I created the YouTube channel Engineering Explained. It now has over 100,000 subscribers, and pays my rent. AMA!

I like your top 10 benefits of getting your car stolen. I needed a good laugh; thanks.

Haha cheers. We can all use some good vibes when life gives you lemons. Or a trashed stolen vehicle with cigarette ash all over. Still smells. :(

Edit:spelling

That was hilarious. And you looked PISSED! You might not have been, but it was still a nice April Fools special. Certainly better than Nissan's April Fools joke where they announced the "Limo-Z" -_-

Haha yeah everyone says I looked pissed. I honestly wasn't. The whole thing with my car getting stolen really didn't bother me. The one thing I was unhappy with was the cigarette ash. If you're going to steal my car, at least ash out the window... common courtesy right?

on the bright side, you ended up with a sti!

It smells so much better.

So I understand your background is mechanical engineering, yeah?

I watch your channel alot and your videos have helped me understand engine concepts and alot of other car related engineering substantially better than textbooks and other written sources have! For that, I am grateful.

My question is, since you call your channel "engineering explained" do you ever plan to do videos on non car-related engineering subjects? Hydraulic systems for example...water-pumps...etc etc?

Also just a minor sub-question: Are you employed as an engineer? If so, what is your job title and what day to day activities do you undertake? I am a design engineer at a heavy plant manufacturer for the quarry industry.

The original goal of the channel was to be fairly vague, just covering anything engineering related (Here's a strange example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq5D4EQaJkE). My passion kind of took over, and I started getting pretty in-depth solely on automotive topics.

I work as a test engineer for a forklift company. Day to day is a bit of research, hands-on testing, and some data crunching/documentation. Sometimes a quick test can provide engineers with a great amount of useful info, so that's where I come in.

Very nice. I recently just left a test engineering job at an aircraft seating company. Testing their structures dynamically and statically, number crunching and reports. I left because i got pigeon-holed into other stuff.

I remember watching that video when you first posted it. I kinda guessed that your passion had taken over since the vast majority of videos since that have all been on car structures or systems. I suppose its a testament to the design and engineering of cars these days that there is soo much theory and engineering to be explained and learned in order to fully appreciate how a car works.

Thanks for replying, i looks forward to many more videos. Have you done a video on power steering ? (either you have and i've missed it, or you havent but im just too lazy to look....it is Sunday after all)

Here's what I have on steering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Y14AejfQU

Sundays are meant for relaxing, I'd recommend watching it tomorrow. :)

does youtube ad split pay the most or corporate sponsorships?

Solely YouTube ads, at least right now.

would you rather take up sponsorships to control the ads and ad experience, or are just happy to have youtube deal with it?

Well, one thing some people don't realize (though likely everyone here is better informed) is that ads are targeted to the viewer, not necessarily the channel itself (though this can happen to). Google will do a much better job of showing you things you want to see (and buy) then say an automotive sponsor. If I had my way, I'd live off of donations, and get rid of the ads, but I don't believe that would work.

well one reason for a content producer to pick the sponsor is that the producer is an actual fan of the sponsor's product or service and their values are aligned. google can better target the viewer but they could be blasting nickelback promos before your video (sorry if you are a nickelback fan but I just picked the first band that came to mind that most people would be offended to have their video in proximity to)

I think we can all agree, Nickelback Promos are what everyone wants to see.

Have you considered giving Patreon a try for the donation thing?

I will have to check that out, I've never heard of it to be honest!

Something I've always wondered.... if, after 5 seconds, I "skip" the pre-roll ad...do you still get paid for an ad impression, or do you get nothing and the advertiser pays nothing? I'll stop skipping ads on my favorite channels if they don't get paid for me skipping it.

If you skip, no $$ for the channel. I'm not sure if the advertiser still pays, but I don't believe they do. I always have the option of skipping ads, because frankly ads are annoying. Of course, there are other solutions to not having ads, but I still feel like the option to skip should be there for those who don't use these solutions.

The 5 second "skip" countdown can be disabled by the channel? Also, good to know, thanks. There are some youtubers out there that I really like and from now on I won't skip their prerolls!

Yes, you can force the ad to play in its entirety. Probably would make more money doing so, but at the risk of losing viewers. I typically don't watch videos that force me to watch the whole ad. 30 seconds is a long time if you're only somewhat interested in the video.

...but if you get no money from people skipping, and assuming just about everyone skips the video (since they're often 30+ seconds long, while skipping can be done after 7 or so), that means you're showing people ads without getting money for it? Wouldn't it be better to have the ads be on (and non-skippable) every once in a while?

I suppose, though the only option YouTube shows is to allow skipping or to not allow skipping.

if you are big channel and partnered you will get paid if people skip them after 5 seconds, smaller channels and smalled networks usualy will pay a bit less if people skip them, as I see you are not partnered, I would suggest to look into networks and get one, they pay highter CPM per 1k ads and give other benefits.

I am partnered. Just not with a Network, haven't found one that provides true value yet. Most just want a piece of the pie, unfortunately.

I can see that, considering the theme of your channel its harder to find a good network, its way easyer to find a good network in gaming market etc.

Well, there are dozens of networks out there, and plenty that are automotive based. But honestly they just want a 80/20 split and none can prove that they'll provide any real benefit. "Higher CPM" but none will guarantee it. "More views" but none guarantee it. You'll notice a lot of bigger channels move away from Networks, if they ever joined them in the first place.

Do you want to build a snowman

It's sunny and dry outside my apartment. But from time to time building a snowman is enjoyable.

Thank you for the great channel and tutorials, it's awesome to see some fairly complex concepts explained in a thorough yet concise manner. You have mentioned being a test engineer; could you please describe your role and general day to day activities? Would you recommend the avenue to engineering students who are leaving university, or is it a path that requires more experience to get into?

I think test engineering is probably one of the more exciting positions an engineer can have. I've only been in this position for 2 months, as I recently switched positions in my company. Day to day means applying various tests to the equipment I work with. Does it overheat under x conditions, can changing y variable improve efficiency, can said item handle z load, and what will the deflection be, etc. It's learning with physical objects, rather than purely simulation, which makes it interesting for me. I'd recommend it to any engineer.

Edit: word

That's really exciting to hear, I'm starting a 12 month internship as a design engineer this summer but my graduate paths are still very open to me and I'm not really sure what field to begin in. Test engineering does look like good fun and very varied, thanks for the insight :)

Awesome, best of luck with your internship!

Hey EE no question here just wanted to say you're awesome keep up the great work also can you squeeze in a video on how emergency brakes work? Also fuel pumps and why the liter per hour is important :D username relevant to your new car ;)

Hopefully one day! Loving my UEL headers!

How's the Youtube business working out for you? Some say it doesn't pay, some say they're gold.

It's not a simple get rich fast business, but it has steadily grown since I first created it. I do recommend making a channel to nearly everyone, as what's the worst that could happen? It's free!

what's the worst that could happen?

Ugh. So many bad ideas germinate with that phrase.

Haha, but seriously what is the worst that could happen when making a YouTube channel that goes unrecognized? Time wasted. But not really, you'll probably learn something from the experience.

What would your dream job be if money wasn't a concern?

I'd probably own a race track, and do tests and comparison with today's vehicles, and also test different items and show whether or not they do what the claim to do. Ex: tire testing - which tires stop the fastest, hold the most lateral g's, have the lowest rolling resistance, last the longest, etc.. But with everything, not just tires. If someone wants to donate a couple billion to make this a reality, I'm in.

This would be great for my Potty Racers technique

Always trying to improve my experience on the potty. I hate that word.

Have you ever met any famous Youtuber, like in vidcon or any other places?

I have not attended VidCon, though I thought about it last year. I don't know how amped people would be at an event like this, for an educational channel. Never met any famous YouTubers, though I've messaged with EricTheCarGuy and Saabkyle04 a bit on their success and building their channels.

Hi, thanks for doing this, will definitely be looking at some of your videos later. What is your experience of making money from youtube?. Ideally how much you make and on what payment structure?

Making money via YouTube is definitely not easy. I've had my channel for nearly 3 years now, and only recently has it consistently paid for rent (and a little extra). It's against YouTube's terms and conditions to say how much you make, but with a little Google dive (or YouTube ranking websites) you can get estimates, which throw out a very general number of about $2 per 1,000 views. It's a rough estimate, and depends completely on the topic you post about, as well as the time of year (There are more advertisers in December than January, for holidays).

Do you watch car reviews channels on Youtube?

Such as? I enjoy Motortrend, Nismo actually has a really cool channel (regardless of the fact that we've collaborated) - gets an in depth look at their racing programs, Red Bull, Go Pro, and... well... I watch my fair share of kitten vines.

Hi, I have a huge appreciation for your videos! They're very informative and well laid out. What inspired you to start making youtube videos?

I wanted something other than a GPA to put on my resume, in hopes of one day getting a job. I can't say job searching is easy, but YouTube definitely helped me get a job!

So...who's the greatest engineer throughout all human history?

(no 'depends' allowed)

Well, a couple obvious choices would be Newton or Tesla. But it's the 21st century, so what the hell. I'll say the greatest is Elon Musk, simply because of his ability to foreshadow a problem, think of an all encompassing solution, and actually follow through with the creation of his solutions. He's an incredibly inspiring man, and if you haven't yet watched the Bloomberg Risk Takers on him on Netflix, I highly recommend doing so.

Just watched one of your vids, loved it! You won another subscriber! :D

My question is the following - have you ever thought of doing a mashup with other popular channels, like /Drive or Motor Trend (I haven't watched all your vids, excuse me if you already have!), something like EpicMealTime did with Jay Leno? I think it'd be awesome!

Thanks for subscribing! It's looking like collaborations may start becoming more common. Here's a video I just did last month with Nismo's channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz4eDaC5vCc

Collaborations can be challenging though. It's difficult to get someone's attention, and your channel has to be fairly successful for people to be willing to try it out.

Loved that video! Looks like binge-watching is in order :D

Thanks! Don't watch too much, some of them contain math and are absurdly boring. :)

Hey EngineeringExplained,

First off, I love your videos! I've learned a ton from them...more then I ever imagined. I think most of my car knowledge comes from them. Oh, btw, I'm the guy who suggested the Aerodynamics videos-thanks so much for taking the time to make them!

So anyways, I'm going to study Mechanical Engineering in the fall, and I had 2 questions.

1. Do you have any advice for me, academics-wise? (Like how much of my attention should be on school vs work/internships, and is Formula SAE worth my time? Like, a LOT of people do it...)

2. I really want to get a job at a performance division (SRT, ///M, Nismo, etc.) What types of jobs could lead to a career with them? Or is it not all that feasible/there are better alternatives?

Thanks for hosting this AMA. Keep up the videos!

Very welcome for the Aero videos, thanks for the suggestion! On that topic, I'll have a video very soon on the Nismo GT3, explaining all of the aerodynamic bits on it. I think you'll really enjoy it, as it's probably more of what you were looking for (splitters, side skirts, dive planes, hood vents, naca ducts, etc..)

Onto your questions:

1. This is the best advice I can give regarding academics: http://www.howdoesacarwork.com/p/should-i-become-mechanic-mechanical.html Also, you want a balance. Don't put all your focus on grades. Unfortunate as it may be, there are plenty of high GPA engineers out there looking for work. To set yourself apart, I think there are two critical things you have to portray to whoever is hiring: A. You can communicate well. Not just on engineering topics, basic conversation, be personable. B. Work on something related to your interests outside of work, and talk about it during interviews. Mine is YouTube, I bring it up in interviews every chance I get. People want to know you're passionate about what you study - having side projects shows this! FSAE is completely worth your time.

2. I don't have all the keys here unfortunately. It's challenging, which doesn't mean it's impossible. When I was in London with Nismo I met a 23 year old who had just joined their team as a race engineer. He had an internship with them, and went to school for motorsports engineering. Just don't stop trying is my best advice. People become complacent and this prevents them from moving forward. Maintain passion and you'll get there. My girlfriend and I are good examples. We work constantly towards our goals. I spent a recent three day weekend (which I get very few of in the professional world) completely working on YouTube videos.

That's not to say you shouldn't enjoy life. Some things are better than a good job - this goes into the whole "being complacent" argument.

If you could have gotten the EVO X instead of the STI, would you have taken it? You really seem to love the STI, so I'm guessing not..

Considering they're both in the same price range, it was definitely an available option. I went with the STI for a few reasons.

1. Hatchback

2. Six speed manual

3. Subaru is doing well in the US. They have a solid reputation for reliability, and aren't going anywhere. Mitsubishi's not doing well in the US at all. (But mostly the first two reasons).

Im thinking (seriously) about engineering studies. I do not know what to choose mechanical engineering or transport engineering. Do you know what is the difference between these two? (I LOVE cars and everything, that has an engine). I would be thankful for your answer :)

Here's some advice I have to give: http://www.howdoesacarwork.com/p/should-i-become-mechanic-mechanical.html

Regarding mechanical vs transport - mechanical would be studying the engineering of any moving machines. Transport would be more similar to civil engineering - city planning for efficient routing, etc.

Hi, I'm currently studying mechanical engineering (study break for finals right now) and I was wondering what sort of advise you have upcoming engineers, what helped you the most in order to get where you are now?

If you haven't yet read this, I'd recommend it. http://www.howdoesacarwork.com/p/should-i-become-mechanic-mechanical.html

If you're about to hit the interview process, here's my advice (quoted from above) -

You want a balance. Don't put all your focus on grades. Unfortunate as it may be, there are plenty of high GPA engineers out there looking for work. To set yourself apart, I think there are two critical things you have to portray to whoever is hiring: A. You can communicate well. Not just on engineering topics, basic conversation, be personable. B. Work on something related to your interests outside of work, and talk about it during interviews. Mine is YouTube, I bring it up in interviews every chance I get. People want to know you're passionate about what you study - having side projects shows this!

The look on your face when you finally floored your STi in the video you did for it convinced me to buy an STi myself... and I enjoy it very much. Thanks for that.

Hahaha this is awesome, congrats on your new ride!!

Hey dude, really appreciate your videos, they're what really sparked my interest as far as automotive engineering is concerned. Was just wondering - were you ever involved in formula SAE, or any other student projects? If so - did you find them useful as a learning experience?

I was not, but I do highly recommend doing it. You'll learn a ton, and employers like to see this kind of thing. It also gives you something to talk about, ownership-wise, in interviews.

What are your plans for the sti? In your review video you make it kind of seem like no mods are in it's future...is this the truth?

Though eventually I will modify it, it probably won't be soon unless a third party gets involved and wants to collaborate. I'm going to enjoy the warranty on the STI for now, and start messing around with the Integra (as a learning tool). I'm sure one day I'll get the itch, and have some fun with upgrading the STI. :)

I love your videos! any plans for videos of yo working on your new car ? i love the theory videos but would love to see that too !

Thanks! Glad you like the videos - I do have big plans for videos on my cars. I'll be starting with the Integra, as I feel it's a good place to start learning - don't want to break my new Subaru! My Integra is going to be the project car of my channel, with anything being a possibility - this video hasn't been uploaded yet, but will in the next few months. That's where I'll be taking suggestions for what to do to it.

Hi Jason, can you do more diesel/truck videos? Perhaps you can talk about emissions control equipment, fuel systems, air brakes, suspension. Also do you like or have you ever owned any diesel engines?

Diesels are awesome, wish they were more common stateside. More videos on the subject (as well as trucks) may be in the future - suggestions are always welcome so thanks.

How did you grow a following off youtube? I know people always say put up qualitiy work and people will come.

Post consistent material, with consistent timing. Have a theme, and try not to vary much from it. If you want people to follow you, your channel has to have it's niche. Quality work is good, yes, but it's important to be consistent. I post a video every week on how cars work. It's one sentence that very predictably tells my audience what they're going to get, so if they like the topic, they may end up following.

Thank you for the videos!

Very welcome, thanks for watching!

How much do you make?

See response to "Donotscratchyoureyes"

Hey man, really enjoy the videos. Do you have any engineering qualifications or just a keen interest?

I have a bachelors of science in mechanical engineering, from NC State University. I currently work as a test engineer.

Do you need a special account on youtube to get paided? Lets say i made a page today and uploaded 3 videos and got a million hits on each and a million followers. What would be the next step to start getting paid?

Not anymore. You used to have to be accepted into the partner program, "back in my day." Now anyone can monetize their videos I believe. So if your hypothetical situation worked out, you'd probably pocket a few thousand dollas.

Did you ever think the channel would get as big as it has, when you first started?

Absolutely not. I just wanted something that I could put on a resume that shows I invest some of my free time in educating people. I think when I first started applying to jobs I had somewhere around 2,000 subscribers. It's awesome how well received its been, and so long as people continue to enjoy the videos, I'll continue to make them!

I'm a hearing impaired here. Thank you for adding subtitles to your videos. I want to know the process you used for creating them and syncing with the Youtube videos.

Wow, I'm super glad they work for you, but unfortunately they're auto-captions created by Google, and are probably often a bit off. There is a way in YouTube you can type the words as they're said to have them sync up, or upload a file, but I've never actually done any of it. I'm hoping to go through and at least get them done in English, but it's a fairly tedious process so I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.

Hmm interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p91gmhlPNo was auto captioned ? AFAIK, auto captions don't show up when a video is loaded at the start unless someone hits on the Captions button. Hence was curious!

Ahh, I think you've found the only one that is not auto captioned. I didn't make them though, a subscriber did and simply sent me the file (very kind). There are a few others with captions in different languages, but the vast majority are just auto.

How do clicker pens work?

Too advanced, no idea.

I was honestly hoping for this response

Excellent, because I was pretty nervous of the backlash. I certainly don't have all the answers.

Where did you go to school?

NCSU! Wolfpack!!

Did you get to drive the GT-R?

No. :( But that's not to say it won't ever happen!

A little late to the party. Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your videos! If you see this, what do you think of the new Corvette? I was considering an STI hatch (awesome choice, btw), but decided I'd put up with my current car for a few more years and put the money towards a C7 next year.

Definitely incredible cars, and awesome for the money. That said, I think it's pretty lame that GM upped the price by $2k simply because it was selling well, during the same model year. I made a quick video on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PnC6NZ0Hsk

who much is your rent?

I live with my parents.

so you make enough to pay your rent which is $00.00 per month.

There may have been a small amount of sarcasm in my comment to which you replied.

How many views/subscribers do you need to start making decent money from YouTube?

Depends on your content. You don't need any subscribers at all to make money, just views. I get about 20,000ish views a day, give or take about 5,000.

I have tried to help my friends at "Donnie Does" become big. The response has been mixed but enough people have been asking for more videos that it has been growing. My question is how do you manage your social and do you find that it makes a large difference to update social repeatedly to keep people engaged? Also, Have you done any collaborations to help channel growth?

Minimal collaborations, but hoping that this changes as my channel grows. My first collaboration with another channel (aside from displaying featured channels, I'm talking videos) was with Nismo, and these videos have just come out.

Regarding managing social media, I'm probably not the greatest. I just post things that interest me, as well as my videos on Facebook. It's more of a "Oh I saw this thing on cars and thought it was cool, others might as well" rather than "I should update my social media page today."

That said, I think there are much more effective and engaging methods, I just really can't find the time to manage it all.

Well, being a 20 year old guy who's extent of car knowledge is how to change your gas meter thingy when it sticks and how to change a tire; you've given me an opening into learning it all. Thank you.

Very welcome, thanks for checking out the channel!

Two questions:

1. I appreciate if you cannot answer this, but how much money do you make? Every YouTube AMA this either never gets asked, or never gets answered. I'm curious.

2. What do you use the vertical monitor for, and how do you find it to use?

1. The reason it never gets answered (I do believe it always gets asked haha) is because it's against YouTube's terms and conditions to disclose how much you make. It pays my rent is about as detailed as I'll get, and the very basic $2/thousand views. It certainly depends for every viewer, but if you go to socialblade.com it will provide estimates, and generally you'll be somewhere within the estimate (I'm closer to the lower side, than the higher side).

2. Word documents, Google documents. You can fit a whole page on the screen. Also it was free.

Edit: added "also it was free"

There subscribed

You're the best.

Not too shabby

Ha, the high end of those estimations are looking PRETTY good. If only!

Your video's thumbnail look bad. I'm sure you could improve your views just by changing this. Good channel also. Wish you the best!

Most of them do, yes. It's really just a matter of time, I'll get around to it eventually!

Pretty awesome Youtube series. Trying to understand limited slip differentials always gave me nosebleeds, and caused my brains to leak out my ears. :D

Sounds unhealthy, glad you enjoy the videos! Hopefully ear juice free.

[deleted]

I'm just pasting this from another reply, but the question was essentially the same:

If you haven't yet read this, I'd recommend it. http://www.howdoesacarwork.com/p/should-i-become-mechanic-mechanical.html If you're about to hit the interview process, here's my advice (quoted from above) - You want a balance. Don't put all your focus on grades. Unfortunate as it may be, there are plenty of high GPA engineers out there looking for work. To set yourself apart, I think there are two critical things you have to portray to whoever is hiring: A. You can communicate well. Not just on engineering topics, basic conversation, be personable. B. Work on something related to your interests outside of work, and talk about it during interviews. Mine is YouTube, I bring it up in interviews every chance I get. People want to know you're passionate about what you study - having side projects shows this!

This doesn't have anything to do with the engineering portion of this AMA and probably should be posted in an ELI5 post, but I'm curious how having a youtube channel gets you money, is it the ads? Thanks! And congratulations on your success!

Yes, you can play ads before the videos, or have advertisements to the side of the videos. If people watch the video, or click on the ad, the video owner will receive ad revenue.

How do you make money from the Youtube channel-who sends you checks?

Google writes the checks. You make money via ad revenue, when people click the ads that air with your video.

Thank you.

Hard to believe anyone would ever deliberately (I do it accidentally all the time because of the effen Ipad) click on an ad.

For the clicking, I was mainly referring to the ads on the side of the video, the square to the right of it. Those are pay by click, not necessarily pay by view.

Raikkonen or Alonso?

Well, I studied abroad in Spain for a few months, and have always loved Ferrari.

Meh, most of your video's are half baked. I watched a few, the anti lock brake vid, the inline 4 vid, but when i got to the Horsepower Affects Acceleration vid... meh.

My problem is that you do a TON of "honda" math. Make real world application go away and live in a "perfect" world. You take very complex topics and break them down to a few critical elements and pass them off as the basics. The Horsepower Affects Acceleration vid really really bothered me. Because you're basically saying that if a kid can just increase his HP, the rate at which he reaches a certain velocity will decrease. You even give an example of hitting 20mph in under 1sec. lol.

You're dismissing soo many real world variables like friction, it's laughable. Every time i think you may have some credibility, you say .." lets assume we have a flat torque curb... which isn't realistic," but then you go on with your example. It's like you cherry pick situations to make your point, but again, it's honda math. Something tells me you have a ton of casual viewers who have no idea how physics work, but are dazzled by you. kudos on being monetized so that you can make some $$.

Constructive criticism is always good, and never ending on YouTube. There's a reason I make the videos the way I make them. Do you really want every variable that goes into accelerating? A video on how horsepower affects acceleration including wheel friction (and all the variables that go with it - rolling resistance (with respect to speed), tire temperature, rubber compound, etc.), air density, humidity, irregular torque curves to throw a bit of calculus into the mix, so on and so forth... it's overly complex and no one's going to follow it. You have to break things down to very simple forms, where you only change one variable in order to understand how that variable affects the overall system. The same could be done for a video on how traction affects acceleration, where you hold HP/TQ constant, and vary the frictional coefficient of the tires, showing how you can accelerate faster with more grip on a traction limited setup. That said, if you already know everything there is to know about cars, you're not going to learn anything from my channel. Good news is there are plenty out there. :)

From your videos i know that if my car weighs 6,000lbs, and i had 400hp, it could accelerate to 20mph in under 1 sec.

You're the reason that every time i drive down the block, every kid with a k20 wants to race me. I drive a subaru, that's got a few things done to it. I just want to go to tacobell in peace.

2 cents.

I drive a Subaru as well (http://imgur.com/SYlBfA8). The mentality that K20's are bad engines is silly though. Hondas may have a bad rep for being "ricers" in the automotive community, but they certainly make strong engines. Whether or not they're powerful is wholly dependent on the builder.