I’m interested in software tools and the utility software you can't live without.
Some examples:
\\- CAD: SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, Inventor, Fusion 360, NX
\\- Simulation: ANSYS, Abaqus, COMSOL
\\- Electrical: Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD, LTspice, PSpice
\\- Controls: MATLAB/Simulink, LabVIEW
\\- PLC/SCADA: TIA Portal, Studio 5000, Ignition
\\- Programming: VS Code, Visual Studio, Eclipse
\\- Other engineering tools you use regularly
A few questions:
\\- Which software do you spend the most time in?
\\- What's the most repetitive or frustrating task you do every day?
\\- Is there a feature you've always wished existed but still doesn't?
\\- Are there tasks you still have to do manually because the software makes them painful?
thank you..

I am planning to daily read topics about system design starting from the basics, much like the LC daily that helps me stay on track. Anyone found resources similar to this?

FWIW, I tried many times in the past to read the DDIA book, but couldn't complete, primarily because I do not have to design systems end-end and may be the book is meant to be used as a reference of sort? (just my thoughts).

Hi System Engineers, and those who aspire to become one!

I'm currently studying the Systems Engineering Handbook v5 and was looking for a website with practice questions and mock exams. Unfortunately, the free options either didn't work or were of poor quality, while the better ones were hidden behind paywalls.

So I decided to build my own - completely free!

It's called sysTrainer.com and is based on the Systems Engineering Handbook v5. The questions are written in a style similar to the examples provided by INCOSE.

Since I haven't passed the ASEP exam yet, I'd really appreciate your feedback on the quality of the questions and whether you think this tool would be helpful for people preparing for the exam.

Any suggestions or comments are very welcome!

I'm doing some research to better understand the software engineers actually use in industry and where the biggest productivity pain points are.

I'm interested in both professional tools and the smaller utilities you can't live without.

Some examples:
\\- CAD: SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, Inventor, Fusion 360, NX
\\- Simulation: ANSYS, Abaqus, COMSOL
\\- Electrical: Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD, LTspice, PSpice
\\- Controls: MATLAB/Simulink, LabVIEW
\\- PLC/SCADA: TIA Portal, Studio 5000, Ignition
\\- Programming: VS Code, Visual Studio, Eclipse
\\- Other engineering tools you use regularly

A few questions:

\\- Which software do you spend the most time in?
\\- What's the most repetitive or frustrating task you do every day?
\\- Is there a feature you've always wished existed but still doesn't?
\\- Are there tasks you still have to do manually because the software makes them painful?
\\- If you could improve one engineering tool tomorrow, what would you add?

I'm especially interested in hearing from mechanical, electrical, civil, controls, embedded, HVAC, manufacturing, and automation engineers, but I'd love to hear from anyone.

Not trying to sell anything—I'm just trying to understand where engineers lose the most time so I can identify opportunities for better tools. Looking forward to hearing what drives you crazy every day.

Hi all. I am a rising senior majoring in physics but I am potentially interested in pursuing a master's in SE. Is this achievable? Is it worth it, will it be hard to find a job related to SE given that path? Will I be able to find opportunities in graduate school to further explore different areas of the field? Is it possible to get into a good master's program for SE given my major? I know I just asked a lot of questions, but any advice or helpful information would be greatly appreciated!

Title. I have received some good feedback for both programs, but curious to hear more so I can make a decision. Here is a breakdown of my situation:

1. I work full-time and this will need to be completed online & asynchronously

2. I have a young family (2 kids being less than 4 years old), so super busy.

3. This will be funded by the GI Bill (21 months of benefits left at 100%) The plan is to take 2 classes per semester.

4. Accepted to FSU already, and awaiting CSU's review (both for the start of Fall 2026)

FSU was the first to accept me into any graduate program. It's been "locked in" as my plan to go this way for awhile. I like how this program was co-developed by the US Navy. As a "former" Marine, it gives me that sense of American love and pride once again, as corny as that sounds. Obtaining the INCOSE exam waiver is a huge pull.

What draws me towards CSU is the opportunity to earn the graduate certificate in Human Systems Integration along the Masters of Engineering track. Both programs offer electives in Human Factors Engineering, but I feel like that certificate is a resume booster for my interests. This program, from my understanding, also grants the INCOSE exam waiver if you earn a 87% or greater in their intro to systems course.

Happy to hear any and all feedback for either program. Thank you to all who have answered my questions in DMs as well.

Hello All!

I’m an Electronics and Telecommunication from Asia (India).

I have good hold on Catia Magic v1/v2.
I have finished my internship at a very good company.

And I am a fresher

I’m applying for jobs but i’m getting no response
What should I do?

Hey all,

I'm in my final year of Aeronautical Engineering (India), and I've decided I want to go the Systems Engineering route instead of pure design/CAD work. Problem is, I have basically zero relevant skills right now — no CATIA, no SolidWorks, nothing. Starting from scratch.

My plan so far (open to being told I'm wrong):

Learn CATIA V5 basics first (figured I need to actually understand subsystems before I can "integrate" anything)

INCOSE Fundamentals of Systems Engineering course

Basic SysML / MBSE concepts

CSWA cert somewhere in there for resume screening

Targeting ESOs like QuEST Global, Cyient, Tata Technologies — not trying to get into ISRO/DRDO right out of the gate, just want a solid desk-based engineering role to start.

Opera Rubra uses the Pentivium as a working geometry of thought.
The old Trivium gives us Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric: how to name, reason, and speak. But thought does not end at speech. It has to become action, receive consequence, and return to the person who is aware, choosing, and willing.
So the Pentivium has five nodes:

Grammar — Identity, Pattern, Name
Grammar is the contact point. It asks: What is this? What pattern does it belong to? What do we call it?
Without Grammar, thought has no object. You are reacting to fog.

Logic — Syntax, Semantics, Consequence
Logic asks how things connect. Syntax is structure. Semantics is meaning. Consequence is what follows.
Without Logic, names float around without lawful relation.

Rhetoric — Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Rhetoric is communicable force. Ethos asks who is speaking. Pathos asks what is being moved. Logos asks whether the speech carries reason.
Without Rhetoric, truth may exist but fail to enter the public world.

Praxis — Intention, Execution, Feedback
Praxis is enacted thought. Intention is aim. Execution is action. Feedback is correction from reality.
Without Praxis, thought stays ornamental. It never risks contact with the world.

Presence — Awareness, Agency, Willpower
Presence is the living center. Awareness sees. Agency can act. Willpower sustains direction.
Without Presence, the system becomes mechanical: words, arguments, and actions with no sovereign subject behind them.

The geometry is simple.
There are five outer nodes. Each node contains three irreducibles, giving fifteen basic instruments of analysis.
Each node is a triangle, not a dot.
For example, Praxis is not merely “doing.” Praxis requires intention, execution, and feedback. If you have intention without execution, you have fantasy. If you have execution without intention, you have drift. If you have execution without feedback, you have repetition without learning.

The same applies to every node.
Grammar collapses if identity, pattern, or name is missing. Logic collapses if structure, meaning, or consequence is missing. Rhetoric collapses if speaker, emotional movement, or reason is missing. Presence collapses if awareness, agency, or willpower is missing.
Then the five nodes form a larger shape.

The ring shows the living cycle:
Grammar names reality.
Logic orders it.
Rhetoric communicates it.
Praxis tests it.
Presence receives the result and chooses again.
That is the basic motion.
But the Pentivium is not only a circle. It is also a star.

The pentagon shows sequence.
The pentagram shows cross-checks.

Grammar must be checked against Praxis. Are our names actually working in the world?
Logic must be checked against Presence. Is the reasoning serving awareness and agency, or has it become an abstract machine?
Rhetoric must be checked against Grammar. Are the words still attached to what is real?
Praxis must be checked against Rhetoric. Does the action communicate the intended meaning, or does it create a different message?
Presence must be checked against Logic. Is the will coherent, or merely intense?

This is where the geometry becomes useful.
The Pentivium does not just ask, “Is this true?” It asks, “Where is the truth breaking?”

A person can have strong Grammar and weak Logic. They see details but cannot connect them.

A person can have strong Logic and weak Rhetoric. They reason well but cannot speak in a way others can enter.

A person can have strong Rhetoric and weak Praxis. They sound powerful but do not enact what they say.

A person can have strong Praxis and weak Presence. They are effective but captured by habit, institution, appetite, or command.

A person can have strong Presence and weak Grammar. They feel sovereign but cannot accurately name the world they are standing in.
This also applies to institutions, governments, relationships, arguments, religions, businesses, and technologies.

A broken society often does not fail everywhere at once. It fails geometrically.
It names things falsely.
It reasons from corrupted premises.
It speaks persuasively without truth.
It acts without correction.
It strips people of awareness, agency, and will.
Opera Rubra is the red work of repairing that process.

The Pentivium irreducibles are not meant to be decorative categories. They are diagnostic tools. You can take any claim, policy, relationship, system, or argument and ask:

What is its Grammar?
What is its Logic?
What is its Rhetoric?
What is its Praxis?
What kind of Presence does it produce or require?

Then you can go deeper:
What identity is being named?
What pattern is being assumed?
What consequence follows?
Whose ethos is trusted?
What emotion is being moved?
What intention is declared?
What execution actually happens?
What feedback is ignored?
What awareness is expanded or suppressed?
What agency is created or removed?
What willpower is being disciplined, exploited, or destroyed?

That is the geometry.
Five nodes.
Three irreducibles each.
A ring for motion.
A star for correction.
A lattice for deeper diagnosis.

The point is not to memorize terms. The point is to create a disciplined way of seeing where thought becomes reality, where reality corrects thought, and where human beings either gain or lose agency in the process.

Hello. I’m a new grad in computer engineering. A few weeks back I started a “systems engineering” role in the defense industry. For the sake of anonymity I won’t disclose where. I’ve discovered that the kind of work differs quite radically from my expectations. It’s endless “requirements traceability/gathering” in DOORS and Microsoft Excel. People with the title of “engineer” spending all day getting paid to do what is essentially glorified, mindless data entry. That or sit in meetings all day, conducting “reviews” where the only “work” is to literally correct grammatical/formatting errors in Microsoft Word/Excel. No real, hands on, technically challenging engineering work whatsoever.

I’ve posted about this here before, and the usual response I get is to “stick it out a year” then start trying to find something else. My issue is that I don’t know how I can last an entire year in this kind of a role, or how I’m going to land ANY kind of new role, internally or externally, with this kind of experience if I can’t do anything technical. If all I have to show is requirements work. I am concerned that my role, and really my entire team, is also likely to be the first targeted by any potential layoffs in the future. It feels like easily outsourced work, given you could literally train a middle-schooler to sit and manually enter requirements into Excel and DOORS all day. There’s little to no skill involved, in my observation.

I’m really, really torn right now. I’ve had several people tell me point blank that my entire career is ruined. That it’s gonna be virtually impossible to do any hands on work unless I’m a senior engineer or above. That getting hired will be difficult if not impossible with requirements experience in my CV. Meanwhile, others have said doing work with requirements is useful and could serve as a good stepping stone towards helping me land better roles. Personally, I feel like this easily may set me behind a year or more in terms of my career progression. At this stage of my life, time is the most valuable asset, and so this is disappointing.

Another thing I don’t understand with systems engineering is why entry roles for it even exist in the first place. Like don’t you need years of actual technical design experience with a product before you can reliably understand the requirements for said product? It seems like a primarily later stage career path for seasoned engineers with a wide breadth of knowledge accumulated throughout their career, not a launching pad for the career of an entry level engineer. Like I don’t know how you make an actual impact in a systems engineering role, when most of the work requires built up knowledge of products/hardware/software you haven’t even had the chance to interact with in a technical engineering setting.

Obviously though, at the end of the day, a job is a job. Experience is experience, and in the current job market, I’m beyond grateful for anything at all. I have no intentions on quitting my role without something else lined up obviously. It’s just I want to be doing more actual engineering work while I’m still young. I went to university for 5 years for engineering, and to be stuck doing simple data entry tasks with no opportunities to apply any of the skills I learned in school feels like such an immense waste of so much money and time.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, particularly from any young engineers who may have started in this kind of role, but found their way into a better position for their second role. What tips would you give to someone like myself? Thank you!

There is a lot of overlap between the two, and there are several degrees called ‘industrial and systems engineering’. Both focus on the whole as opposed to individual parts. If you have a SE masters or PhD, did you consider IE? Are IE graduates often seen in SE roles?

I keep hearing mbse, traceability, digital engineering bla bla bla etc.
all these buzz words with no practical use case.
The answer i get is “we can capture all the architecture, do verification and validation etc etc “ when asked “what can be done using sysml”?
Can some just list me whats the benefit of using sysml. Why not just stick to simulation tools?
I am not just getting “Whats sysml even solving”…

Any recommendations for the best complete System Design course or YouTube playlist that covers everything from beginner to advanced?

Hi all,

Long story short, I got a BSc Physics, joined an accountancy firm, hated it, desired to get a technical role, liked airplanes and engineering, got and MSc in Aerospace Engineering, then applied to a lot of jobs.

Got an offer from a defence company (UK) as a graduate systems engineer.

Slightly worried I will not be doing anything technical, especially as that's why I left my previous job. Currently doing my dissertation this summer and have fallen in love with GNC (and avionics to a wider extent).

Any experience or advice?

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

This is more of an engineering question than a SaaS business question and I am confused about what solution is the correct one. I am building something that allows fellow SaaS developers to do Quota Enforcement in ther saas apps easily via SDK and a cloud platform to manage it.

What I am currently implementing is quite simple.

You as the dev know what your SaaS entities/resources are

(eg,

projects

- has notes

- has tasks

- has uploaded_pdf_files

imagine a tree like strucutre from the user as the root. when you build your pricing plans you will want to set quotas on some or all the resources for eg.

starter plan
- 5 projects

- 2 notes / project

- 3 tasks / project

- 10 uploaded files / project

my question is I am allowing the developer to build this tree on the platform, and then attach quota limits per plans. but now the question is once the dev goes to production with a let's call it tree V1, and then decides that "hey uploaded_pdf_files needs to be per user and not per project" and wants to move that out, then there's already production data generated for the users based on tree V1. how can I provide the dev a clean way to do this. or this is something that should not be my concern as the quota enforcement service? Any advice? maybe my idea of resource tree is wrong or I am looking at it the wrong way and it's too much tricky work to do migrate from tree v1 to v2

Hi, I need some help. I recently have a huge interest in system programming, but here the problem: there are very little ressources in the internet which talk about, even to search a simple roadmap of what to do, or how to find the first jobs, what the best practices and so on...I've tried to learn with IA(with many kind of LLM) but there are so many contradiction in what they said, and a lack of details. Now, I'm trying to find peoples who work in this domaine to ask so many questions that I haven't found a answer yet. So, I'm trying to ask if there are a subreddit or a discord server where I can found some resources and advice from experienced system programmer. Or else, can someone tell me who to be in relation with. Btw, have a good day.

Hi all,

I'm struggling to comprehend what purpose the problem domain white box has in the definition of system requirements. I'm right in thinking that system requirements generally frame the system as a black box right? so how does decomposing the system to reveal the inner behaviour help in system requirements definition? Is it there just to make sure you've got the correct black box behaviour specified?

Thanks!

Genuinely asking because I have been stuck on this for a while and I think I finally have the right words for it.

I got out of the Air Force after years working munitions systems. Not a software guy, not a traditional engineer, just someone who knew how to manage complex systems, people, and high stakes environments. Somehow that was enough to land a systems engineering role in defense and I worked hard, figured it out, and kept moving.

Now I have 10+ years across the Air Force, defense contracting, and medical devices. MBSE, CAMEO, DOORS, ICBM ground systems, nuclear surety, clinical V&V on medical imaging hardware. I have been the primary government POC on a multi-org defense program spanning primes, national labs, and Space Force installations. I ran end to end systems engineering on a surgical imaging feature from FMEA through clinical testing to field release at GE.

Now I am stuck in Utah and I still hate the field. The government customer dynamic, the tribal knowledge, the bureaucracy. I am done with it. But I have a family, a mortgage, real financial obligations. I cannot go backwards on pay and I am not willing to try.

The problem is my title history says systems engineer across the board even when the actual job was closer to program ownership and delivery leadership. Every time I apply to TPM, product, or something more senior I either get screened out or pulled back into SE.

Two things I am actually trying to figure out:

1. How did you break out of the SE title box into TPM, product, or anything else more lucrative? Internal move, targeted search, certifications, just applying aggressively? What actually worked?

2. For anyone who came out of DoD or defense contracting and got out for real, how did you do it? Not just rewording your resume. I want to land somewhere new and actually belong there on day one, not show up and fake it.

Bonus if you share what sector you landed in and whether it was worth it.

Looking forward to any feedback or stories.