves the risk of injury: in the conditions of production shops, you can get bruises or fractures.
Noise and vibration emanating from working mechanisms negatively affect the human body.
Place of work
Mechanical engineers work in almost every sector of the national economy, military industry, science:
- in production;
- in construction;
- agriculture;
- motor transport, road and repair enterprises;
- at mining enterprises for the extraction and processing of natural raw materials;
- in research institute laboratories;
- nuclear power plants.
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Important qualities
- good physical health
- technical mindset
- interest in technology
- technical savvy
- creative attitude to work
- precision eye
- quick response
- constructive and logical thinking
- analytical mind
- originality of thought
- ability to concentrate
- organizational skills
- perseverance and determination
- the ability to make responsible decisions.
- Fluency in AutoCAD, SolidWorks, CorelDraw, SCAD, KOMPAS-3D programs, which are necessary in theoretical preparatory work.
Mechanical Engineer Training
Courses
Universities
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4 years
67,080 ₽/year
10 budget places
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4 years
220,000 ₽/year
20 budget places
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4 years
118 100 ₽/year
28 budget places
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4 years
136,140 ₽/year
17 budget places
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Salary
Salary of a mechanical engineer for October 2022
Salary information provided by the hh.
ru portal.
Russia 45000-180000₽
Moscow 60000-150000₽
The salary of a mechanical engineer depends on his qualifications and work experience, as well as the field of activity. As a rule, in the automotive and aviation industries, as well as in large industrial enterprises, mechanical engineers receive the highest salary.
Career steps and prospects
A mechanical engineer can develop a career in a horizontal direction, mastering different areas of the profession: from operation to production and design of mechanisms and equipment. There is another career development option: in the administrative, vertical direction. A mechanical engineer can improve his qualifications from category II to category I. Further growth is possible to the position of shop manager and chief engineer of the enterprise, if the specialist takes the initiative, improves his qualifications, and develops the skills of a manager and manager. You can work in external regulatory organizations, performing expert control.
At the Research Institute, a mechanical engineer can engage in research work, defend a thesis, and receive a degree.
A mechanical engineer with commercial ability can start his own business if he has his own product development.
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Portrait of a modern mechanical engineer
A mechanical engineer is a typically male profession, because in a production environment a specialist needs physical strength and endurance. According to statistics 99% of mechanical engineers are men. Age gradation: 38% of specialists are young people under 30 years old, 29% are from 30 to 40 years old, 20% are from 40 to 50 years old, 13% are specialists over 50 years old. As a rule, 91% of mechanical engineers are professionals with higher technical education.
Interesting facts
October 30 is Mechanical Engineer Day.
This professional holiday was established in 1996 by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.
The first practical mechanical engineer, as well as its theorist, is Archimedes, who became famous for various technical inventions.
The history of the modern profession began in 1854, when a decision was made in the Russian Navy to create a corps of mechanical engineers.
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Examples of companies with vacancies for a mechanical engineer - the topic of a scientific article on other humanities read the text of a research paper for free in the electronic library CyberLeninka0001
Section “Fundamental and Applied Problems of the Humanities”
UDC 929:62
KARL BETZ: ENGINEER OR MECHANIC?
G. P. Kovalev Supervisor - S. V. Zasekova
Novosibirsk State Technical University Russian Federation, 630073, Novosibirsk, prosp. K. Marksa, 20 E-mail: [email protected]
The biography of the creator of the first car Karl Benz is analyzed from the standpoint of the relationship between the concepts engineer and mechanic. Through the stages of personality formation, the influence of the family and the era is shown.
Keywords: Karl Benz, engineering thinking, inventor, mechanics, engineering.
KARL BENZ: ENGINEER OR MECHANIC?
G. P. Kovalev Scientific Supervisor - S. V. Zasekova
Novosibirsk State Technical University 20, K. Marx Av., Novosibirsk, 630073, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected]
Biography of the first car creator Karl Benz is analyzed from relationship of the engineer and mechanic concepts position. Through the stages of personality development, it is shown the influence of family and age.
Keywords: Karl Benz, engineering thinking, inventor, mechanics, engineering.
The beginning of the automobile industry is considered to be the 19th century, when Carl Friedrich Benz, a German engineer, created the first successful internal combustion engine of a car. His Motor Car patent No. 1 of 1885 is regarded as the first automobile. However, in the biographical literature, Karl Benz is called either an engineer or a mechanic. For a modern person, the concepts of engineer and mechanic are often synonymous, but the history and semantic content of the concepts makes it possible to unambiguously determine who, after all, Karl Benz was, an engineer or a mechanic.
The history of mechanical knowledge dates back to ancient times, and the term "mechanics" was used in the ancient world. “Mechanics” comes from the ancient Greek word mechane, which was called everything skillfully invented, while understanding the mechanical art. The word "engineer" comes from the Latin ingeniare - "create", "create", "implement". The word mechane originally meant the name of lifting machines and mechanisms that allow lifting weights to heights and various throwing machines by means of force. Mechanics in antiquity were all those who were engaged in the invention of "cunning" machines and mechanisms [1, p.7]. But engineers were originally called people who lead the creation of military vehicles and complex fortifications. And the difference between the concepts was that the "mechanicus" made "skillful toys" with his own hands, which in the ancient world was considered indecent for a free person, because only slaves were engaged in physical labor. Engineers, on the other hand, had special privileges: they were part of the Roman legions, received higher salaries, and were exempted from labor and guard duty.
The engineer did not make physical efforts, he only supervised the creation of machines and structures and was a very respected person. This sense of concepts as a whole was preserved in the 19th century. Therefore, in order to become an engineer, one had to at least have a good education, which in the 19th century not everyone could get.
Karl Benz was not born an aristocrat. He was born on November 25, 1844 in Karlsruhe in the family of a worker - a locomotive driver. But his mother's conviction that a good education was necessary allowed him, after graduating from elementary school in 1853, to enter the technical lyceum 1864 to receive an engineering degree [2]. Possessing, as Benz's biographers write, "outstanding abilities" in the field of physics and chemistry, having well-developed technical thinking during his studies, Benz in 1871 founded his first company in Mannheim. In the workshop of the company, he was engaged in the development of internal combustion engines, a self-running sidecar.
The development of the first engine took more than six years. Karl Benz received his patent for a two-stroke gasoline engine on December 31, 1878 [4]. In the next three years, he patented a battery-powered ignition system, a spark plug, an accelerator, a carburetor, an engine water cooler and, somewhat later, a clutch and gearbox. Benz, along with improving the design of the motor, was involved in the creation of the first car [3]. Perseverance, initiative and determination allowed Benz to overcome difficulties. During the day he worked in his workshops, and at night he experimented in a barn near his house. The result was the creation of a three-wheeled car with a 4-stroke engine in his workshop. In the literature, one can find mention of 411 applicants who were not recognized as the inventors of the car. But the first are Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. They never met during their lifetime. But Benz himself designed and developed all the components of his car and himself came to solve many technical problems.
Benz worked continuously on his new project, including test runs of cars [4].
The life path of Karl Benz is the path of a techie student to the owner of his own car company. And his biography shows that he was never shy about working with his hands. In this sense, he was a brilliant mechanic: knowledge of physics and mathematics helped him create "ingenious toys." Benz was constantly working on his cars, including test runs. These "toys" he, albeit with difficulty, but introduced into production. As his life showed, he was often mistaken precisely in terms of engineering - Karl Benz did not believe that a car must necessarily be fast, giving preference primarily to practicality - that is, lightness, efficiency and reliability. His conservatism led to a delay in improving the speed characteristics of cars. But the public's love for racing made him reconsider his views on the speed qualities of produced cars [2]. But still, Karl Benz is an engineering genius. In the middle of the 19th century, he managed to capture the ideas of motorization of society and create a powerful and compact engine that gave civilization a new mass type of land transport.
