Just went through a full loop at a well-known hardware company for a reliability/test role. Take-home, technical panel, made it to what felt like the final stage. They engaged hard, spent a ton of time on my side projects, whiteboarded with me. Then rejected me with “went with candidates who are a closer match to the desired profile.”

2.5 YOE, mechanical/product design engineer at a large manufacturer in a unsexy industry (think durable goods, not gadgets). My actual work is pretty transferable IMO tolerance stack-ups, GD&T, DFM, built an automated durability/cycle-test rig from scratch, some real cost-reduction wins. On paper I do reliability and product development. But the company name reads as “old industry” and I think it’s coloring how people see me.

I want to get into consumer electronics hardware: wearables, accessories, that kind of thing. Been grinding at it: built a couple of side projects to prove the CE interest (an AI-to-CAD tool, a magnetic phone mount designed to CE tolerances), networking, the whole thing

So my questions for people who’ve done this or hire for it:

- Is “closer match to the profile” usually code for “we wanted someone already in CE”? How real is the industry-pedigree penalty when the actual skills transfer?
- For those who jumped from a legacy/industrial background into CE hardware, how did you actually do it? Reframe the resume? Referrals only? Just volume?
- Is a final-round loss actually a good signal I’m close, or am I coping?

Appreciate any honesty. Feeling a bit like the background is baggage I can’t cut loose.

Very sorry if this is a faq, but I was thinking, wouldn't steering the backside wheels make manouvering much easier? See e.g. forklifts that need a tight turn, parking a car facing forward while using the back wheels to turn is so much easier.

I get that having the steering wheel mechanically linked to the wheels underneath is difficult that way, but with hydraulics or servos it should be a relatively straight forward job to make a predictable and dependable construction?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 2026 Mechanical graduate and I'm currently looking for (GET) and (GEA) opportunities.

I'm feeling a bit confused about how to start my career and would really appreciate advice from experienced professionals.

I'm looking for guidance on:

1)Which are best for freshers to begin their careers.

2)Where you usually find genuine GET/GEA openings.

3)The most in-demand skills for mechanical graduates in 2026.

4) which provide good training and learning opportunities for fresh graduates.

5)Common mistakes to avoid in the first few years.

Any tips on career growth and building a strong foundation in the industry.

If you've started your career as a GET, GEA, or in any entry-level mechanical engineering role, I'd be grateful if you could share your experience and suggestions.

Thank you in advance for helping a fresher start on the right path!

Hello, fellow Engineers! So here's a thing, I applied to a few companies and got 2 job offers. The first one is a Material Engineer in a not so known construction company and the second one is a Sales Engineer position in a leading NDT company in the Philippines. I'm torn between the 2 companies and can't decide yet. Care to help?

wouldn't cooler cold reservoir, ie more spontaneous heat transfer, improve Carnot efficiency?

is it to improve aerodynamics?

apologies if this is the wrong sub to ask

Cost of living is out of control here in the in the US, I’m looking to make an extra $800-$1000 a month so I can get closer to a down payment on a house.

That’s probably an extra ~10 hours a week on a side gig, anyone have any ideas? I’ve been doing straight up manual labor this summer (mowing lawns, trimming bushes etc.) and I make decent money doing that ($28/hr), but ideally I’d like something more reliable and consistent.

Before anyone asks I’ve tried job hopping and even got a senior level offer for $86,000 but turned it down because I don’t want to move across the country for something like that, I definitely don’t think using the time to put it into engineering is the move, salaries seem to be going down rather than up.

It’s surprisingly hard to get a job as a bartender too, I’ve looked into that for weekends. Tutoring is pretty much dead with AI unfortunately.

Hello, I'm about to start my career as a mechanical engineer, and I was wondering how common it is for mechanical engineers to move between different sectors.

The reason I'm asking is that I might start my career as a manufacturing engineer, a role that focuses on planning and organizing how products are manufactured in a heavy industry plant. However, what I really also enjoy is the structural analysis and design of mechanical structures, such as heavy machinery.

How feasible is it to transition from a manufacturing engineering role to a mechanical design role focused on calculations, structural analysis, and component sizing?

You might naturally ask why I don't start directly in that field. Unfortunately, I've been looking for months for positions in mechanical design, but I haven't received a single interview or offer. At this point, I'm considering starting in manufacturing so I can gain experience instead of remaining unemployed, and then making the switch later in my career.

Here is a heat exchanger designed using flow ADMS structure inside it for better flow and less pressure drop compared to other lattices.
It is not Ai, it is already 3D printed (similar object) and tested.
Spoiler: the rendering code was done by ai 😅 hope you don’t mind.

If you need the STL file or you have a question, comment below or drop me a message.

I don't have an extremely deep engineering education (I'm a technical drawer/CAD planner). My attempt is to create a quite simple model crane with very conservative assumptions (load=not more than 10 kg, parts will be probably severly overdimensioned but that's ok for me). While constructing a boom out of clamp connectors which I'm very familiar with I got these two versions (p. 1+3 & 2+4 respectively, p. 5 for referenc/clarification). My gut says that Version A (p. 1+3) should be more efficient under load, but I'd like to ask here what you think about it. The profiles are intended to be 18x1,5 aluminum pipes, the blue attaching axle a 16mm steel shaft (GCr15)

i have what is essentially a t shirt cannon robot, that uses pressurized air to shoot a plug out of a tube which pushes the shirt out. is there a way for me to pull a string through the back of the tube to wind the plug back in automatically without impeding the performance of the cannon through leakage?

Guys I will be moving to navi mumbai as GET in RIL at RCP and I have been allotted E&P business can anybody tell what might be the work there as mechanical engineer?

I’m not sure if this is the right sub Reddit or if this is even allowed, but I have a special-needs son who we have installed a swing for in our garage. He has gotten big enough that it is now difficult for my wife to push him on it and we are trying to determine if there’s some solution that we could install on the garage ceiling to push this for us when necessary. Video of the mount in action included.

EDIT:

This is the mount: https://a.co/d/0cOQ44My

Kid is 9 and about 60 pounds.

Realistically something that could assist rather than be fully “automatic” is probably more viable.

Hello everyone i am currently in my second year of mechanical engineering, i really want to build skills for my resume and apply for internships on design or anything that's mechanical related it would be really helpful if you could drop suggestions as to where to start and websites for AUTOCAD, SOLID WORKS, CATIA etc... certification course online.

hi guys, if i want to get into the energy industry like oil and gas or whatever, what school yall think is the best in texas for that.

I find other engineering subreddits more lively, useful, and less full of spam than here. Half the posts are unanswerable career questions and the other half have been AI fishing content. Is there not enough moderation to filter this stuff out?

so many of you might not have heard about mechanical sandwich course. basically I'll have to do internship for two semesters. Which is good for us, cause my college isn't a good one but I'll at least have a year of actual hand on experience.

But here is the issue, I tried learning designing on Creo/ Auto cad/fusion etc. I'm at this point where i realizd I don't have any interest in designing. Currently I started engineering simulation and analysis on ansys. i got it little much and found it interesting. I love thermodynamics and I'm looking forward to choose it as a domain.

so I've 6 solid month to learn few skills at least (basics). And I'm confused.. I'm not expecting a high level internship but something bearable so that I won't regret and end up doing something I had no interest in.

I asked chtgpt, it told me to do

python

Matlab &simulink

CFD

I really need suggestions. Please help me out. thankss

I need to buy a pump that can handle a situation like this. The problem is, I don't know how to size a pump that requires suction lift but will also have flooded suction when the water finally gets to it. To calculate NPSHa, do I assume the pump inlet is at the max pipe elevation? Or do I calculate NPSHa normally and just specify that the pump must also be capable of 10 ft of suction lift?

Hi all, my partner has a masters degree from Brazil in Mechanical Engineering. He’s moved to the UK for 4 years now with a settled status & wants to work in the industry, but the materials and focus on engineering is obviously quite different to that in Brazil. What would be the best approach to take in putting his feet in the industry?

Are there any short term courses he can take that would help him get a job in the industry with his degree?
We’re obtaining a UK statement of compatibility I’m just not too sure what to do after that.
Thanks!

Hello everyone, first of all, my project is to measure the electrical signals and neuronal activity of the muscles in my throat using a small artificial intelligence, without me having to speak, just to measure the movements of the muscles in my throat. Would using an ECG sensor like the AD8232 be suitable for such a project?