Engineering careers are among the most appealing jobs today. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment in this field is projected to grow steadily, and the median annual wage is significantly high. The median salary for engineers is $91,420, nearly double the annual wage of $48,060 for all occupations.
However, a good paycheck isn’t everything. More than four-fifths of engineers (about 83%) report being satisfied with their roles. Nearly 20% of those say they’re extremely satisfied.
Whether you’re looking to start a career in engineering or thinking about a career change, this post will walk you through the highest-paying engineering careers and help you find the right fit for you.
What is engineering?
Engineering is all about applying scientific principles to design, build, and operate various machines, products, systems, and structures. In a broader sense, it’s about the resources available in nature to benefit humankind.
Engineers use their brainpower to solve problems through science, math, and knowledge. From building houses to developing machines that manufacture components and extracting the materials needed, engineers play a crucial role in solving humanity’s problems.
The four main fields of engineering
There are many types of engineers, each specializing in a different field, who tackle a wide range of issues. The four main engineering fields are mechanical, chemical, electrical, and civil.
- Chemical engineering: Involves creating products through chemical manufacturing processes. Chemical engineers are often found in the pharmaceutical or food industries.
- Civil engineering: Involves the design, construction, and maintenance of physical structures such as houses, roads, bridges, factories, train stations, and power plants.
- Electrical engineering: Involves the development, application, and use of equipment, systems, and appliances that use electronics, electricity, and electromagnetism. Electrical engineers often work in the energy and computer industries.
- Mechanical engineering: Involves the study, design, and operation of physical machines and systems in motion. It combines materials science with physics and math and includes subcategories such as automotive, robotics, aerospace, and naval engineering.
Jobs in engineering
To become an engineer, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in the corresponding discipline. A background in math and science is also helpful. You may need a master’s degree in highly specialized fields such as robotics or biomedical engineering.
Additionally, some engineers will need to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, gain four years of on-the-job experience, and then pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam to obtain full licensure. This is more typical for those who work in fields like civil engineering because their work directly impacts public safety.
Let’s look at 20 of the most common engineering careers, what their roles are, and their median salaries in the United States (according to Glassdoor).
Software engineering
Software engineers design, develop, and update computer programs and applications. Also referred to as developers or programmers, software engineers use programming languages to create various computer apps, tools, and games. It’s a rewarding and high-paying engineering career.
Computer engineering
Computer engineers design and develop computer hardware such as boards, processors, graphics cards, and hard drives. Their duty is to ensure that any hardware component works seamlessly with software. They are experts in electronics, math, and materials science.
Data engineering
As the name implies, data engineers are responsible for storing, curating, and analyzing data. They maintain large databases and data lakes and oversee the entire hardware and software architecture used to manage data across their organization.
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineers’ area of expertise is any machine that is in motion. Their job is to design and develop machines that use energy efficiently to perform various tasks. Some mechanical engineers focus on constructing prototypes, while others prefer to improve and operate existing machinery.
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineers work in factories and plants to improve industrial production output. They oversee all industrial processes to reduce waste, increase energy efficiency, speed up production, and cut costs.
Materials engineering
Materials engineers research new materials or improve existing ones for various purposes, from industrial to medical and aerospace applications. They study materials at the atomic level to understand their characteristics and properties, assess their usefulness, and find creative ways to enhance them.
Environmental engineering
Environmental engineers use their expertise to protect the environment and develop solutions to planetary health issues. They can focus on various fields, such as climate change, soil quality, CO2 emissions, environmental pollution, groundwater contamination, and more.
Civil engineering
Civil engineers plan and supervise the construction of buildings and infrastructure. They build roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, power plants, airports, docks, train stations, as well as residential buildings. They also plan to ensure that all structures can withstand natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.
Oil and gas engineering
Oil and gas engineers extract, refine, and produce these essential energy sources. They explore new reservoirs of crude oil and natural gas and improve the efficiency of oil wells, platforms, and refineries.
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineers apply their knowledge of chemistry to manipulate matter at the atomic or molecular level to create new substances and materials. They work in a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, food, pharmaceuticals, fuel, and waste treatment.
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineers work at the intersection of medicine, biology, and engineering. They create medical devices and clinical equipment that improve the lives and health of patients. They work on devices such as artificial limbs, surgical machines, and diagnostic equipment.
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineers work with electricity in all its forms, including power generation, circuitry, lighting, and electromagnetic devices. They can work in various industries requiring electrical components, such as automotive, manufacturing, computing, and even civil construction.
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineers (also known as aeronautical engineers) work with aircraft and spacecraft. They design, build, and maintain vehicles that can fly, such as airplanes, drones, satellites, and spaceships. They often collaborate with other engineers, including computer, electrical, and mechanical engineers. Aerospace engineering is among the highest-paying engineering careers.
Agricultural engineering
Agricultural engineers solve problems affecting agricultural production. Their work includes regenerating exhausted soil, improving crop yields, and designing efficient equipment for food collection and processing. They enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of agricultural practices.
Audio engineering
Audio engineers, also known as sound engineers, work with all forms of recording, reproduction, and manipulation of audio. They apply acoustic, digital, and electronic technologies to improve the quality of audio for both scientific and aesthetic purposes.
Automotive engineering
An automotive engineer is a mechanical engineer who specializes in designing, developing, manufacturing, and testing motorized vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, and trucks. They focus on various components of automotive engines to improve their performance, safety, comfort, and sustainability.
Robotics engineering
Robotics engineers use knowledge from mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering to design, construct, and calibrate robots. Their work ranges from researching prototypes for new applications to improving and maintaining functional robots.
Marine engineering
Marine engineers, also known as naval engineers or naval architects, design, build, and maintain naval vessels of all sizes—from sailboats and cruise ships to submarines. They work with onboard systems such as propulsion, steering, electrical, and sensor systems.
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineers design and develop systems and instruments to safely and effectively handle nuclear energy in power plants and nuclear reactors. They ensure that this energy is used efficiently and that radioactive material or waste is managed safely. It’s one of the top-paying engineering careers in the US market.
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineers are researchers who manipulate genes in living organisms to achieve specific results, such as developing parasite-resistant plants or fighting cancer in humans. They typically come from academic backgrounds in biology, biochemistry, or biophysics rather than traditional engineering fields. Genetic engineers employ various gene-editing technologies, including recombinant DNA and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR).
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