Engineering Education and Long-Term Value

Personally I believe soon you will see the whole body of a car made of solar panels even the inside of the car like the dash and made into the windows to collect all the power possible for an electric car to run constantly and stay charged. Even built with alternators that kick in when going down hill to provide a boost to the system. Or alternators built onto an axil the will provide power after the vechile reaches 5 miles an hour.

They have a windmill design now that produce power with only 4 mph of wind. The 2 technologys are bound to interconnect in the future.

Automotive is a fashion industry. Gasoline/Petrol is out in the next 10 years. Hybrid propulsion is not the future. Electro cars will dominate in 10-20 years. Nevertheless cars needs to have a nice outer shape and a confortable interior for a resonable purchasing price.

Regards

That is a very valid point.

Yes, cleaner, more efficient cars would be a big selling feature to many...but....

...a lot of cars out there are sold on their 'look'. e.g. Porshce cars look fantastic but are terrible for the environment.

Industrial Engineering and Asthetic Design may be the route to follow.

Fashion? Not for me. If it does what I need it too. I don't care if it is mule drawn.

Dear Mr.Smith,

What is your current employment scene? Are you intending to stay with your current eployer?

If so, how do they advise you? Is current technology OK for future purpose?

If not, and you are looking to change, then you ought to develop new ideas, maybe with a new technology course at College/University along the lines of what you would like to become involved with in the future. If you are about to put yourself in the marketplace again, direct your new course towards the subjects you would like to be involved with in the future. Maybe an M.Eng or a M.Sc in a new technology.

Best of luck for the future.

Current employment scene

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I am looking to stay with my company as long as my company can survive in the volitile changing auto industry. I am taking classes in quality systems like six sigma and manufacturing. I know it is the quality buzzword of the day but it is still based on sound principles just packaged with todays hip jargon. The underlying structure is still based on statistics and applying sound engineering judgment.

By furthering my education, I am trying to be sure my place with my current employer is solid. I feel that if my company is investing in my education and I show benefits from that education in my work, then I am less likely to be in the pool of displaced workers in the future tough times ahead in the auto industry.

I have grand interest in future tech but see it as a gamble on taking the right class that will open up to the right application in the future. It could pay off big or it could be a useless exercise such as the superiority of the betamax video player; historically significant but not applicable to the paycheck.

If I was choosing now - for stability reasons I would go with the 'known' technology.

Reasons...

1) There will be many others out there like yourself wanting to study future technology, so by studying current technology you will not only be expanding your knowledge but potentially putting yourself in a very strong position for the future when there are not many around who know the basic principles of engineering and science.

2) If we are talking about 'future' technology then this could be classed as being a volatile market as it is not known how the world will react to it or how well it will be accepted...or in fact of it will work...but that's why we do what we do in Engineering - to make the impossible, possible.

2.1) However, new technology would be a challenge.

3) Currrent technology will always be required, and in particular the areas you mention such as Lean, Six Sigma etc. You have to look at the potential gains versus risk. Improving a manufacturing assembly line, reducing parts, quicker manufacture, cheaper materials all save money for a company for low risk...looking at new technology for the future of the motor industry is a big risk and a big gamble. It will however bring in a lot of money should it succeed. Looking at ways of making all the cars currently out there cleaner for the environment would be of great benefit as people would see a retrofit to their current vehicle of much more benefit to their pocket change than having to fork out on a new car.

4) Getting the current technology behind you then studying the future tech would be a better way to go. Unless you are highly driven and willing to spend a lot of time researching that is...in that case go for the future tech.

I personally like to spend time with the family so my time is precious to me. I am studying for my second degree in Mathematics, which will branch into fluid dynamics and quantum systems in a few years time - that could be another route for you to consider.

Kind Regards

Kev Brown

This is just my personal opinion so take it for what it's worth.

Getting an advanced degree that is very specialized might earn you a higher salary as long as this title is meaningful to the personnel departments (gatekeepers).

Obviously to exploit the specialty you would likely need to move around some. The specialty may even get you into something REALLY BIG in the future. If you are going to specialize, do it with a degree that will still be useful if the specific sector doesn't become "the next big thing".

As far as the management crazes (I put Six-Sigma in that category) they come and go. Likely statistics classes would cover some of this and that's OK but I sure would not want it to be a major portion of my degree.

Unless you have a research grant and a blank check, your employer will dictate your future. If what you study doesn't produce a benefit for the employer, it will be a waste of your time. If your employer has incentives for continuing education within the company, there would be the place to start since he is paying for it. It all boils down to dollars and cents. What is good for the employer is good for the employee, but the opposite may not be true.