When choosing a career in the mechanical field, mechanical engineers need to understand a few important factors. For the automotive industry in particular, mechanics are not simply simple knowledge in the industry. Automotive mechanics is a collection of individual mechanical engineering systems related to the automotive industry. So how does a mechanical engineer find a suitable position in the automotive industry? Do those things stop at what we know such as car engines, grease, etc.

What is the relationship between Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Engineering

First, it must be made clear that: Mechanical engineers recruited in the automotive field are not the same as automotive mechanical engineers. The Automotive Mechanical industry is not only mechanical engineers specializing in automobiles but also a mechanical profession in general. Automotive mechanical engineers typically work for manufacturers at various points along the production line, designing and testing components and systems. In contrast, auto mechanics are employed in garages and dealerships, performing repairs and maintenance on individual vehicles. Professional mechanical engineers rarely confuse the two.

In short, automotive engineering is a subset of mechanical engineering. Despite the revolutionary advances in automotive technology over the past decade or so, cars and other vehicles are still primarily mechanical. While fuel sources may be shifting from fossil fuels to electricity, solar power, or hydrogen, vehicles still convert this energy into torque to drive the vehicle.

Of course, the car engine is not the only mechanical part. Vehicles are complex and consist of thousands of individual parts, many of which are mechanical. Think of all the mechanical components that are visible in a car’s cabin: latches, seat belt systems, seat adjustment hardware, trunk release levers, hoods or gas caps, and more. All of these components require design and testing, which is done for major manufacturers by mechanical engineers.

Automotive engineering is often offered as a minor or specialization within a mechanical engineering degree. On the training side, these programs add specialized courses in powertrain design, body and chassis systems, and crash testing to existing mechanical engineering curricula. Many systems are also moving toward offering master’s degrees that are heavily oriented toward automotive engineering. Students in these programs study more advanced topics such as fuel cell design, emissions and vibration monitoring, and automotive bioengineering.

The Day-to-Day Job of an Automotive Mechanical Engineer

Like many other fields, engineers entering the automotive industry often have no idea how the industry works. Training regimens tend to be heavy on mathematics, thermodynamics, and mechanics, with little practical application.

Many working engineers say that their education taught them how to reason, think, and solve complex problems. Even if they never applied 90% of the book learning they did in school, it laid the foundation for effective and creative problem solving. Automotive engineering is no different.

Engineers new to the industry may be drawn to the automotive technology we see in movies at racetracks. But the reality is that there is a limit to the career paths in the automotive industry, and many roles simply focus on designing, maintaining and testing safe, acceptable components. A mechanical engineer could be the person who is designing a supercar that will be displayed at prestigious exhibitions, or he could be the engineer designing the front seats of a not-so-pretty domestic sedan. Yet these jobs are vital to delivering a safe and comfortable car.

Major car manufacturers are responsible for producing millions of vehicles that meet extensive safety and emissions standards, so the status quo is often improving. That said, it takes a large number of dedicated engineers to integrate multiple mechanical systems into a quality car, which is an exciting prospect.

Skills to Choose in Automotive Engineering

As mentioned earlier, a mechanical engineer who wants to work in the automotive industry may have the opportunity to specialize in race cars or simply in a career related to cars. Choosing the skills relevant to the industry will determine their position in the industry. Today, mechanical engineers are in demand in a wide range of industries, including automation and control, robotics, optics, alternative energy, manufacturing, materials, and more. Many of these – especially automation and alternative energy – are growing rapidly and show little sign of slowing down.

The automotive industry has undergone major changes over the past decade, but mechanical engineers are still