Getting even a cheap 3D printer (or access to one) has already been
mentioned. I'd add CAD/3D modelling -- Fusion 360 is probably the best
"freemium" example on the market, and being experienced with an AutoDesk
ecosystem never hurt any engineer, in my experience, even if other
$$$$$$ packages dominate in some industries. "Learn to CAD" probably
ranks up there with "learn to code" -- you don't have to *master* it,
but being familiar with what it can (and, even more importantly,
*can't*) do will probably be vital if you do anything with real
hardware. And a 3D printer is the easy on-ramp to learning how the
process of going from model to real-world object works, and where the
pitfalls are. Plus, being able to prototype in cheap plastic before
moving to expensive metal is very handy.
Some electronics design might not be a bad idea. The Forrest Mims
books are a great starting place there. With Radio Shack gone, finding
local sources to browse for resistors, 555 timers, op-amps, etc is
harder, but between EBay and Amazon, small breadboards and parts kits
aren't hard to come across. Ditto for microcontrollers like the
Arduino. Any shool labs, or local maker-spaces, might also be good
places to scrounge bits. Again, at this point, it's not about
*mastering* the subject, as getting some basic competency -- the number
of "ivory tower" engineers I've run into who didn't know which end of a
soldering iron was hot... Your eventual career might never involve
touching a soldering iron, but being able to communicate intelligently
with your team's resident solder-monkey can never hurt. Especially if
you're in a college team or small startup where you have to build your
own test rigs, to name one example. Lots of good circuit-simulation
software exists, but nothing beats having bodged together a real-world
prototype.
If you find you're more interested in coding, FreeCAD and KiCAD are
fully open-source (and free) counterparts to tools like Fusion 360 and
Eagle (which has been integrated into F360, now). They're not nearly as
polished as the big-name tools, but with the source code completely
exposed, you're free to dig into *how* these complex packages work, and
even contribute improvements and bugfixes.
These all interlock to a degree -- I'm officially a software
engineer, but over the years I've found myself (being a
robotics/mechatronics/automation engineer) spending at least half my
time doing spots of electrical, pneumatic, or mechanical design, or
debugging hardware that "looked good on paper" and needed a solid dose
of hard reality. You'll doubtless find one of these branches that you
prefer and excel at, but having enough basic know-how to get by in the
others in a pinch will stand you in good stead.
In the same vein, relating to Henry and Erik's machine-shop
recommendation below: 3D CAD/CAM and CNC machines are a great
combination, but if you get the opportunity to learn on a basic
hand-operated mill and/or lathe, *take it*. Even if you never *need*
that skill again, having a "feel" for how the cutting tools interact
with the metal will help you bridge the "the map is not the territory"
gap between the model and the real-world item.
Communication skills have already been mentioned -- being able to
explain things clearly to an expert in a different field, or a job-shop
machinist, or some pointy-haired boss, will be important at almost any
point in your career arc. Also, communication with *youself* -- I
learned the hard way to heavily comment my code, and take *lots* of
notes when I try-failed my way to a solution to a thorny problem.
Leaving a trail of breadcrumbs isn't just being kind to others, it's a
sanity-saving mercy to your future self.
Listening. My grandfather (who was an engineer who did lots of
civilian-to-war-back-to-civilian production line conversions bracketing
WWII) died when I was a toddler, but my mother told me a lot of stories
about him. And the one that has given me the most benefit over the
years was that he respected and paid attention to the "hands-on" people
working and maintaining the machinery he was responsible for
(re)designing. You'll probably end up periodically interacting with
people who have a fraction of your education or intelligence, but still
know something you don't, and need to.
I may take some heat for this last one, but: Old MythBusters
episodes. Yeah, it was entertainment, but the underlying method of
diving into a problem with no clue how to address it, and then working
your way out of it, has real value. Plus it's hard to find such an
intersection of diverse skillsets in such a compact, digestible
package. I picked up several small tricks from the show that I've used
professionally over the years.
On 3/17/2021 9:23 AM, Nelson Erik - 2 (Redacted sender erik.l.nelson for
DMARC) wrote:
Behalf Of Henry Spencer Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 12:28 AM
If you're lucky enough that your school still offers shop courses, takeOther possibilities for getting access to machine tools:
a Machine Shop course or three if you can. This is something that's hard
--Find a local machine shop, hang out there, maybe get a job/volunteer
sweeping floors. Performance car/engine rebuilder types usually have a
machine shop
--Some maker's groups have machine shops