How to become a design engineer

One of the top paying graduate jobs for 2019, design engineering is a long-standing profession, deep-rooted in many contemporary working disciplines.

Design engineers are flying high in the Glassdoor 2019 rankings! Source: Giphy

Developing, studying and researching new innovations for products and systems, design engineers are driven by proactive solutions.

An asset to large manufacturing companies, biomedical companies, design consultancy firms, digital agencies and more, it’s a fast-paced role to apply for and one that requires you to think beyond expectations.

 

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Some cool photos of engineering before CAD. To think that the likes of the Saturn V, Boeing 747 and so many incredible cars were designed and engineered like this is incredible. Although it seems very old fashioned, if you are a design engineer you should be able to read and create drawings like this. Thoughts? ✈️🔨🔬🔧 #autocad #cad #computeraideddesign #design #designengineer #designengineering #automotive #automotiveengineering #aerospace #structuralengineering #civilengineering #mechanicalengineering #aerospaceengineering #engineer #engineering #engineeringmemes #engineeringlife #instadaily #dailyposts #dailyengineering #engineeringdaily #engineeringstudents #physics #mathematics #innovation #technology #manufacturing #catia #solidworks

A post shared by Engineering First Principles (@engineering_first_principles) on Jun 26, 2019 at 11:26am PDT

With insightful industry experience and a logical mind, you’ll soon have the expertise to transform your ideas into real products.

Infusing their imagination with engineering skills, the design engineer is known to be cost-effective and efficient when it comes to constructing ideas for their company.

Key attributes of a career-ready design engineer would be confident IT and mathematics skills, a creative flair and a passion for project work, valuable visual and spatial awareness and flexibility for work.

For instance, you may suddenly be given a large-scale production project to work on rather than a smaller initiative, this is where your adaptability and flexible skillset comes into play.

 

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The finished product: HelixLamp. Made of high-grade aluminium and translucent acrylic, the inner LED light strip reflects off the central lacquered tube, creating an illumination effect and ambient glow to provide light💡

A post shared by Khalil R. Ismail (@khx.dsign) on Jul 9, 2019 at 5:18am PDT

How to become a design engineer

There are different routes at university that will lead you to a durable design engineering career.

For undergraduates, the obvious path to take is a Bachelor’s degree in design engineering technology.

Laying the foundations for your Master’s degree or awaited work experience, this degree aims to provide you with hands-on use of leading technology.

A contemporary course usually incorporates industry-leading design software packages including NX, FeatureCam, AutoCAD and SolidWorks into the applied engineering coursework, such as the Bachelor of Science in Design Engineering Technology programme at Trine University.

When choosing your university, also consider the range of facilities on offer. From state-of-the-art computer labs to plastics engineering and processing centres, you’ll need to fit these resources around your degree.

For Master’s students, those that have already attained a Bachelor’s in design engineering, or perhaps broad engineering fields, also have the chance to chase their career further down the line.

At Harvard University, the Master’s in Design Engineering (MDE) encompasses multi-layered, analytical approaches, networked objects and environments, soft and hard infrastructures, and strategic plans.

Preparing you for the world’s toughest challenges, a postgraduate degree enables you to become a data-driven and aware design engineer.

However, work experience is also a valuable asset in the professional venture of a design engineer.

As long as you’re focused on following the blueprint of your future, you’re bound to succeed.

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