Mechanical Engineers Rant

I have been following the grapevine for a few months but I haven't heard a lot from mechanical engineers, tell me how you build your career in mechanical engineering and some valuable lessons for those in the early stages of their careers.

All the techies with 5-6yr experience are sulking with 15+ CTC. Whereas the mechanical guys struggle to get 8LPA. Why is it so unfair? As far as I can see, Outside India the Mech guys were awarded with hefty salaries. In Pune, a fresher engineer gets merely 10-12K/month. Can anyone where/when the Mech guys left the ship?

Hey all I’m a founder of a privately run services / maintenance company. Started from scratch, running for > 10 years now. Have done all roles from being employee 1 to leading a team ~ 10-15 employees spread over multiple cities / states . Company has been reasonably successful over time and seen tens of thousands of happy customers from all over the country. Off late it’s feeling like everything runs on autopilot and things don’t need my involvement anymore and I want to go out and do new things that will keep me motivated and happy. I’m interested and passionate in the fields of sales and marketing of electronics / service and maintenance / sustainable energy like solar and electric vehicles and charging / operations & management . Engineer and MBA by profession. Am happy to talk to anyone who is doing meaningful work in any of the above streams and looking for people with like minded interests and also happy to listen to suggestions if any.

Currently have 10years of experience and am at cross roads of next steps in career. Need help from senior folks here to know pros and cons on either directions I have a chance to move up the ladder Want to know career opportunities say next 10-20 years and pay as well. As for me, love hands on tech but scared how long can I sustain the mojo. People management wise not bad but need to learn many steps in there to become great. If it’s of any help current TC: 60L

Sorry Guys for the rant just wanted to vent out something I don't know what to do in the future. Feels like I am stuck. I am not from a tech background. I did my B tech in Mechanical Engineering and secured a job at Vedanta( In their shitty Steel Unit). It has been 3.5 years and I am stuck in the never ending toxic cycle. I work like a donkey but I never got.any recognition for my work. Thought of going for an MBA from a top college only. Tried CAT 3 times but couldn't secure a tier 1 college( Last time was getting some Baby IIMs but thought of giving one more try and now I am fucked). Neither any career growth nor any learning growth is happening. Tried for a switch but not able to grab any opportunity. Even my CTC is too low ( Approx 65k per month) and being a 26 year old guy, when I see people making multiple lakhs I feel sad and dejected. Should have gone for CS during undergrad If anyone has any suggestions, or some guidance please share. I can't even share this with my parents, they just brush it off. Again sorry for this rant.

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well. I find myself in a challenging situation and could really use your advice and support. **Context:** I graduated in 2021 with a degree in electrical engineering from a decent college, but unfortunately, I didn't secure a placement. Since then, I've been struggling to find my path and ended up taking random jobs, leading to a significant gap in my career of almost 2 to 3 years. Alongside my career struggles, I've been battling with depression and anxiety, which have been exacerbated by the lack of support from family and friends. Despite seeking help from therapists and doctors, I haven't seen much improvement. Additionally, I attempted the GATE exam without success, as I lack passion and feel limited options are available. **Request:** I'm feeling lost and fearful about my future, especially considering my physical and mental health issues. My confidence has taken a hit due to repeated failures, and I find myself fearing everything. I'm reaching out to this community in the hope of finding guidance, support, and perhaps some practical advice on how to regain my confidence and overcome these fears. **Additional Request:** If anyone has faced similar challenges or has insights on how to rebuild confidence after setbacks, I would greatly appreciate your input. Any insights, personal experiences, or suggestions you can offer would be immensely appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any help you can provide. Warm regards

Trying to think about how the lowest common denominator's problems can be solved. Major issues that still persist in slums - Housing and rehabilitation Plumbing Toilets Water access Could there be modular houses built/assembled in a day or two out of cheaper and lighter materials that are more durable than mud/dirt? Shipping Container houses being laid down using a crane was my initial thought, but cranes are hard to fit inside narrow lanes, so assembly might be better option. Instead of constructing a complete cement and brick building somewhere, maybe some Lego housing would be easier. Might be possible to stack upto 2-3 floors. Maybe a porta-potty optional variant where plumbing for toilets isn't available. Rainwater harvesting and solar panels built on the roof maybe. Sink water should collect for use in toilet flush like it happens in Japan. -------- Apart from housing, for employment I was thinking about upgrading the hand cart that Indian hawkers use for selling veggies , street food etc. They are a pain to move around and use because they're bulky. Features I'm thinking about adding - 2 floors of the cart, one where motor is kept (with storage area next to it) and second where stuff to sell can be displayed above the motor floor (some hand carts already come with a lower section but it is usually open). Covered on all 4 sides. Once work is done, stuff can be stored inside the storage area on the motor floor, while owner can sleep above it. Convenient for those living away from home. Locking it up from inside instead of outside when sleeping in the cart, like an airplane lavatory lock. One seat in front of the cart with a steering wheel. On the roof - solar panels that can charge a battery to operate a small fan, LED lighting & a charging port/plug for phones and small devices. Not sure if the panel can power the motor for a large cart, maybe electric motor if it can. Otherwise petrol/diesel motor. Thoughts?

Is there anyone here, who's into some kind of R&D in automotive company or a company which does design of products ? *Looking for a Job change*

I am currently working in a Series A funded startup based out of Blr, and we are hopeful to raise another round in a few months (let’s assume this is certain for the sake of discussion). I’m thinking b/w between deciding to stick here for 4-5 years min, and pursuing MBA (aiming for abroad ideally) I am a growth manager right now, with 4 years experience in total, w/ 1.5yr at my present company. I get along with my team very well, think my manager is a great mentor for me right now and really love the product we are building. The growth prospects of the company are pretty good as well and we are very (cautiously) optimistic about raising Series B in this funding winter. My main dilemma comes when I think of money that I can probably earn here or elsewhere if I pursue education further. No matter where I work I’d rather do it for the stock options and give myself a chance at an early age to get to a good financial state asap. At the same time, despite the upfront costs that an MBA brings, there’s sureshot way that I’ll get to a higher pay whereas relying on a Startup’s ESOPs is riskier comparatively. I’ll be walking into my appraisal call in a couple of weeks. I’m paid 20L fixed + 10L ESOPs right now. I studied at a tier 1 institute, not that it matters, but compensation wise I want to be matched to my peers. Is it sensible for me to ask for a marginal fixed comp hike and ESOPs of 30L-40L (is this the right amount to ask for the risk I’m taking) in the hopes of getting wealth - Is this significant enough for me to ditch my other options (or companies)? Or should I stick to standard hikes and pursue an MBA?

I am a 6 yrs experienced Software developer and part of a mid-stage startup. This is my third job; I have been working here for 3 years. I was involved here as one of the core engineers at the start in developing the overall platform, After that, my growth as an engineer stagnated for 2 years . Constant importance and priority are given to business requirements and hacky work getting pushed to production in the name of fast iterations and business impact every week. My engineering manager lacks proper engineering skills and doesn't respect engineers even after their impact on the company and constantly keeps saying the engineering team doesn't contribute to the revenue of the company despite us pushing work that improves business positively. Last year around November, around 80% of the engineering team was subtly suggested to start looking out for work (basically a soft layoff) because management was too scared of a social media backlash Due to all this,2 years' worth of technical debt has accumulated on the overall codebase and apart from giving justification for every code improvement that we try to make there, we still have to work on business/product requirements. My growth as an engineer has stopped and I am worried about missing out on the latest developments in the tech industry, especially with AI in the picture, and want to make my skillset somewhat AI-proof. I have come back to hands-on coding this year , so that's a positive start. I am considering taking a 3-4 month break after resigning from my company to study, develop side projects, develop a portfolio etc Has anyone else been in this boat ? How did you come out strong?