R&D Jobs

What makes you interested in R&D ? Are you a creative and curious person ? If so, you can get into R&D without any masters degree, if you can impress the prospective employer that your strength is in creativity. Having a masters will of course help, but i would advise you do a couple of years of work experience and then do masters. You will be better equipped.

AGREED

I would be reluctant to hire anyone (with Bachelors OR Masters) into a R&D environment without some experience. The real world is quite different from the academic world.

I got my first Engineering position with an Associate Degree after 6 years experience, and it happened to be in R&D. My boss commented that the work we were doing would normally be done by someone with an MSEE... but I had the experience to do the job. Now I own a small company and enjoy the heck out of it (34 years later).

I don't want to discourage you from going for the MS, but before you do, get out into the real world and find out what it is really about. It might make pursuing the MS much easier.

Bill

PS

My son in law (possibly) just got a two year degree. He discovered that his room mate makes significantly more than he does so he was upset. BUT his roomy has a couple of years of experience under his belt.

Bill

forget R&D and learn how to apply what you already know by using your hands by getting a job.

Once you've mastered the art of connecting brain to hands.. then go for R&D.

I have had graduate trainees who can quote me API, BS, ISO etc,etc, but can they lift a cresent wrench to do a job.. No!

As you are starting out in your career, remember these 4 points....

You must learn to walk before you can run... and

P to the power of 7.. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

There is no such thing as a dumb question, it is dumb not to ask it!. and finally

God in his wisdom gave you two ears and one mouth, use then in that proportion!

Have a great career!

Route to R&D is not through M.E. instead it is through industrial experience in production, design quality control so that you know what is your product and what needs to be developed. First try to play with nuts, bolts, machine shop etc. then start design process. etc. Design should be such that it can be produced in production shop, meets all quality requirements and cost effective.

After above experience you will be able to identify the area would like to do R&D and choose your subject, institution etc. All the best

Engineering is not normally associated with "R & D", except to implement someone else's idea. The kind of R & D you are probably interested in is usually the purview of "inventors." Inventors don't need a degree... but usually have mechanical skills to build prototypes, etc.

Do you have any machine shop skills?

Hello everyone & thanks a lot for sorting out that question. About myself, yes I am somewhat creative that's what's got me thinking about R&D. I was more inclined towards continuing with my masters after my bachelors thinking it was a sure shot way to land up in R&D. Thanks for correcting that glitch. I'll certainly try & gain some work experience before deciding about my masters.

Some good advice and some BS. The ability to use a wrench is much overrated and not a requirement in R&D work. However a good grasp of the practical aspects of engineering is essential for all engineers. You do not need to be able to weld, but you must know the limitations of the welder in order to design etc.

If you can afford it, carry on and do your Masters immediately. Though I agree that you would get more out of it if you had some practical experience in the interim, it is not that easy to get back into studying full time after having worked for a few years.

Do it while you can - experience can come later.

I started my own R & D company (URAD) in 1981 with no formal degree. Most of my clients indicate to me that they hire me because I produce results and that is more important than a sheep skin on the wall. This is fine within it's own limits but the Peter's Principle surely applies and it wasn't long before I found myself expanding my own knowledge privately to keep up. The focus of the company has been electronic, mechanical and software R & D.

There are certain things in Physics that you will need to know to be proficient in R & D for specific fields. For example, if you are developing a better toaster your skill set may require less than if you are developing an inertial damper for a satellite. Depending on where you are trained, the higher level skills may not be introduced until you enter a masters level education. Some people seem to be born with an intuition about physics, and others need to be fully trained in it.

I would suggest finding a part time internship with a cutting edge R & D firm to boost your experience while continuing your education (provided the funding is available). This way you have the doors of opportunity opened from both avenues and increase your experience base at the same time. It also demonstrates a willingness to invest sweat equity into your future which is important in the R & D arena. Projects demand a certain perseverance and self sacrifice - those that are seeking 'benefits' or 'dollars' are not well suited for R & D and it is those types of persons that often weaken the development of a product by cutting corners for profits.

What ever path you choose - remember that you will be the one looking back in a few years and asking if it was the right move. What history do you want to create for yourself?

Harvey