the ONE skill that changed my life as a mechanical engineer

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As an old machinist working with young engineers here’s some advice. Get a physical copy of the McMaster and MSC catalogue and look thru them in your spare time to familiarize yourself with the available hardware. Off the shelf is always cheaper. Learn how to design and spec sheet metal parts. They are super cheap and fast from places like send cut sent. Stop over tolerancing parts. +/- 0.005" is a hell of a lot faster and easier to hit than .0005". Stop making sharp or tight interior corners on parts. Especially if the part is deep. A 24mm deep pocket with a 1mm corner radius is gonna cost you a lot of time and money. Finally, be nice to the machinist. We can really jam you up if you’re not nice and piss us off.

25 year ME here. Creativity, Communication, and Design for Manufacturing are hugely important. I 100% agree that these are the skills that will make you stand out and have the most fun. This is when people who are actually interested in engineering start to stand out from those that got the degree because it was on a list of good careers. It definitely takes time to build these skills so don't expect them to appear overnight. Just soak up as much info as you can about every process you come in contact with. Be humble and learn from everyone you interact with. Other engineers, vendors, and especially assembly techs and machinists. For the first 5-10 years you can do good work but I feel like your biggest goal should be to gather tools and understanding.

I 100% back this. While I was in school I made friends with a machinist who was getting his degree. I ended up getting into the machine shop allot with him and learned a ton about how things are made. It helped to be able to design parts that could be easily made. I recommend taking some machining classes while getting you're ME, it will help sooooo much.

“Never value your work above your life” Subbed

So a lot of companies like to talk up how much they value creativity, but day to day it's all about consistent execution, communication, and evolution. Also, the best source of creativity is everyone else. I.e. once you've identified a problem go look for how everyone else is solving similar problems and borrow the best combination of ideas. I'm glad you mentioned 3D printing. I've found it to be super valuable as a communication tool. I.e. it's FAR easier to explain technical details to co-workers if they have a physical object to examine and play with. TLDR, get a good consumer grade 3D printer for the office.

Regarding designing for mfg/assy, having skills in the repair world has been a game changer. When I was 19, I started a powersport business, grew it for seven years, then cashed out, bought house, truck, then went to college for ME. The skills I gained throughout that timeframe was invaluable. Taking those skills into the design world of "how do I build this realistically", has been unmatched by my peers. The mindset I have walking into projects is entirely different, and it shows. The moral here is work on/build/repair/retrofit/etc and you're ability to turn ideas into real designs will payout. It drastically helps with this idea of "design for mfg".

I wasn’t sure what to expect from hearing the intro. You did a very good job at explaining this.

i gained a lot of insight from this video, thank you!

Thanks for sharing these invaluable insights! Keep on making helpful and fruitful content! You're the role model I look up to!

Excellent advice! This biggest oversight of engineering curriculums is practical application.

These are great tips! You’ve definitely inspired me to learn some more manufacturing skills!

só mandou pedrada! excelente vídeo.

Wow 10/10 here. There is a lot of wisdom is this video. Thank you!

20 year ME here, great video, well said! Especially what you said at the end. Truth.

Damn!! This channel is great

He gives the best advice at the end.

When in doubt, go out to the shop and ask the machinist how he wants to do it. He will be floored that someone from the office took an interest in his lot in life. He will give you perfect advice and will always treat your projects with extra care. I used to do this and know what I am talking about.

I just finished my first-ever mechanical engineering internship. Tbh, I was miserable. My mental health dwindled like never before. I was tasked with things like laser cutting, cad designing and document management but the problem was my boss. He was strict and brutal. I would burst into tears as soon as I clocked off and left the office, hellhole. I don't know if this particular job was bad or if engineering in general is bad. I have no healthy expectations from my next job either.

Thank you; good man!