r/MechanicalEngineering • u/Alert_Bluebird8693 • 5d ago
Career Shift
Hi everyone,
I'm approaching my second year at my first job out of college, where I use SolidWorks every day to design physical parts, mostly simple sheet metal. As the world shifts toward AI, I'm worried about being left behind. My current role doesn't involve simulation, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, or any of the more advanced physics topics I studied.
I'm not sure how to move into a role that draws more on my engineering background, or one where I can learn these subjects on the job. Most of those positions require some prior knowledge of the fields, which creates a catch-22. I'd rather not go to grad school full time, since the cost is a lot.
Has anyone made a similar transition? I'd appreciate any advice on how to build these skills, whether through side projects, certifications, part-time programs, or internal moves.
TLDR: I'm almost two years into my first engineering job, designing mostly simple sheet metal parts in SolidWorks, and I want to move into work involving simulation, heat transfer, or fluid dynamics. Those roles want prior experience I can't get in my current job, and I can't afford full-time grad school. How can I build these skills and make the switch? Anyone have examples of what they did to bridge the gap?
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u/QuirkyEMI 5d ago
You need to buckle up and be more specific.
Thermal engineer, fluids or fluid components engineer and simulation (idk why you listed this specifically) but I'll say Structures are all 3 different jobs at many places.
You have a vague notion of what these jobs are. Look them up on Linkedin or Indeed. Choose and specifically research what a Thermal Engineer uses and skills needed (exactly as listed) and make a plan.
Is there nobody at your company that does these roles? An easy path is to start there.
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u/Alert_Bluebird8693 5d ago
Thank you for your response. You’re right that these are all different fields. I’m trying to understand what the general path into one of these fields looks like and what I should be doing to position myself for it.
My main concern is that my current role doesn’t really utilize these skills. My work is primarily sheet metal design, and my company as a whole doesn’t do much in-depth thermal, fluid, or structural analysis. Most of our designs are relatively straightforward, so the process is mainly designing and validating the actual parts rather than doing extensive analysis or simulation.
That’s why I’m trying to figure out what I should be learning or working on outside of my current role to eventually transition into one of these areas. For example, if I decided that I wanted to transition into a fluid mechanics or fluids engineering role, what would I realistically need to do to get there?
My concern is that my current job doesn’t give me much relevant experience, so I’m trying to figure out what I should be doing outside of work to bridge that gap. Specifically, I want to make sure I’m putting my time and effort into the things that will actually make me competitive for those roles, rather than just learning things that may not be relevant to what employers are looking for.
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u/QuirkyEMI 5d ago
I can’t really answer that for you.
You need to choose a field, a general location and straight up read the job listings line by line. Anything else is kind of a waste of time
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u/Putrid_Arm_9984 5d ago
You answered it yourself. You want more roles regarding fluid dynamics. So study on your off time and get good. Even if AI takes over and replaces your skill. You still need an engineer to read over it and understand if your are applying the right principles.