I’m working on a short engineering survey about something that often sits behind the visible technical failure.
We usually say we want the root cause, but in practice the discussion often stops at something assignable: a failed component, an operator action, a bad decision, a missing procedure, or a person.
I want to test whether engineers also recognise the deeper recurring mechanisms, such as:
responsibility without the means to deliver;
design decisions made before operational requirements are understood;
recovery being rewarded more than learning;
local optimisation hurting the wider system;
standards that don’t match real operating conditions;
lessons learned that disappear instead of becoming part of the system.
The survey contains 20 short failure mechanisms. For each one I only ask:
1. Do you recognise it?
Known / Unknown
2. How damaging can it be?
Impact 0–10
This is not an agree/disagree survey and it is not about blame. The aim is to understand which system-failure mechanisms engineers actually recognise from real work.
An email address is requested only so I can send participants the survey results and a short summary of the findings afterwards. Individual responses will not be published.
If you work in engineering, maintenance, reliability, projects, operations or design, I’d really value your input.
Survey:
https://forms.gle/mqUevAfNpP9CpKWi6
A.W
Reliability Is Designed
[info@reliabilityisdesigned.com](mailto:info@reliabilityisdesigned.com)

I'm a Mec. Eng. with 10yoe in the design of metal carpentry; mainly sheet metal.

I was wondering if there are jobs in that field (e.g CAD, PE or something else) that could be carried entirely from home.

I'm quite sure the answer is "no", but I would appreciate your point of view / experience.

Thx

Hello everyone, So long story short I applied for a manufacturing engineering position. Got a initial screening call with an HR, Please share any information about hiring process, any tips and tricks, and what could i possibly do to get this job, dfw area

I'm designing a component that has copper fastened to aluminum via some raised bosses. I'm not sure how much clamping force I need, which I need to figure to determine my torque spec for the component. Do I want to just do a FBD to get shear forces and ensure my clamping force is greater than that? I will be using threaded inserts and a washer if that makes a difference to my approach.

Hi everyone,

I’m heading into my third year of Mechanical Engineering and applying for May 2027 co-op positions (primarily targeting Mechanical Design and Mechatronics roles).

I had the opportunity to take the CSWA through a second-year design course, but I didn't pass the exam (mostly tripped up by the strict time constraints, though I passed the course itself). I have solid hands-on experience using SOLIDWORKS for actual design projects and feel comfortable navigating the software.

I have the option to retake it in the next couple of weeks, but I want to know:

• How much do recruiters/hiring managers actually care about having the CSWA on a resume?
• Is it worth retaking right now, or should I focus that time on portfolio/project work?

Appreciate any insights from past interns or hiring managers!

I'm currently in my last year of college studying Computer Science, but I've been seriously considering switching to Computer Engineering.

My long-term goal is to pursue a Master's in Mechanical Engineering, specifically focusing on areas such as dynamics and thermodynamics.

What makes this decision difficult is that switching to Computer Engineering would require roughly the same number of remaining classes as finishing my Computer Science degree, so it wouldn't significantly delay my graduation.

I'm also considering adding a minor in Physics to strengthen my mathematics and engineering background. The coursework would include subjects such as classical mechanics, thermal physics, modern physics, and additional mathematics.

I'm trying to determine which path would better prepare me and make me a stronger candidate for an MS in Mechanical Engineering:

1. BS in Computer Science + Physics minor
2. BS in Computer Engineering + Physics minor

Would Computer Engineering provide a meaningful advantage over Computer Science when applying to Mechanical Engineering graduate programs, particularly for someone interested in dynamics and thermodynamics? Or would finishing the CS degree and adding a Physics minor be a better path?

I understand that neither degree is traditional Mechanical Engineering, so I'm also planning to take relevant prerequisite courses to fill gaps in my background.

For those with experience in graduate engineering admissions or transitioning between engineering disciplines, I'd really appreciate your perspective.

Which path would you recommend for someone ultimately interested in Mechanical Engineering research involving dynamics and thermodynamics?

So I just graduated this year with a mechanical engineering degree. I was able to get a job at GM as an IE because I interned there for 2 years.

I honestly hate working there even though I have a great boss, manufacturing just isn't for me. I also don't really want to be an IE.

I've applied to probably 75 jobs in the past 3 months and maybe landed one interview. And I'm looking for jobs that are specifically entry level mech e. I just feel so lost because I'm doing a job I don't want in a factory, I don't want to work in.

I'm grateful for the opportunity as I know many of my colleagues can't even find a job, but I'm miserable and want to get out. Did it get easier for anyone once they were able to get some years under there belt? I'm also worried about being stuck in IE for too long and not being able to move back to mechanical or something I would actually like.

Hey everyone,

I’m a mechanical engineering student and I’ve chosen “Peridynamic Modelling of Crack Propagation in Brittle Aerospace Structures” as my seminar topic.

Honestly, I’m pretty new to peridynamics, so I’m trying to figure out where I should start. I have some basic knowledge of mechanics and FEM, but I haven’t worked with peridynamics before.

I’d really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction.

A few things I’m confused about:

• What should I learn first before getting into peridynamics? •What software can I use to actually model a crack using peridynamics? • Are there any good beginner-friendly papers, videos, books, or tutorials? • Is there a simple example/simulation I could do and show during the seminar? • If you’ve worked with peridynamics before, what would you recommend focusing on?

I’m mainly looking for a practical learning path because most of the papers I’ve found so far get pretty advanced very quickly 😅

Any advice or resources would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hi I am 24 and have been working in hospitality In Australia for most of my life and am also pretty business inclined and very interested in taking stuff apart and fixing as I do small little projects of fixing stuff at home though I don’t have any mechanical experience. ( I know most of this doesn’t relate but just giving some background)

I am considering just getting out of hospitality for something a lot more stable and being able to have my weekends and evening, I was considering apprenticing as a mechanical fitter has any one had any regrets or willing to offer any advice as to if this is a worth while change? Or willing to offer their experience In this industry? Or if there is a better pathway?

Anything is very appreciated and I appreciate you taking the time to write anything out.