Brad Chisholm Individual Reflection

            During the course of the semester, ME 250 has covered a number of subjects and developed numerous skills, both soft and hard, that will be useful in the manufacturing and engineering industry. Some soft skills that I learned through the milestones of this course are teamwork, time management and organization. Towards the beginning of the semester, teamwork was the main emphasis when our group was agreeing on both a team strategy and vehicle design. Some designs took several trials to get a final cut that we could all agree on. Time management was the main emphasis towards the end of the semester. This became most prominent during the final build of our vehicle when dozens of man-hours were required each week for the manufacturing portion of the course. Time management of who could be at the machine shop and at what time become a vital part of getting our vehicle done on time. The last soft skill that was built throughout the semester was organization. This was a constant requirement throughout the course as assignments were regular and workload was rarely routine, thus a need for organizational skills.

            Another valuable portion of ME 250 was the hard skills associated with the course material. While I had experience with computers and various software, I had little to no experience with CAD software. It was this exposure that will be useful in both finding and holding a career in the Engineering field. Also, the trainings and exercises with the some of the machines in the ME machine shop proved to be a learning experience for me, even though I have a background using heavy machinery and mechanical equipment. By the time shipping day came along, we found that there were many designs and components that we found were not as practical as we had thought they would be. These dilemmas were all very valuable learning experiences that taught us some of the things that need to be contemplated during the design process rather than the manufacturing stage. I think that all of these hard skills will be very useful in the field on a regular basis.

            One way I would improve the course is additional clarification. I often found that my group and I had trouble determining certain expectations, rules, and regulations. Also, it would have been highly beneficial to the quality of my group’s vehicle if shipping day was moved to the last week of classes rather than the Wednesday before. This would have left time to order aftermarket components from suppliers and also more time for calibrations and technique practice. We found that the time allotted was sufficient for vehicle design and prototype manufacturing, but we found little time for minor to moderate sized adjustments and redesigning for more practical components.

            Likely my largest downfall throughout the course was meeting deadlines. I found myself not prepared when a deadline for either a milestone or homework assignment came along. It was for this reason that I often found myself cutting corners and rushing at the last minute to complete tasks that I had not set aside an adequate amount of time to complete. Other than this small issue, I believe that in taking this class I am much better prepared for the engineering field after graduation.