What Materials Will I Need?
This is a very important and perplexing question, especially for those who want to be prepared, by having everything they need for their jobs, right when they graduate. The simple answer to this is, do not buy anything, until you know where you are going to work, and subsequently, what tools you will need. I will give you an example of this.
I went to Universal Technical Institute in Avondale, Arizona. Prior to my leaving school, I had spent about $6,000 dollars on basic and specialty hand tools. Upon graduation, I began working at an automotive dealership, for a specific manufacturer. I learned first-hand this important concept, as most of my specialty tools did not work on the cars I was working on. Further, the company provided the specialty tools that I needed, and I didn't have all the "Basic" tools I needed anyways. I ended up investing another $1,000 in air tools, which nobody decided to tell me that I needed, until after I started working for the dealership.
I can tell you a couple of tools you will be using in the mechanical engineering field, according to consulting engineer, Paul Greenwood. He said the two tools you can be almost certain you will be working with, regardless of where you work is a computer, and a calculator (personal correspondence with Paul Greenwood, September 2009). It would be wise, to have some financial means set aside, in the event you have to purchase anything for your work; but it is a very unwise choice, to purchase these things in advance.
I went to Universal Technical Institute in Avondale, Arizona. Prior to my leaving school, I had spent about $6,000 dollars on basic and specialty hand tools. Upon graduation, I began working at an automotive dealership, for a specific manufacturer. I learned first-hand this important concept, as most of my specialty tools did not work on the cars I was working on. Further, the company provided the specialty tools that I needed, and I didn't have all the "Basic" tools I needed anyways. I ended up investing another $1,000 in air tools, which nobody decided to tell me that I needed, until after I started working for the dealership.
I can tell you a couple of tools you will be using in the mechanical engineering field, according to consulting engineer, Paul Greenwood. He said the two tools you can be almost certain you will be working with, regardless of where you work is a computer, and a calculator (personal correspondence with Paul Greenwood, September 2009). It would be wise, to have some financial means set aside, in the event you have to purchase anything for your work; but it is a very unwise choice, to purchase these things in advance.
