The world is shifting into a more tech oriented world and now students want to know which path they should take in their careers – Mechanical Engineer or Software Engineer.
In the last few years, we have seen tech really start to take off. Ten years ago was 2011. How different was the world? I remember iPhones barely just starting to come out. The old UI that Facebook and Instagram used to utilize. We’ve come a long way since then.
February 29, 2024Mechanical Engineer Or Software Engineer – A Glance
Software Engineer Glance
On first glance, software engineering? They get paid a lot. Work a cool tech job in Silicon Valley. Graduate out of college and start making six figures. Why not? This all sounds like the dream, so why not become a software engineer?
However, do you want to look at code all day? Spend hours and hours debugging your precious code? Googling the little bit of code using references from Stack Overlow? Software Engineering can be the type of work where you spend hours, all while achieving nothing.
Mechanical Engineer Glance
On the other hand, we have mechanical engineering. It’s very stable work. Designing and building all things machinery. Pumps, jets, turbines, engines, and the like. However, the pay isn’t as good as you think compared to software engineering. So why would you want to become a mechanical engineer?
Mechanical Engineer vs. Software Engineer, both very good fields to get into, but they both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s compare the following info:
Salary
Glassdoor gives us the following data for salaries. It is important to note that these are just averages and don’t take extremes into consideration.
Mechanical Engineers
How much does a Mechanical Engineer make?
Software Engineers
How much does a Software Engineer make?
Please note that this data is an average. Obviously, if we’re talking high level FAANG companies or companies such as Spotify and AirBNB, those salaries will be much higher.
Hours
Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineers on average can expect about 40-50 hours a week. I know of a lot of mechanical engineers that put in extra hours on the daily. They do this for a few reasons – they have too much work, they want to be recognized, or they don’t have much else going on in their personal lives. This is from my first hand experience. Strict deadlines can be expected in projects.
I know of a mechanical engineer who was in his 60’s, was set to retire soon, but was working 12 hour days. He passed out one day after a long day when he had to host a training session for junior engineers. He was then diagnosed with a brain tumor, and passed away shortly after. I know this gets a bit personal and can hit deep, but it is important to look at the big picture.
A lot of us are hungry and willing to work long hours for that $$$, but what good is it if we don’t enjoy anything else?
Software Engineers
Software Engineers can roughly expect between 40-60 hours a week, but averaging closer to 40-50 hours a week. There may be times where Software Engineers are expected to push certain features or finish out some projects, which can require more than a 40 hour week. From a promotion standpoint, it does look better for one to put in longer hours. The guy that’s consistently putting in 50-60 hour weeks will be recognized more than someone that gets by with doing 35-40 hour weeks. It’s part of the game.
Hours and culture will vary between both mechanical and software engineering, even in startups vs. big companies.
Skills
Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineers utilize lots of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software such as NX, Catia, Creo Parametric / ProEngineer, SolidWorks, and AutoCAD. Although mechanical engineers aren’t software engineers, programming may be required in some mechanical engineering roles. Skills such as programming in MATLAB, Excel VBA, and Python are also highly desired for mechanical engineers. An engineer who can design and code? Sounds dangerous.
Along with software, a dangerous skill an engineer can have is to look at a system and immediately understand what operating forces said system is subject to.
Take a plane and draw a free body diagram. We can see that the plane is subject to 4 operating forces, thrust, lift, weight, and drag.
The difference between an average engineer and a great engineer from my experience is that the great engineers understand mechanical systems and their operating forces.
Software Engineers
Software Engineers utilize many different programming languages in their careers, such as Python, Java, C/C++, and SQL. Programming languages can even more niche if we look at languages such as Solidity used for Smart Contract in blockchain platforms. Along with coding languages, Software Engineers (and careers in tech such as Data Analytics and Data Science) are expected to understand fundamentals of math classes like Stats and Calculus. Along with mathematics, they are expected to understand principles of business, as the projects they work on are done as a function to improve business metrics such as revenue and streamlining processes.
Personalities
Mechanical Engineers
Personalities can vary regarding Mechanical Engineer vs. Software Engineer. Mechanical Engineering personalities can range from gear heads (people who love working on their cars), math and science oriented nerdy types (I am a huge nerd myself!), and outdoorsy nature loving folk that drive Subarus. Sure, there are lots of others out there, but these 3 personalities are the ones that strike me the most as a mechanical engineer myself.
Where can you find these gear heads? If you’re studying engineering in college, join Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE is full of smart gear heads who know the ins and outs of cars, planes, and even modern day technology. They have a really good understanding of physics and operating forces that systems are subject to and are very dangerous in engineering. Become one or be friends with one and you’ll be pretty successful in engineering if you pick their brains.
Software Engineers
The stereotype is that a lot of tech workers are nerdy and socially awkward. All I can say is go to Silicon Valley in the Bay Area (San Francisco, California) and see for yourself. Watch some videos on YouTube and get a glimpse of what Software Engineers are like. In my experience, they range from nerdy video game playing types to outdoorsy athletic types. No shame in being a nerdy video game player whatsoever. In fact, I’m seeing people proficient in video games adapt to tech better and generally have jobs pertaining in tech, which pays well relative to the average office worker.
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Work Culture
Mechanical Engineers
For legacy Automotive and Aerospace companies, expect the majority to adopt a traditional “boomer” mindset. This means these companies are ran very old school. However, companies are making efforts to normalize and accept progressive changes such as equal opportunity and diversity/inclusion. At these legacy Automotive and Aerospace companies (think Ford, Boeing, etc.), expect lots of push back and micromanaging. Expect the senior engineers to have had 40 years of specific industry experience. Times are different now. Back in the day, it was the norm for employees to stay at one employer because they had incentives such as pensions. Nowadays, that’s not the case, and employees move from job to job to find better opportunities.
Software Engineers
Expect a much more progressive work culture, meaning Software Engineering employers are more likely to adopt flexible arrangements such as working remote, flexible hours, and emphasizing work life balance. You can expect to see the demographic of younger (Millenials and Generation X’s) coworkers.
Lifestyle
Mechanical Engineers
Outside of work, mechanical engineers live pretty fun lives. Many mechanical engineers are athletic and outdoorsy. They enjoy activities such as climbing, hiking, running, weightlifting, soccer, and such. Mechanical Engineers also enjoy sports and going out for drinks. You will always see these types busting out their Hawaiian shirts on Fridays talking about Happy Hours at such and such.
Software Engineers
On the other hand, given the lifestyle of Mechanical Engineer or Software Engineer, mechanical engineers seem to have more “social” lives, despite the higher pay software engineers have. Again, the software engineers I know all have some type of “nerdy” aspect to them. They like video games, anime, and technology. They usually stay home after work and play video games such as League of Legends or watch anime like My Hero Academia. Software Engineers aren’t as social as Mechanical Engineers, generally.
I don’t mean to be offensive in any way and I’m not making fun of engineers, either Mechanical Engineer or Software Engineer, being nerdy. I am a huge nerd myself, so it means I’m making fun of myself as well. Feel free to make fun of me for being nerdy and liking things such as tech and engineering.
About the author
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.