Hydrocarbon Processing - July 2021 - 20

Engineering
Case Histories
A. SOFRONAS, CONSULTING ENGINEER
http://mechanicalengineeringhelp.com
Case 113: The benefits of an engineering
education and advanced degrees
It has been a long time since I graduated
with my engineering degrees, but I
feel qualified to discuss them after many
years in industry. Over the years, people
have asked me if it is worthwhile to pursue
an advanced degree.
Having worked in industry, I've noticed
the benefit of the following degrees:
* Associate of applied science in
mechanical power technology,
a 2-yr degree.
* Bachelor of science in mechanical
engineering, a 4-yr degree.
* Master of engineering with
an emphasis on mechanical
engineering, a 2-yr degree.
* Doctor of engineering with
an emphasis on mechanical
engineering, a 3-yr degree.
I have always been a " hands-on " type
of person who likes to fix and build mechanical
things. I like to weld, do lathe
work and restore old cars and engines. A
2-yr technical degree was a good way to
develop expertise in new technologies. I
always felt I could have had a successful
career utilizing this degree, as many of my
colleagues have done. Some opened car
dealerships and automotive repair shops,
and others became engineering technicians
and troubleshooters.
After receiving this degree and working
for a while, I decided that I wanted
to work in design and research and have
more job flexibility. It was suggested that
I pursue a BSME degree. By selecting the
correct 2-yr program, much of the course
work for a 2-yr technical degree can be
transferred toward a BSME degree.
A BSME degree is excellent for mechanically
minded people. It allowed
me the flexibility to do the kind of work
I wanted to do and to move from company
to company as opportunities developed.
With this degree, I was able to
do interesting failure analysis and design
work on machines and structures, using
analytical methods. It allowed me to develop
my analytical niche.1
The willingness
to observe what other successful
engineers did and the benefit of having
excellent mentors certainly helped.
The fear of being desk-bound was
unfounded, as I was at my desk less than
50% of the time, mostly doing analytical
work. The rest of the time was spent in
the plant facilities, at machinery vendors,
at seminars teaching and learning, or on
worldwide trips installing or troubleshooting
equipment at other facilities.
The master's and doctorate degrees
allow an engineer to proceed into research
and development or into university
teaching. These degrees allowed
me to teach in a university and to work
in a government-sponsored scientific
research facility. I was able to work on
everything from sampling devices for a
Martian lander to new machining and
testing methods. The ability to provide
locomotive design, ship system design,
design for government projects and to
select and troubleshoot equipment in
the refining industry illustrate the flexibility
of these degrees.
I chose to pursue these degrees beFIG.
1. Construction utilizing 3D printing
and robotics.
20 JULY 2021 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
cause I enjoy learning new skills and also
for my own satisfaction. My advanced
degrees were paid for by the companies
I was working for at the time, along with
scholarships and teaching fellowships, so
the education was cost-effective. I was
pleasantly surprised with all of the additional
benefits they brought me. Each
advancement did increase my compensation,
but I also could have achieved
this by moving into a management role. I
tried a position as Manager of Advanced
Engineering, but quickly realized that I
was more satisfied with technical work.
In the master's degree program, the
thesis is a compilation of research that
proves one is knowledgeable about the
information learned throughout the
graduate program. It is very different
than a doctorate dissertation. I wrote my
master's thesis on the topic of torsional
vibrations, an area I was working on for
my company at the time.
The doctorate program in engineering
is a full-time, demanding program.
The coursework is not the difficult part;
the choice of dissertation is the key challenge.
The intent of the dissertation is
to contribute new knowledge to expand
the understanding on a given subject in
your field. The point is to come up with
an entirely new concept, develop it and
defend its worth. I wrote my dissertation
on analytical modeling of the drilling
process to develop a new drill. This
modeling was needed and paid for by the
company I was working for at the time.
Defending a dissertation before a
committee of professors can be intimidating,
and one must completely understand
one's chosen subject and one's
coursework. Luckily, I had a heavy interest
in analytical modeling, which helped
me immensely in deciding on and defending
my dissertation topic.1
The selection of an academic advisor
is also extremely important. In the
unlikely event that the relationship does
not take off, it is wise to seek another
advisor before starting on one's dissertation.
I was fortunate to have an excellent
advisor who became a lifelong friend and
helped me earn my doctorate in less than
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