GRADUATE MECHANICAL ENGINEERS:

Some graduate mechanical engineers struggle to find direction because the roles they read about simply don’t excite them.

They hear about:

Client-side engineering
Consulting and design
Project engineering
Planning and scheduling
Contract administration
Management pathways

But none of it feels quite right.

That may be because you are a highly practical, technically focused engineer.

You may enjoy being around machinery, tradespeople and maintenance crews.

You want to understand how equipment is assembled, why it failed and how it can be repaired.

You would probably enjoy:

Watching bearings being installed into housings

Inspecting a gearbox or motor

Investigating equipment breakdowns

Learning how pumps, conveyors and production machinery operate

Following tradespeople during maintenance activities

Observing shutdown, repair and installation work

Solving detailed mechanical problems

You may even want to pick up the tools and help.

In Australia, however, engineers and tradespeople have different responsibilities.

Your role will usually be to observe, inspect, coordinate, troubleshoot and learn not perform trade work.

There is nothing wrong with you if you don’t enjoy project planning, scheduling or management.

Not every engineer wants to become a manager.

Some engineers are happiest remaining close to the machinery and becoming highly capable technical specialists.

They learn by seeing, touching, observing and doing not simply by reading manuals or sitting in meetings.

If this sounds like you, consider roles such as:

Graduate Maintenance Engineer

Mechanical Service Engineer
Field Service Engineer
Reliability Engineer
Plant Engineer
Workshop Engineer
Mechanical Supervisor
Shutdown Engineer
Technical Support Engineer
OEM Service Engineer

Your ideal career may not begin behind a desk preparing schedules.

It may begin beside a fitter, electrician or maintenance crew, watching a machine being pulled apart and asking:

What failed, why did it fail, and how do we stop it from happening again?

Recognise how you learn.

Recognise what kind of work gives you energy.

And if you are a practical mechanical engineer who loves detailed technical work:

Look to where the trades are.

Mark Healy
THE GRADUATE COACH™
If you need HELP hit the LINK below and book in for a FREE discovery call.
https://lnkd.in/gxYvfdWh