Work responsibilities for a mechanical engineer

Dear Nisha, 

One of the advantages of Mechanical Engineering is that the field is very broad, so the tasks you could be asked to complete are as diverse as you can imagine. The two things you mention - manufacturing a car or designing engines - are done in teams of people, working together. Teams function better when they are made up of both men and women, when a variety of perspectives and experiences are present.

Yet, as you mentioned, sometimes a stereotype persists saying that girls don't manufacture cars or design engines. That stereotype is is not true - it's just an old way of thinking, and part of a outdated legacy from our history, society, and culture. Today, to manufacture a car is a multi-step process: For example, women can design the parts or assemblies which go into a vehicle, like the steering column, drivetrain, or the entire thing. Women can operate or control the robotic welder which welds the car's chassis together, or maybe she builds or programs the robot which forms the car's body. Women can oversee the car's crash testing operations, UL and other certifications, or negotiate with vendors for critical parts. There is a vast network of manufacturing which leads to a car - and women can be involved in every step.

As for designing engines - I can point to women who are faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate Mechanical Engineers who are all doing research on engines and combustion processes. Though these may not have been girls' jobs in the past, now they are more open to women and we need women in these areas to make new discoveries and better products.

You may also be interested in the Society of Automotive Engineers' Collegiate competitions, including MiniBaja and Formula SAE (see http://students.sae.org/cds/ ). At these events, teams of undergraduate engineering students from all over the world test their car design on a challenging track. Both men and women work together on these teams!

Overall, companies ask women engineers to do a huge variety of things - and women engineers choose themselves to start their own companies, create new technologies, and invent!

 

Dear Nisha, First off, huge congratulations to you, and be incredibly proud of yourself for studying Mechanical Engineering, now in your third year. The analytical skills you're learning will carry through into any profession or personal endeavor you choose to pursue. You will be able to look at a complex system (whether it's a car, a space shuttle, the human body, or a complicated scenario) and break it down into its components to understand how the pieces work together to make the whole. Secondly, we are living in a fast-changing world where career opportunities for women can oftentimes be (and absolutely should be) equal to those for men. While society still has a ways to go to achieve gender equality, the most successful companies in the world are the ones that embrace the talents and hard work of both female and male employees. Absolutely, women can design and manufacture cars and engines. Absolutely, women can hold executive leadership positions. Absolutely, women can define what a company's work culture is. In your engineering training, it never hurts to learn about business and strategic planning, because the best companies will expect women and men alike to deliver value in everything from designing a product to deciding the future of a company. Always, work hard and do what you love. And position yourself so that when you find those opportunities to showcase your strengths, your capabilities define who you are. Big hugs and best of luck! Chi-An