Behind the career: Mechanical Engineering

Being a mechanical engineer - Diana

Diana

Mechanical Engineering ELT (AutoCAD/BIM Detail) at Viaduct Sheet Metal Ltd. 

Since immigrating to Canada from Columbia, Diana’s curiosity towards learning how things work lead to her decision to pursue mechanical engineering at UBC. Even when the people around her encouraged her to take on “easier” paths, she did not let their doubts stop her from pursuing her passion. After working hard to reach all the admission requirements, she successfully transferred into her dream program. During her undergraduate career, Diana was motivated to make the most of her time, being heavily involved in Club Mech and even having dinner with UBC President Santa Ono as a student speaker at her convocation! 

Soon after graduating, Diana worked as a Slidepath Designer, designing over 100 water slides around the world. However, Diana’s confidence took a hit when she lost her job to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, Diana says she learned one of the biggest lessons in her engineering journey during these challenging times: how to accept failures. 

“Learning quickly how to [overcome failure] and how it impacted me pretty much allowed me to learn about myself and what my priorities were” she recalls. “I learned from this experience how to push for my priorities and stand up to defeat.”

Club Mech  

Another factor that helped Diana in her career search was her degree. One of the reasons Diana pursued mechanical engineering was because of the diverse portfolio it brings. “Going in to [the MECH program] I wanted the ability to change careers if I needed to and rely on all the background knowledge I learned from school. I used to design waterslides for a living and now I work in the construction industry!” She exclaims. “I am ready for the new adventure and learning how to adjust to this new field.” 

If Diana could tell her younger self anything, she would tell herself: “Be patient. Everything will turn out the way it is supposed to be and “why.” You do not know the “why” now, but eventually you will. Just be patient and push through!” 

Two UBC mechanical engineering students prepare for the autonomous landing platform competition.

Mechanical Engineering

As a student in UBC’s Mechanical Engineering stream, you’ll begin by mastering the fundamentals, building a knowledge base in solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, vibrations, heat transfer, controls and design.

Mechanical Engineering

UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm people (Musqueam; which means 'People of the River Grass') and Syilx Okanagan Nation. The land has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam and Syilx peoples, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history and traditions from one generation to the next.

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