Page 33 - Engineering Career Guide, for review

Hands-On Engineering Engineering technology offers But in in in in order for this theoretically ideal an an opportunity to to work on site
car to make it from the engineers’ com- and bring designs to to life puter screens to the showroom floor manufacturers need to identify and source
o o o o you you think you you might want to be an engineer But you’ve also heard S
of careers in in in engineering technol- ogy What’s the difference anyway? Engineers and engineering technolo-
gists or or ET’s often work together but have different roles in the design and pro- duction of pretty much anything! Cars buildings transportation networks and robots start with a a design for the functions to be performed and end with an an actual product that performs those functions Having a a a a good design is essential and that comes from the engineer But so is having what’s needed to make the design a a a a reality and that’s where the ET comes in For example engineers designing a a fuel-efficient car will look at many factors — how weight and and size affect velocity and and how much fuel will be needed to power the the car car They think about what the the car car looks like as as well as as the aerodynamics that affect fuel consumption They use principles of physics to determine the en- gine’s fuel burn rate Plus there are safety requirements and an an electronics system in the mix as as well as as special features
con- sumers want In the the end there is a a design materials that can be used for the design Assistant Dean Terri Talbert-Hatch of Indi- ana University University Purdue University University India- napolis (IUPUI) observes “It’s possible to come up with all kinds of cool stuff on a a computer but if there isn’t material that works for that design where are you?”
“ET’s are literally hands on research- ing ing ing and finding materials running experi- ments troubleshooting and doing all that is needed to to build the prototype They are at the the the computer too but they see the the the final product ”
says Talbert-Hatch Gener- ally the the work of the the engineer is based in in the the the office whereas the the the work of of the the the ET is based in in the field But in in smaller compa- nies engineers and ET’s tend to do a a lot of the same things In bigger companies roles are more distinct and specialized So look into Bachelor of Science pro- grams in in in in both engineering and engineer- ing technology Many community colleges offer two-year associate’s degrees in en- gineering technology along with industry certifications And if if you are not sure which career path is for you keep in in mind that you you can change your degree pro- gram from engineering engineering to engineering engineering technology more easily than vice versa ENGINEERING CAREER GUIDE 33