aerospace engineering - Department of Aerospace and Mechanical ...

Responses to the question “What have you learned on the job that should
have been included in your formal education?”
Survey
Responses
Year
2001 * Fundamental business education, project planning/management.
* More focus on communication skills: technical reports/presentations.
* More experience with how graduate school works, allowing for better preparation to go to graduate
school.
* More training in ethics/environment issues. More lab and computer experience.
* Brng fits; tolerances; new technology.
* Understand the life cycle for engineering projects. Please note that the life cycle mainly falls under
systems engineering so taking electives under the industrial engineering program would have
helped.
* Automotive engineering.
* The technical skills, not appropriate for undergraduate education, best taught at community college,
tech schools, or on the job.
* Design, more practical computer skills.
* Again dealing with budgets and business considerations are the weakest area of my education.
* As a mechanical engineer, geometric dimensioning and to lerancing would have been useful.
* Not so much “team” work but doing your job and needing to communicate with many others to get
a final product.
* Optics.
* Add linar algebra, numerical methods for math. In control systems, cover algorithan design, control
system calibrations. More exposure to modern engineering tools. Class on IC engines.
* Economics & real applications like piping & ductwork to allow us to interface better with skilled
laborers.
* Importance of understanding personality types and maximizing a teams productivity by taking
advantage of each persons strengths.
* Organizations Structure
* GD + T.
* Teach solid modeling tools and more modern analysis tooks ie, PRO/E, Solid Works, Math Cad,
Matlab and Ansis
* 1. Use of more software that is used in the field. Examples are Pro-Engineering, SAS, Minitab
Visio, Auto Cad, etc. Had good college experience with Office (Exel, Word, Power Point) but these
others I use much more often!
2. More group stuff. Since working as an engineer, most everything I have done has been in concert
with othere engineers work. I do have work that “is mine” but seldom do I have projects that don’t
requrie fitting into someone else’s design.
3. Add finance/business management course work. I have leaned quickly that cost varies most designs
where I work.
* More hands on with industry tools, ie Pro-E vs. AutoCAD. More multi-person projects without
being able to choose teams.
* Nothing is ever as cut and dry in work experience as it is in textbook examples. More often than not
there is no right answer.
* How to deal with people more efficiently. (communications skills).
* Working with Mechanical drawings/Pro-E and geometric diminsioning and tolerances.
* Hands on experience with specific pieces of equipment like pumps, boilers, chillers, turbo jet
engines.
* More application start to finish of a project (conception to built product) learning.
* Included the following in mandatory coursework: Design of experiements, galvanic corrosion.
* Statistics, CAD design basics - screws, belts, etc.
* Project planning skills. Cost modeling. Decision making.
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Aerospace Engineering Attachments - Page 87