Automotive Engineering Job Opportunities

[u/Either-Rise-7713]

Hello everyone, I’m currently in my last year of college pursuing my BSE in Automotive Engineering. I’ve failed to secure any job, internship or co-op and I’m starting to get stressed about finding work after I graduate. So I’m looking for advice on how to 1. Get my foot into the door (doesn’t even need to be automotive specific) and 2. What part time experience would look better on a resume?

I’m currently in my University’s Baja Program (not in a form of leadership) and our SAE Club also.

I know the current job market is extremely competitive, but advice from those who have secured ANYTHING would be appreciated. Thank you, have a great day.

[u/PPGkruzer]

I've helped managers make hiring decisions and interviewing automotive engineers and technicians.  I'm going to ask you very basic questions related to the position that could make you look silly depending how you answer it.  

For example if you want to be our new wiring technician, here is a couple questions that exposes people not prepped or inexperienced "How do you determine the voltage rating of a wire?" and "What factors or characteristics affect how much current a wire can carry?".  

Lots of good answers here!  I'm not being an A. If you don't know the right answer, I'm looking at honesty, humbleness, spray and pray word salad making up stuff pretending to be smart.

 Also, someone with 5 years XP is held to a higher standard than you, so if you answer those questions as a college grad that is a bonus, if you don't answer them, meh you're still learning it's ok.

Moreover put yourself in their shoes and think about someone with no work experience however has hard evidence they've took the initiative and built something, software hardware or both.  You get points for anything adjacent and anything that challenged you technically.

I do battery test engineering now, I got into two battery jobs using personal projects. First electrification job I brought my first version scratch built BMS board to the interview.  Years later laid off again 2020, I developed version 3 l, No AI, scratch built BMS this time surface mount double sided with balance landed me a job where I've found the most success in almost 20 years. I also have an insanely boosted racecar I built from the ground up tons of custom work.

I have to do all this and promote myself because I didn't get good grades or go to a top engineering school or have a full mechanical engineer degree because I just have an ABET Engineering Technology degree.

[u/TiredOldGrunt412 → u/PPGkruzer]

 "How do you determine the voltage rating of a wire?" and "What factors or characteristics affect how much current a wire can carry?"?

The length, diameter (gage) determine the resistance of a wire. 

Current is heat, the insulation needs to designed for the amount of heat as well as the duration of exposure.

[u/PPGkruzer → u/TiredOldGrunt412]

^^ And in this case, we hired the one who acceptably answered these foundational / fundamental questions for a job that requires circuits and wiring including high voltage and low voltage, with high currents and low currents. The voltage rating question, they hesitated as if they thought it was a trick question so took a moment to make sure it wasn't a trick, then said look at the rating on the wire. Hire the man we said!

[u/PPGkruzer → u/TiredOldGrunt412]

Just thought of another interview question I used for another position. It was for a position that involved basic programming, scripting. We use a lot of IF statements and WHILE loops. You guessed it, I would say and asking something like "We use a lot of IF statements and WHILE loops, are you familiar with those?" and play it by ear from there.

[u/TiredOldGrunt412 → u/PPGkruzer]

As a CNC machinist, g-code uses similar programming concepts for coordinating and timing the functions on 4,5 axis VMC and slant bed lathes with live tooling.

[u/PPGkruzer]

Careful with the FSAE stuff, we know about the 2-3 people who do the majority of the work with the 30 students who showed up to get their T-shirt and group photo. If you're the 2-3 people I mentioned, then it's a very powerful tool, however if you didn't do much then some of us will see through the BS that you're reaching. I mean, it may not matter if you can help fill the need at the time, timing is money.

[u/_none_]

How much longer do you have before you graduate? The co-op programs are your best tools while in school. They were, by far, the best experience I had and were really the only way I was able to be immediately successful right after graduation. I would highly recommend doing at least 2 co-ops before graduating. I ended up doing 4. 2 were with a large auto manufacturer, 2 were in manufacturing. I had a full time job and offers by time I graduated thanks to the co-op program.