Hi everyone,
I’m 30, and I’m looking for honest advice on moving from a production team leader role into Manufacturing Engineering or Process Engineering.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Mexico and a technical degree in Industrial Processes with a manufacturing focus. I’ve spent about seven years at an automotive manufacturer in the U.S.: approximately two years as a production technician and five as a production team leader.
My experience is mainly with automated CNC lines machining automotive brake castings. However, I’m open to other manufacturing processes and industries, and I’d like to understand how broadly my background could transfer.
I feel that I’ve stayed in production longer than I originally intended. I’ve gained practical experience, but I’m trying to figure out what I need to become a credible candidate for an engineering position.
My strengths and experience:
● Troubleshooting production issues involving tool breakage, dimensional variation, surface finish, and recurring downtime.
● Making CNC offset and cutting parameter adjustments and helping identify tooling or fixture issues.
● Performing first-piece and in-process inspections and supporting containment and production recovery.
● Working around automated equipment with FANUC and Yaskawa robots and coordinating with maintenance and engineering when problems arise.
● Using our MES to monitor output, downtime, and defects.
● Training team members and coordinating production priorities.
● Participating in root-cause investigations, corrective actions, improvement activities, and time studies.
My limitations:
● My technical experience comes mostly from supporting existing production processes. I haven’t programmed CNC machines from scratch or developed CAM programs.
● I have some equipment troubleshooting exposure, but I’m not a maintenance specialist. My knowledge of electrical troubleshooting, PLC programming, and deeper mechanical repairs is limited.
● I don’t yet have strong CAD/CAM skills.
● I’ve participated in improvements, but another person usually led the project. I haven’t independently owned a major engineering project from initial analysis through implementation and validation.
● I need more experience with process design, equipment selection, capital projects, and cost justification.
One thing I struggle with is understanding how much CNC programming, controls, or maintenance knowledge a manufacturing engineer is expected to have. Some job descriptions seem to combine several specialties, which makes it difficult to judge whether I’m ready to apply.
I’m currently studying for the ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt, with plans to take the exam in February 2027. I can realistically dedicate around 4–6 hours per week to technical development, including Six Sigma, so I need to prioritize.

My main questions:
1. Based on this background, would I be competitive for Manufacturing Engineer or Process Engineer roles now? Which types of positions or industries would you consider?
2. Which of my technical gaps would actually hold me back, and which are normally learned on the job or handled by specialists?
3. With limited study time, what should I prioritize after or alongside Green Belt: GD&T, CAD, CNC/CAM, basic controls, or Excel/data analysis?
4. Are there certifications you would recommend, or would a documented improvement project be more valuable?
I’m willing to learn and take a role appropriate to my experience. My goal is to move into work where I can analyze and improve processes, take ownership of projects, and grow beyond daily production support.
I’d appreciate feedback from manufacturing engineers, hiring managers, or anyone who made a similar transition.

I'm a student at Northeastern and recently got a co-op offer at a manufacturing company as a quality engineer. I was initially interested in the role, but the interviewer that interviewed me was an quality engineer that told me a lot about the role. He was pretty blunt and told me it was a pretty difficult job with a lot of work, and a lot of the work is paperwork and reporting. I wasn't really looking to do desk work and reporting, I was hoping to do something more rooted in process engineering of manufacturing. Its my only offer right now and so i'm leaning towards accepting it just so I have a Co-op but I also don't want to choose something I already think i'm gonna not like. Can you guys share your experiences as quality engineers? Is it really as he said?

I know that not all experiences are the same but I just need a general idea. Im already leaning towards declining the offer since its also a pretty far commute for me but im not going to let that decide whether i want to do this or not.

Good day! We are first-year Industrial Engineering students currently working on a school project that aims to help us learn more about the field of Industrial Engineering and its real-world applications. Your insights and advice would be a great help to us as students who are just beginning our journey in this field.

If you are an Industrial Engineer or know someone who might be willing to help, we would greatly appreciate it if you could comment below or send us a private message, for email contact jaycq317@gmail.com. We are willing to adjust to your availability and preferred interview method, whether online or in person. Your time and guidance would be a great help to our learning and understanding of the industry. We understand that you have a busy schedule, so we are willing to adjust to your availability. Thank you for considering our request, and we hope to have the opportunity to learn from you!

here is our link hopefully you guys are interested, were looking forward to interview you!!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPkd79wiSUR-cRiI9-AW6B3LV0UCjf4mAu3Cae3jh9b5iOqQ/viewform

*CALLING ALL INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING (IE) GRADUATES!\*

Good day, Industrial Engineers!

We are first-year industrial engineering students in the Philippines, currently conducting an interview. We are looking for Industrial Engineering graduates who are willing to share their experiences, insights, and career journey as Industrial Engineers.

The interview is part of our academic project, which is connected to our class discussions on labor, particularly the roles, responsibilities, career progression, and experiences of Industrial Engineers in the workplace.

The interview will consist of 5 main questions and will take approximately 5–15 minutes. It will be conducted online for your convenience and to provide a flexible interview process.

If you want to help us comment down below so I can reach out to you personally or you can just fill this form up and we will contact you shortly after. THANK YOU AND HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexhaF6LJEyvJafYrubRBD7YjyRRcVzwlf8DdO2jUE_xaGs9w/viewform

Im a first year student, taking maths 1 and ive been studying for the past 2 weeks for my finals. I have been keeping up with my homework and going to the lectures. But Ive made many past papers and haven’t gotten anything higher than a 3… which is really bad.

Im very scared because this is my first semester and i assume this will be needed for statistics in the future.

Do you guys have any advice that i can use to maybe still improve &/ pass and how did you guys experience maths1? (On my other subjects im doing fine btw)

*CALLING ALL INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING (IE) GRADUATES!\*

Good day, Industrial Engineers!

We are first-year industrial engineering students in the Philippines, currently conducting an interview for our Survey of Economics subject. We are looking for Industrial Engineering graduates who are willing to share their experiences, insights, and career journey as Industrial Engineers.

The interview is part of our academic project, which is connected to our class discussions on labor, particularly the roles, responsibilities, career progression, and experiences of Industrial Engineers in the workplace.

The interview will consist of 5 main questions and will take approximately 5–15 minutes. It will be conducted online for your convenience and to provide a flexible interview process.

Participation is entirely voluntary, and we sincerely value your time and willingness to help us with this academic requirement. Your knowledge and experiences will help us better understand the realities of the Industrial Engineering profession and how the concepts we learn in class apply to the actual workplace.

If you are an Industrial Engineering graduate willing to participate, or if you know someone who might be interested, we would greatly appreciate your help!

SCAN THE QR CODE OR ACCESS THE LINK: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexhaF6LJEyvJafYrubRBD7YjyRRcVzwlf8DdO2jUE_xaGs9w/viewform?usp=header
Thank you so much for your time, support, and generosity in sharing your experiences with us! Your contribution would mean a lot to us as first-year IE students.

If you are an IE graduate and are willing to help us, or if you know someone who might be interested, please feel free to *comment below, scan the qr or send us a private message (PM)\*.

looking for 20 Industrial Engineering graduates who are willing to be interviewed via call for my academic requirement.

This will only 5-15 minutes and i will only ask about your career progress and experience after graduating with IE Degree.

If you are willing to participate, kindly dm me or you can comment here then i’ll reach out to you 🙏
thank you

How realistic is it to become a product manager as a industrial engineer? Maybe an ai product manager? Is there any other easier or better route?

Hi! Is macbook neo a good option for an upcoming 1st year industrial engineering student? Or should i consider another model of laptop?

Hello everyone, I've been applying, applying, applying to any IE related internships for the past month (Supply Chain mostly, but also Quality + Manufacturing Engineering) and was wondering what's a good point numbers-wise to be at.

I've cold applied to over 200+ through Handshake + LinkedIn and want to keep going, but was told by some friends that it's starting to be a waste of time without any referrals/connections cold applying. On the other side, some other friends have told me that it's good and to just keep applying, applying, and applying. I've gotten a few interviews so far so I feel fairly happy but wondering if I should start trying to connect and message people on LinkedIn for example instead of just spamming applications.

I'm an engineering student working on some quality control and data analysis projects. I really need software with Minitab-like features (such as SPC control charts, process capability analysis, ANOVA, and hypothesis testing), but I can't afford a paid Minitab license, and my college unfortunately doesn't provide student access.

Are there any free, web-based, or open-source software packages (or reverse-engineered tools) that replicate Minitab's point-and-click statistical workflow? I'm looking for a GUI-based option that I can use right away for project work without having to write everything in Python or R from scratch. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

What are the best ways to break into a finance role? I have a BS in Supply Chain Management and an MS in Industrial Engineering. I've worked as a supply chain coordinator for a while. My next "logical" move would be to find a supply planner or like assistant demand planner role, but it really doesn't interest me.

I've always been interested in finance, but I don't know what a good transitional job would be. I know there's overlap between supply chain and finance, like cost accounting, but being an accountant doesn't sound appealing to me either.

I would prefer to build and work with financial models, but I'm not sure my resume screams that I'm ready for that type of role.

Any thoughts or advice?

I'm an engineering student working on some quality control and data analysis projects. I really need software with Minitab-like features (such as SPC control charts, process capability analysis, ANOVA, and hypothesis testing), but I can't afford a paid Minitab license, and my college unfortunately doesn't provide student access.

Are there any reverse-engineered tools that replicate Minitab's point-and-click statistical workflow?

On paper the split is clean. One is about improving the process so defects do not happen and the other is about catching them through inspection and test. In real workflows the line blurs.

Most of what I have seen comes from gaps earlier in the lifecycle rather than a failed test. Inconsistent change tracking and disconnected data and decisions made outside the formal system. By the time inspection catches it the fix is expensive. Do you separate the two or run them as one system?

What is the best laptop for IE classes in college? Been looking online but I can't find a clear answer.

Long story short my job (which I got with an EE bachelors) requires me to get a masters after a year of work (which job will help pay for yippee) and it’s pretty broad as to what I can pick to study (anything STEM pretty much). I’m thinking of straying from another EE degree and was thinking of doing an engineering management or industrial engineering degree as a way to expand my horizons and future job opportunities/possibilities. Definitely leaning toward IE as it feels slightly more quantitative of the two, but just wanted to ask some people’s perspectives. I’d be looking at schools around Boston or NY.

Thanks :)