What things are required to become the best in my field?

Hey Marium it's good to see more young Pakistani and Indian students getting involved on this platform.  I am really very sorry for some delay in replying. If you want to be the best in your field i.e. Mechanical Engineering and you want a good job in automobile industry after you graduate from university then first thing to remember is that "it's not going to be easy". And yes i MEAN It. You need to take great pains in order to ensure that you learn massive and complex designs involved in automobile industry. If you are ready to take panes and learn new things then you can achieve your goals for sure.

Automobile industries require mechanical engineers in different disciplines /attributes. Different departments of automobile engineering are automobile safety, fuel economy, vehicle dynamics, NVH engineering, performance, shift quality, durability, ergonomics engineering, climate control, drivability, and assembly. Then there are some automobile engineers who work as development engineers within automobile industry.

Now that you have got some idea about various disciplines and fields in mechanical engineering, here i would like to tell you some software which are essential for you:

1. Adobe Photoshop: It's a photo editing and graphic designing software. Quite easy to learn. Many tutorials are available on internet.
2. Autodesk Alias: It's an industrial design software needed for concept design and consumer product development.
3. Autodesk Showcase: This tool is widely used in automobile and mechanical engineering industry. It converts your engineering designs and concepts into 3D presentations and movies quite easily.
4. Autodesk SketchBook Designer: Used by artists for different illustrations.
5. Autodesk SketchBook Pro: This software is useful for automotive engineers as it transforms your computer into a sketch book and you can easily create different drawings on your PC.
6. AutoCAD: AutoCAD is one of the leading industry solutions for complex CAD projects. Have you learned it already? If not then go for it.
7. CATIA: CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite. The latest releases are CATIA V5 and CATIA V6. This is the best tool and software to learn for all automobile engineers and mechanical engineers. All the latest cars are being designed using this software. You must learn this software in order to be the best in your field and to be the best automobile engineer.
8. Pro:Engineer (Pro E): Targeted to 3D product designs. I think you might have already learned and used this software in your college or university.
9. Solid Edge: 2D/3D CAD software used on a wide scale in automobile engineering.
10. Autodesk 3ds Max: Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio Max, is 3D computer graphics software for making 3D animations, models, and images. It's is a modern tool and you must learn it as well.

If you learned these softwares then i can assure you that you will get a dream job in whatever automobile manufacturing industry you desire. As i am currently in my final semester of study here in Pakistan, so i have already got an idea of job market within Pakistan. There are very few jobs every year. Rate of engineers graduating every year is increasing and number of jobs offered in mechanical engineering is decreasing. Getting a quality job is very competitive. You can only survive if you can outperform others. At the end of your engineering education, you and all of your batch mates will be having same kind of Resumes and CVs to showcase to the industry. You can only make a difference if you can show that difference to the potential employers. There are hundreds of graduates applying for a job from which employers will only hire one graduate. It will make no difference to them if you will have same skills as others graduating with you. You can only make yourself prominent if you have some extra skills to show them.

So try to learn maximum softwares from the list above. Try to participate in maximum competitions. Do participate in extracurricular activities. Join student clubs and societies in your university. It helps you gain leadership qualities and teaches you team work. In the end it's not only your education, CGPA or skills that matter. Your personality, communication and presentation skills play vital role above all that.

 Good luck with your Mechanical Engineering education and automobile engineering degree

Well i quite agree to what bhatti said above. Still I think his comment is a bit harsh. It gives a feeling as if automobile engineering and mechanical engineering are very tough. Believe me it is not. If you followed the instructions given above, you will definitely reach your goals one day.

You being a female engineer, when i read your statement above, i thought i must stay and give my comments being a senior engineer with same gender. It is really very bad situation that they did not involve you in their team. Didn't you talk to your dean or head of the project? To be a successful mechanical or automobile engineer, you need to take steps to for your rights. It was your interest that brought you to this field. Now you have to fight and prove that you can perform better than even boys if you are given a chance. Make a written statement in which you must highlight your skills and abilities which make you perfect to fit in that team and i hope your dean will definitely help you.

If you want to perform so best academically that you get a job before you graduate, then you really need to work hard from first day. People these days don't study because they are interested in it. Rather they choose engineering education because they want a degree in it.

In the automobile engineering softwares listed above by bhatti, i would recommend you to pay more attention to AutoCAD, Pro Engineer and CATIA and Solid Edge. Rest of the softwares are secondary and they can be learnt within industry based on their requirement. I hope you will become a great automobile engineer and innovate many new solutions for the betterment of this earth. My best wishes are with you.