Everyone needs some relaxing activities from time to time, engineers are no exception. In this post, you will find many hobbies for engineers, in the first section, there are engineering-related hobbies, in the second section you will find other hobbies and interests ideas that engineers may enjoy as well.
Why you should have a hobby? Hobbies will take you away from the stresses, keep your mental health in good condition, help to develop new skills, and socialize you with other like-minded people.
What hobbies do engineers have? Before you start browsing the below list of hobbies for engineers, check out my favorite three.
Editor’s choice:
3-D Printing – Creality Ender 3 3D Printer
Gardening – Hydroponic Indoor Garden
Robotics – Tiny AI-Powered Mobile Robot for Home Monitoring
Engineering-Related Hobbies
Many engineers find engineering-related hobbies interesting and knowledgeable. So, here you will find hobbies like 3D printing, railroad modeling, or RC modeling, scroll down and you will find more hobbies like this.
Convert Bike to Electric
This is for engineers who like to spend time on a bicycle and thinking of converting the existing bike to electric. This is a totally possible and great DIY project, this could be one of the best hobbies for electrical engineers.
You can do it in many ways, you can fit a powered wheel, attach a drive unit to the bottom bracket, fit a motor above the rear wheel or conceal it in the seat post. Do your research and choose the best option for you, check these conversion kits, just to inspire you.
Building Electrical DIY Gadgets
With a basic knowledge of electrical engineering, you can start making DIY custom projects. There are many simple electronic gadgets you can make at home.
You shouldn’t have problems while gathering the required components, you can even use the parts from discarded appliances. Start with a basic electric circuit and make a DIY desk lamp, you can build a home computer or stereo mixer, options are endless. Search for more hobbies that involve building things.
Convert Car to Electric
Following is another great hobby for engineers. If you decide to convert your car to electric first you will have to decide what voltage the system will run at.
This decision will determine how many batteries you will need and the controller and motor the car will use. Most commonly engineers use a DC controller and a DC motor. This is no quick and easy hobby so you will have to plan well and search a lot.
If you do an online search you will find many sites that will recommend where to get parts and how to do it properly.
Start Car Restoring
Many engineers will find restoration to be an interesting and fun hobby, in fact, this is one of the most popular hobbies of mechanical engineers.
If you ever restored any car before you would know that this is a complex hobby. The problem is, even if you know where to get started, you don’t always have the time or energy to do things properly.
Before you start your new project, speak to people who deal with classic cars regularly, and do some research online. After you have done enough research, determine a budget, make a detailed plan, you can start with your first restoring project.
Model Anything
In case you are an engineer that is fascinated with modeling you have many options to choose from. For instance, you can model cars, make architectural models, model figures, or rail transport models.
All you need to start with modeling is material and tools, I advise you that you look for different modeling kits, or simply use matchsticks.
And just one more little thing before you dig deeper into modeling, before doing anything you will need a detailed plan on how you’ll build your model. That’s it, find your passion, and start modeling.
Start Railroad Modeling
For engineers, starting a model railroading hobby shouldn’t be too complicated, actually, it is one of the preferred hobbies for civil engineers. Before anything, decide on the physical size of the trains that interest you. Most modelers start with a 4 x 8-foot layout, as that’s the common sheet size for plywood.
When you shop for model trains look for good value and check out the entire range of products available, focus on quality. Follow NMRA ( National Model Railroad Association) standards so trains from many manufacturers would be interchangeable.
If you wish to simultaneously control multiple trains you would need DCC (Digital Command Control). If you are interested start a layout and let the fun begins.
Get into Remote-controlled Airplanes, Cars, Boats
It is a simple machine that is operated by a hand-held radio transmitter. With RC models you are able to choose between airplanes, cars, and boats, each category contains numerous models. This industry is expanding very fast and there are more and more different remote-controlled models available.
You might think it is a too geeky hobby, but it’s not that complicated. Start with a simple project like building with a pre-pared RC kit, this is a good starting point to learn how to use the required tools and needed parts to repair, tune, and upgrade.
Maybe someday in the future, you will want to build your own radio device too, which is totally doable.
Try 3-D Printing
With a 3D printer and computer, you can easily make great three-dimensional products from plastic. This kind of modeling is not cheap, the basic 3D printer will cost around 300 bucks.
Further on, you need to count on the cost of printing material. Basic 3D printers use plastic, but it can also print out of silver, titanium, steel, wax, glass-filled polyamide, and more.
Tinker With a Car
You need to build it before you can drive it, I am sure you heard this expression before. If you like tinkering with cars become an amateur auto mechanic.
You can change the car oil and tires by yourself if you know the procedure. You might not get paid to do it, but surely you will save a few dollars.
Next, you can design or buy car gadgets and build them into your car, for instance, a radar detector or mirror dash camera. With a little improvisation, you can even build a sunglasses holder or back seat organizer.
Start with Recreational Flying
Maybe you are flying regularly on your business trips and thinking about becoming a pilot. Maybe you already fly a remote-controlled airplane and thinking to break in the real thing. Maybe you are just fascinated by aircraft.
In order to become a recreational pilot, you will need to practice flying and pass exams, when you are ready you’ll get a recreational pilot certificate. Recreational flying is a fun and exciting hobby for every enthusiast that likes adrenalin, but it’s not cheap.
Make Something Out of Metal
Blacksmithing, welding, creating practical things, creating metal sculptures; if you like these activities you like metalworking and it might be the right hobby for you.
Get to know about iron materials and explore the right tools for your needs. It all depends on what your project is, maybe you will need a grinding machine, anvil, arbor press, or drill bushing.
As this is a heavy-duty activity, get safety equipment first, only after that start pounding with a hammer.
Try Woodworking
Want to build something with your hands? First, you have to build up confidence and basic skills. Be safe, always wear safety equipment and appropriate clothing, avoid loose clothing. Always work against the cutter and before you change the blade be sure to disconnect power.
After you took care of the safety you can start building out of the wood. Start with small projects, after you get some experience you can go after bigger projects.
Visit Crowd-Funding Websites
Two of the leading websites that are involved in the crowdfunding industry are Kickstarter and Indiegogo. These sites are a really good resource in case you have no idea what to do in your pastime.
Visit the sites and observe what is trending, maybe you will get some ideas for your next DIY project. Browsing crowdfunding websites could be one of the preferred hobbies for engineering students.
Get Into Robotics
You can’t do robotics without knowing anything about electronics, that’s why I recommend this hobby to engineers. Still, to have a good start in robotics, you will need to start growing your knowledge. start to learn how to program by starting small.
There are many resources available online, if you are totally illiterate I would suggest LEGO Mindstorms. In case you are still interested, go, and start planning for a robot that will actually do something.
Start Programming
Want to become an active player in the field of tech development? To start programming you’ll need to choose a programming language (Python, HTML), and learn syntax. It can take some time to get familiar with specific languages, but there are plenty of resources that can help you with that.
You will find sites like Codecademy, Google Code Jam, CodingBat, to be helpful as well. There will be times when you will feel lost, for this reason joining a community and ask for help. Search for more computer-related hobbies.
Fixing, Restoring, and Collecting Pinball Machines
Did you know that Pack Man Pinball from 1980 is worth a little less than 11 billion dollars? This is crazy, right? Pinball machines are expensive, large, and heavy.
But if you are an electrical engineer you will discover how easy it is to open up the machine and access the playing surface. Fixing and restoring pinball machines is a rewarding hobby and it can make some money. If you just found your new hobby, go check some used pinballs and start your first project.
Creative and Fun Hobbies for Engineers
The following hobbies are relaxing and easy-going while doing these you will rest your brain and put your body in action. In this section, you will find fishing, hiking, or brewing beer, scroll down and you will find more.
Get into Motorcycling
There are no airbags or seat belts on motorcycles, which means that one mistake could cost you a life. Before anything, you will need a driving license. To ensure your safety, start with basic rider classes, they will provide instruction and the motorcycle for you to use.
With patience and practice, it won’t be long before you feel comfortable seating on a motorcycle. After you learned how to ride a motorcycle, consider safety gear and a motorbike. Starting out with a smaller motorbike will help you become a better motorcyclist more quickly.
Try Gaming
Following is another good hobby for engineers. From sports to shooting games, gaming genres are endless. If you don’t know where to start, find the most popular games online and watch a few Twitch streams.
When you decided what game to play, you can play it all by yourself, or you can find someone to play with. In case you need advice search for communities of gamers on social media platforms and ask your question.
Get into Music
Learning music theory and playing an instrument will enhance your cognitive function and help with the stress. In the beginning, it will be hard, but If you spent your life listening to a variety of music you will find chord progressions and common motifs easier to understand.
You can learn on your by searching for video or audio lessons, you will find a lot of them on YouTube. The easiest way to learn music is to take private lessons, but it’s not the cheapest option. When you feel like it, start to play in groups, or just jam with friends. Music is the best!
Try Writing
Do you want to share your amazing stories while being an engineer? Well, writing might be the right hobby for you. To start writing you need to answer some questions first.
Find out what is the best time for you to write, early in the morning or at night. Find out what makes you comfortable while writing and stick with that. Writing is not easy, It requires passion, blood, and heart just like any other serious hobby.
Start Hunting
Before you go on your first hunt there are some important things you need to do before. First, you need to decide on what kind of hunting you’d like to start. No matter what kind of hunting you choose, you’ll need a hunter’s safety certification, only after that consider hunting equipment.
When buying your first hunting gear don’t buy starting items, use quality gear so you can stay safe in the woods. The day you decide to go hunt, leave early in the morning and take good care of your safety.
Try Fishing
This is another hunting hobby that I want to suggest. If you like nature-related hobbies you will love fishing. In order to fish in the US, you need a fishing license, don’t try to fish illegally, you will face fines and could have your equipment confiscated.
After you have your license you will need some essential equipment. To determine what rod you need, think about the size and species of fish you want to catch.
Start Cooking
Put your engineering knowledge on the test in the kitchen. Cooking is not only preparing a meal but it can also be a hobby. Try to bake bread every day, relax while doing it, and eat healthier. In the summer you can try a barbecue while enjoying the outdoors, many men find a really good time while standing in front of a grilling device. Make cooking a social hobby and Invite family and friends, it could be a lot of fun for children too since they can learn all about food and how to prepare it. If you dare to experiment, cooking will become more like science hobby.
Plant Something
Gardening can be a great hobby for the whole family. It is a very unique and satisfying feeling when you take care of your plants and watch them grow. Decide what you want to plant vegetables, herbs, or fruits and experiment while gardening. Use different technics for tillage and figure out which are the most appropriate. If you have any, encourage your kids to help, they can plant their own plants, play in the dirt, and explore the soil.
Tabletop gaming
Once you start to play and explore tabletop games you will discover that options are endless. The best-known games that are played behind the table are probably cards, you can also play them by yourself (solitaire).
If board gaming interests you, you will be able to find more of them on the internet. Quickly you will find also other like-minded people to share your interest. So, roll the dice…
Try Stained glass
If you are looking for a hobby that you can do with your hands this is the right for you. So, what is stained glass? Stained glass is colored glass that can be used on the windows, doors, bathrooms, or wherever you want to light the room colorful. Making a stained glass is a slow and very precise process, it must be done by hand completely. Before you begin, learn by watching some videos and tutorials that you can find online, find someone who is already involved in this activity, or attend some workshops.
Start Brewing beer
Nowadays, brewing beer is quite a popular hobby, it is a simple procedure: prepare, brew, ferment, and bottle. Beer is always made from the same ingredients, hops, grains, yeast, and water, all you need to do is to find the right recipe for your taste. There are many good resources on how to brew beer. You will even find some older books if you want to get »old school« tips.
Remember, you don`t need to spend a fortune on equipment at the beginning. There are starting kits available for a reasonable price. First, try out and decide if this is something that you like doing.
Get into Hiking / Camping
If you are tired of spending time inside, choose a hobby related to nature, like hiking. Let me remind you right away, don’t go hiking without checking the weather forecast, you don’t want to put yourself in dangerous situations.
If no stormy weather is predicted, then plan your hike (full day or just a few hours hike). Be aware that some hiking paths are more demanding and require the ability to survive on steep rocky ground. If you don’t hike a lot, choose easy trails, especially if you hike with your children.
If you have time and resources to stay in nature for more than one day try camping. Sleeping under the stars, and cooking over an open fire will connect you with nature.
Did I overlook something?
These are just a few hobbies for engineers. I am sure there are many more activities that engineers would enjoy. There are numerous different hobbies out there, on this forum, you can find which are the most popular among the engineers. I’d love to hear what’s your hobby, share your ideas for a new hobby.
