i have heard lots of classmates in my school who wanna be industrial engineers,sure some might civil and mechanical but i have seen so many people speak of IE as that perfect dream field who so many people would love to have,what are the common reasons for that?
Been in manufacturing long enough to get cynical about the gap between what politicians announce and what actually happens on the floor.
Reshoring is the hot topic right now. But nobody's really talking about the messy reality of making it happen.
A few things I keep thinking about:
Supply chain depth is the hard part nobody mentions. Moving final assembly back is doable. But the ecosystem around it - precision component suppliers, specialty materials, skilled subcontractors - that stuff took decades to build offshore. You can't wish it back in 2 years.
The workforce problem is genuinely serious. CNC operators, metrologists, PLC programmers, automation techs - these aren't skills you develop in a 6 week bootcamp. The talent pipeline is way thinner than current reshoring ambitions assume.
Automation changes the math but also the job. A highly automated domestic facility can actually compete on total cost now in a way that wasn't true 20 years ago. But the facility you're building looks nothing like the one that left. Different headcount, different skills, different management challenges.
Capex decisions are being made against massive policy uncertainty. The factory you're breaking ground on today runs for 25 years. Tariff policy could flip multiple times in that window. That's a real variable and finance teams know it even if the press releases don't mention it.
Curious what's actually happening inside other organizations right now - are you seeing real investment decisions being made, or is it mostly a wait and see situation?
Hi, I’m currently a third year student in engineering science concentration in industrial engineering… currently thinking of job prospects and realizing that engineering science has physics, and advanced topics so it might be slightly harder than an average industrial engineering degree. However checking online jobs mostly prefer an independent field such as mechanical or electrical. So am I screwed I’m also considering a masters in ie. Please let me know what you think.
I’ve been trying to understand something. Since silicon comes from sand, it sounds like it should be relatively easy to make semiconductors or chips at a basic level. But I keep seeing that semiconductor manufacturing is extremely complex and expensive, I saw on satnford advanced materials that the process is very complex, What exactly makes it so difficult? Is it the purity requirements, the processing steps, or the equipment involved? I’m just trying to understand where the real challenge is between raw sand and something like a usable silicon wafer or chip.
So I just changed my major from General Studies to Industrial Electrical Technology because I wouldn’t be able to get many jobs with just a General Studies degree and I don’t want to be stuck working regular retail like my manager who has a GS degree. What are some of the jobs that I’d be able to find with a degree in IET? I’m not even 100% this is what I want to do but I’m going to find out I guess.
I wanna hear from those that dislike this major or thought they should've got something else, as someone who loves the concept of IE, regrets his current major in accounting and wants to pivot here it's a good perspective to hear.
Gonna be applying to internships again next semester after not getting one this year, these will be for the summer after my Junior year. I'm basically done with all my foundational engineering classes (I just have dynamics and linear algebra left), and I've already taken Design for Manufacturing and Analysis of Data for IE. What are some IE classes that would be the most useful or relevant for a manufacturing or operations? I have no particular industry preference but I would really like to work in automotive or aerospace
Would getting a six sigma green belt help too?
For those of you who have gotten a PM internship what do you believe made you land one. What can I add to my resume that would help me land one.
I graduated high school yesterday and I'm entering college. I have no choice but to be a working student since I moved out of home a few months ago and have been living solo. I currently have an online business though but I want to transition into having a proper job.
What kind of part time jobs should I look for that would best boost my resume once I graduate college? Ofc I'll still apply to all kinds of jobs due to the job market but I still want to prioritize part time jobs that would make future me thank present me
What’s your opinion on finding a good balance between having your authority respected while also having a “chill guy” approach where people aren’t scared to share things with you but also aren’t disrespectful. Specifically towards shop floor operators?
I am currently wrapping up my sophomore years in college and I'll have 2-2.5 more year left of this. I currently attend a decently reputable school in texas but it feels like I'm not learning/retaining anything.
I get A's and B's in my classes, but I feel like I should be getting lower grades; I kind of just go through the motions instead of understanding the material. A lot of times for exams, it feels like I only did well because I studied the right question and not because I understand the chapter as a whole.
To add to it, I also did my six sigma green belt through IISE and despite getting a 100% on the exam they gave us, I feel like I still don't know how to apply the material.
Will a job in Industrial Engineering constantly feel like this? I hope to get an internship next year but everything feels so intimidating, I don't understand why companies look for or how I could even effectively contribute.
21M here, starting sophomore year soon. I’m thinking of declaring industrial/systems engineering as my major. it almost feels like a shot in the dark cuz i have very very beginner level knowledge/idea about this field. I know it involves a lot of math, focusing on optimization and efficiency. ik its applicable for almost every industry and that it’s demand is growing.
however, idk what to expect. both in terms of the degree itself and the work life. whats it like? what do yall actually do? im so beyond intimidated that its really disrupting my days now. im a very sincere student who literally lives off of academic validation. i enjoy math (dread physics in some ways tho). i got good grades and i take my studies seriously. i dont enjoy programming all that much (still good at the intro courses i took) so id love to know how much of that is involved in this career.
idek what my question is. maybe i just wanna know what this degree/career/life is like. i wanna know what to expect. how difficult is it? how enjoyable is it? anything would be appreciated at this point lol
I’m starting a internship as a process engineer soon, and it will be part plant, part office work. What should I wear if the plant tends to get hot in the summers, while still looking professional for the office. I’m a guy btw.
To all IE professionals, can you please give me some tips/ things you never knew before 🥹 ty
Hey everyone, International student here.
Trying to decide between:
Purdue – MS Industrial Engineering
Georgia Tech – MS Supply Chain Engineering
My background is mechanical + some tech, but I’m leaning toward core industry roles after graduation given the current tech job market. So job prospects and stability matter a lot.
Which program has better placement, flexibility, and long-term opportunities?
Would really appreciate any insights—this was hard to achieve, so want to choose wisely.
Thanks!
i'm planning on switching to industrial engineering but i've already gotten my electives and other requirements like humanities covered. I dont want to have to take all hard classes in the fall (physics 1, multivariable calc, cs) and i already have some spanish credit from high school. is getting a spanish minor/double major beneficial for IE? i'm not fluent right now but i was hoping to take some more spanish classes to balance out my workload while also trying to practice the language. also it wouldn't delay my graduation for the most part
Hi everyone. I’m an Industrial Engineering student from the Philippines. We’re approaching the end of the semester and one of the requirements of one of my courses is a simulation project made in Autodesk’s FlexSim. In our laboratory coursework, we only use the Express version of FlexSim which, as you may know, has a 30-object limit.
Now the problem is that the system we chose to simulate, which is the emergency department of a hospital, cannot be effectively modeled with just 30 objects. The data collection period has passed and we’ve collected the necessary information to build the model, but due to the object limit we’ve come to a standstill.
I want to ask if anyone can point me to any possibility that we can still make the project? A few notes below:
The project should strictly be made in FlexSim
We applied for a student license from Autodesk over two weeks ago but haven’t heard from them since
We tried sailing the high seas but had no luck in successfully activating the full version.
The oldest version allowed of us to use is 2022. Newer versions are better but at this point we will take any version that works.
Apologies for any mistake in my grammar, English is my second language. Thank you so much to anyone who can help.
Hello,
I’m finishing up my general engineering courses (Calc, Physics, Gen Eds). Industrial Engineering is something that has really sparked my interest as I’ve been working in Manufacturing for 3 years now and love the continuous improvement side of the industry. However I’m not sure if I want to make manufacturing my entire career. So is getting a Manufacturing Systems Engineering Degree limiting my scope of doing Industrial Engineering? Or is it possible to transition into different fields of the IE with this degree?
Hi everyone,
I’m looking to pivot from strategy to IE and would like to hear any insights from those that have done this or have tried. Specifically, what this could look like when it comes to careers.
For some background, I have 6 years of experience in strategy (corporate strat, consulting, strategic operations) in the US where I got my Bachelors of Science. This summer I will be applying to an engineering program (Hochschule) in Germany for IE.
Edit: BS is in communications with minors in business and computer sciences. Happy to share my experience as well for anyone pivoting to strategy.