To Mechatronics, or not to Mechatronics

Kia ora! Hope you are slayin live laugh lovin as usual. Welcome welcome, I’m Phyllis and I am incredibly self aware but that also means I am incredibly wise and can channel my master oogway energy to you all!!! Woohooooooooo LETS GET STRAIGHT INTO IT.

Why did I choose Mechatronics 🥰😍

OPPORTUNITIES ARE ENDLESS

As one who is incredibly impartial to everything (except civil), mechatronics was perfect for me, because it encompassed everything that I was interested in – mechanical, electrical and programming.

Ew but what about the whole jAcK of aLL tRaDeS mAsTer oF nONe perception of mechatronics (i.e. can do many things but not an expert in any)

Bro you think you gonna be an expert in ur engineering spec just from a focused bachelor’s degree. Also should add that most of the technical knowledge you learn isn’t that transferable into jobs. You pretty much learn everything from afresh in the role. Purpose of an engineering degree is more to develop those transferable analytical, teamwork skills, not to actually apply those niche mathematical concepts you learn in ENGSCI 111. You develop these skills in any spec. 

I enjoy mechatronics bc it gives me a taster of each of these fields, giving me more time and understanding to actually figure what I vibe with. 

Most importantly though, I think what really made me choose mechatronics, is how we learn about software and coding, and get to implement that hands on. For example MECHENG 201 involves coding robots!!!! You actually get to physically play around and see your robot do its thing! It’s something that other specs don’t really offer. Like passing coding test cases in ENGGEN 131 is nice but, it is also cool to see a physical product! I also think being able to code is just such a necessary fundamental skill going into the workforce (except civil).

…..Why not mechatronics 😬😱

The world just ain’t ready for the absolute power and revolutionary expertise you will bring to society. 

Mechatronics is a relatively newer spec, so job search wise recruiters don’t really list mechatronics specific roles (they exist, just not as common as civil, mechanical, etc. roles). 

Likewise applying for exchanges is kinda difficult bc at least in Europe unis don’t really have mechatronic specialisation so finding courses that match takes a bit more time and effort.

Tbh tho, this ain’t an issue at all. Companies do want mechatronics peeps. It does not mean you will fall into the unemployed STEM graduate flipping burgers at McDonald’s pipeline (that’s an irrational fear). 

You can still apply to those jobs, and you will get them. Mechatronics is a growing field, especially with the growing demand of AI, smart systems and robotics. Most importantly, as I mentioned earlier, it’s less about your niche spec technical knowledge, but more about your transferable learning abilities. I know so many tron kids who’ve ended up in software, mechanical, electrical, trading roles. It’s less about your spec, it’s more about you.

To conclude!

Thanks for reading!! Hope part I is going well ~ wishing you all the best for any upcoming deadlines and make sure to touch grass, socialise and eat good food!! See you next blog post hehe