Afaik Mechinical Engineers are quite valued in Hydrocentrals.

Sr ME student here, I don't know these would actually help as far as making the course work easier, but you will gain context of the ME application. ME is all theoretical calculations. You don't learn how to actually put your ideas into practice, just learn about the theory.

First 2 years is learning Math, Chemistry, Math, Physics, and more Math. Seriously you end up taking a couple math classes whose prerequisite is calc 3.

The rest of the courses are physics classes where you specialize in static mechanical loading conditions, dynamic loading conditions, thermal states, heat transfer, fluid flow, feedback loops (controls).
All of these are individual classes and you take the theory to the max
So now we know what the classes are about, what is the course work like? It's all about getting constraints and loading conditions and then applying the correct formulas and assumptions (this is where 99% of the work is) then crunching numbers, first by hand, then later with programs such as MATLAB, and ANSYS. You then circle the answer and turn it in to the professor. You then hope and prey you selected the correct conditions and formulas and that you didn't make a mistake with your triple enclosed tensor integral.

At the end of your coursework you will take a few classes that have a project in which you need to optimize a design this is where you analyze the problem (this takes no joke like 3 hours assuming you know exactly what you are doing and just are calculating stuff as fast as you can) now you start the optimization, you compare your results with your constraints and if the design fails you make one change and redo the math, then check again, then keep repeating this untill you get a passing design.
You should finally take a design course or 2 where you take the entire semester to design. Something from the ground up and if this thing has 20 parts on it, then you must iterate the optimization problem for each part.

There's a reason why Engineers get paid well

>>989432
With all this being said, I would pick manufacturing. If you know what a drill press is then there isn't much knowledge to gain from machining. Manufacturing will give you more insight into how materials behave as a result will give you something tangible to help imagine whats happening so you pick your boundary conditions/assumptions correctly. This is what engineers struggle with most, picking proper assumptions (these are also the engineers people complain about that don't have any real world experience and end up making questionable decisions)

>>989439
>there isn't much knowledge to gain from machining
actually there can be, but mostly in optimizing it for cost saving

think of engineers as a material equivalent to accountants/auditors. most of the time we just modify existing solutions to fit the application at hand

Man I the knowledge behind engineering but holy fuck it looks like a boring ass job.

I would totally want to audit ME courses as an old man. But I could never do it for a living. I want to be on the floor with my hands making shit. Not crunching numbers at a desk. But I am insanely jealous of the theoretical skillset engineers have, shit is impressive and usefull. My close friend is a ME and whenever we're tinkering with shit it's like he knows everything about anything, never ceases to amaze me. Then again like I said, even he sometimes thinks he'd be happier being a heavy mechanic, hates the desk work.

>>989498
that's why we have hobbies

>>989506
I get that, but I could never work a job that I hated or found boring, not matter the pay. I mean that's a whole 3rd of your life almost.

I mean if you find some enjoyment in it thats awesome for you, we need people like that. I just know for my buddy its a serious concern in his life right now, torn between great pay and hating his job, or worse pay but finding satisfaction in his day to day life.

Hobbies can't match the 40 hours a week you spend at your job.

>>989368
I don't know why you feel like you need either of these. As a civil engineering student working with ME's all the time, and taking some grad classes with them, I don't think any of it is really very relevant towards a mechanical engineering degree.

If you must choose one (for like financial aid or something) go for the second one, most ME departments have a shop class or two. And relevant extracurriculars often have machining.

>>989510
I work as a CNC laser operator, in the last two years of mostly 12-hour shifts I've become so adept at it that I find it a chore. Still not sure if I should just accept an upcoming promotion to a desk job or look for a better paid opening abroad (live in Europe, at work at the moment).

>>989432
>Seriously you end up taking a couple math classes whose prerequisite is calc 3.
me -2 year student here... fucking fuck. nigga I dont have time for this shit.jpg

>>989522
I fear that is the case with every job.

Is there any job out there that doesn't become a rote chore after more than 5 years?

>>989368
If it's the job core I'm thinking of its generally a waste of your life. I did electrical in job core for 12 months. When I got out the union didn't care about that experience and neither did the non-union side. I still got into the non union side but that was just because I was already capable.

>>989452
This is true, optimization of manufacturing is very important. With that being said, I suppose I should have said that manufacturing probably offers more relevancy in the theory than machining. While I respect machining very much as a trade job, I feel optimization of manufacturing could also be found in both classes OP is talking about. Therefore looking at solely course work prep I would pick manufacturing. I should note that machining knowledge will decently shine more outside of the classroom, ie if someone asks you to design a keyed ring gear, you would know what the hell they're talking about.

This does bring up a good point too, if you want a class that helps with learning ME for uni, then pick manufacturing. If you want something to help after uni and integrate your knowledge into a more technical aspect, pick machining.

>>989525
I'd imagine engineering or some kind of criminal or political work