By Wm. Nathan Sneller, P.E

While economist and politicians may debate the cause for our economic crisis, many industries have lost their ability to finance day-to-day operations, and many consumers to finance major expenses. The lack of buying has hurt the manufacturing industry and many engineers who design and manufacture products that are no longer being sold. One industry that has been especially hard hit is the auto industry.

Many engineers have resigned themselves to the idea that the big three car makers will emerge from this credit crisis very different companies than they were just a few years ago. The companies will most likely be smaller and leaner, developing fewer products and needing fewer engineers. 

Engineers entering the workforce or those early in their careers may be hard pressed to find or keep employment at the car companies and their suppliers. Many experienced engineers are filling the jobs that were previously viewed as entry-level and the job market in the Midwest is drastically different than it was just ten years ago. But for early career engineers who are willing to put extra effort into finding and keeping jobs, career opportunities still abound.

Engineers in any industry, especially the automotive industry, may want to choose their focus carefully. Bartek Majewski graduated from Michigan State University in 2003 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked his entire career in the automotive industry, starting as a test engineer with Continental Automotive Systems. Majewski noticed his company was reducing manufacturing volumes and scheduling less development projects, but placing more emphasis on new technologies.  He now works as a Test and Development Engineer at the same company, but he focuses on braking systems relating to hybrid technology, a high priority project given the current economy and environmental push. Majewski protects his job by making himself more valuable to Continental, focusing on their future products, and by taking some of the less desirable assignments. He spends four months a year; 350 miles north of Detroit in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at Continental’s winter proving grounds where the average snow fall is 136 inches.

While some engineers choose a strategy of offering more to their current employers, other engineers use a strategy of finding a company that offers more to them. After being a co-op for five years at an automotive company, and working at the same company right after college, Matt Beaton “Wanted a change of pace, a new set of goals and opportunities.”  Beaton took a look at the industry as a whole. He was concerned about the “domino effect” if any of the car companies were to fail, and felt the need to diversify to become a stronger engineer. Two years after graduating, he left the auto industry to work for Landscape Forms in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His new job let him focus on “The product's design and quality first, then timing” something he didn’t feel he could do in the automotive industry. Beaton’s new employer designs and manufactures outdoor furniture and fixtures for universities, shopping malls, bus stations, parks and hospitals. While changing jobs added two hours to Beaton’s daily commute he feels it was “For the better.  The new job really lets me explore and challenges me in ways that my previous job did not.”

For engineers wishing to stay with their company, but finding the conditions unrewarding regardless of their efforts, Mark Herrema’s experience may provide guidance. Herrema has a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Michigan and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He spent nine years in the automotive industry, surviving layoffs and a bankruptcy before leaving for Flow-Rite, a small niche company that makes battery watering systems. Herrema managed to hang on to his job in the auto industry by working to become an expert in his field of grinding. To boost his value to the company and his credentials in his field he joined a professional society and presented a technical paper. Herrema also became certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt. “Differentiation and networking was the key to maintaining a job”, says Herrema. He recommends those still in vulnerable industries find a niche within the company and become an indispensable expert in their specialty. After surviving layoffs Herrema said the work load became much greater as the company tried to reduce labor cost and maintain the number of projects. Eventually high stress levels became problematic at all levels of the business, and Herrema decided to look for another job. Having built a strong network and reputation, he knew of an open position where he had an excellent reference; he had a job offer the next day. His new job is almost completely unrelated to his past experience, but he said he feels more secure in his new position due to the specialization of his company’s products and the diversity of their client base.
  
For those trying to keep their jobs, having a differentiator such as a license or certification can be a major advantage. Managers are more likely to keep those employees who have credentials that they can use to justify why one employee is more valuable than another. A professional engineering license is a strong indicator of an engineer’s seriousness and commitment to their profession, allowing an engineer to float more freely through different engineering roles. Certifications are usually much more specialized and are offered by professional societies or by private corporations. ASME offers many certifications in fields such as Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing. Most software companies offer certifications in their products, and equipment manufacturers in the use of their equipment.  Those seeking certifications to help keep a job should focus on those credentials related to the most important aspects of their business. Those looking to leave a company or find a new job after a layoff should focus on the areas of personal interest or specialties that will be valuable to a new employer.

Supply, demand and constantly changing market conditions cause ebb and flow in the need for engineers in any given field. When asked about industries where mechanical engineers will flourish, nearly every engineer surveyed for this article expressed an interest in medical or biomedical engineering, but many other fields are in need of mechanical engineers as well. The administration of Barack Obama has promised large scale infrastructure spending to help stimulate the economy. Although mechanical engineers may not find much work on highway construction projects, public transportation, renewable energy and the upgrading of power grids may provide an enjoyable career for well positioned mechanical engineers. Engineers may also find jobs in more traditional mechanical engineering roles such as HVAC, conventional power generation, and pressure vessel design and operation.

Inevitably some engineers will leave the profession, some will leave their realm of comfort within the profession and still others will carry on in their current roles. All mechanical engineers, however, have the luxury off falling back on a very diverse knowledge base and rich history of innovation. Those who remember the core skills they have learned of problem solving, physics and professionalism will be fair well in whichever industry they find. Those who remember they have an obligation to improve themselves, their profession and their employers will fair best. These may be a hard times for our profession, but in the words of Bartek Majewski, “There will always be a need for Mechanical Engineers as long as there are moving parts in the world that help people in some shape or form.”

Wm. Nathan Sneller, P.E is the President and Principal Engineer of Posthaste Design & Development in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  His company specializes in providing contract engineering services including design and analysis to manufacturers within the automotive, mass transportation, furniture, and consumer products industries.  Nathan earned his Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and teaches a P.E. review course for Mechanical Engineers.