Choosing a Career in Mechanical Engineering

A mechanical engineer is a person who designs, invents and builds everything from toys to tools to medical devices. He or she uses the scientific principles of motion, energy and force to find solutions to mechanical problems. The generalist nature of this specialisation gives it a depth of range greater than any other engineering field, allowing for occupational flexibility.

Mechanical Engineer Career Information

For the person interested in how things work, mechanical engineering offers a broad scope for discovery, creation, invention and maintenance. People who like using their hands and also working through complex problems should consider this career.

For mechanical engineers opportunities abound. This is an occupation that offers a high level of job security because in essence, everything that operates using mechanics or scientific forces has been created, and will continue to be created and maintained, by a mechanical engineer.

Employers of mechanical engineers cross almost every job sector imaginable including government, research and development, teaching facilities, the military, consulting firms and manufacturing industries.

Mechanical Engineer Career Opportunities

Demand for mechanical engineers will continue to grow exponentially with the demand for more efficient and advanced machinery, particularly in the manufacturing sector which is the largest employer of mechanical engineers. Nearly half of the approximately 250 000 mechanical engineers working in the United States are employed in this sector, in the areas of fabrication, transportation, design, building and maintenance of tools and plant.

Outside of the manufacturing sector mechanical engineers fill administrative, technical sales, design, teaching, consulting, planning, agriculture and management positions. College graduates in this specialization have the greatest range of opportunity of any other engineering field. For the recent graduate there is no shortage of entry level engineering jobs both at home and abroad.

Mechanical Engineer Career Salary

Graduates with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering can expect to earn a starting salary of around $50 000 per year, one of the best starting rates of all professions. Depending on experience and field of expertise this can increase to over $100 000 at the top of the pay scale. In 2006 the median wage for a mechanical engineer was $69 850 with the highest 10% earning $104 900 (US Bureau of Labour Statistics).

Mechanical Engineer Career Education

To become a mechanical engineer a person must complete a minimum of a Bachelors Degree in an engineering specialty, at an approved institute. Masters and Doctorate degrees of Engineering are also available to those wishing to further their education. High school graduates considering a career in engineering must show a strong background in maths and sciences and some aptitude in computers, communications and business to be considered for acceptance to an engineering program.

University engineering programs generally run for four years with the first two spent concentrating on mathematics, calculus, chemistry and physics skills. The last two years are spent in specialized programs which may include environmental studies, robotics, materials, manufacturing processes and CAD (computer aided design).

Mechanical Engineer Career Skills

Mathematics and physics graduates are naturals for jobs in mechanical engineering. Good communicators also have an advantage in this field as many engineering projects are collaborative and accurate information will need to be transferred by way of written and oral operational and technical instruction.

Conceptual and problem solving skills such as creative thinking and the ability to test hypothesis are the fundamentals of a good mechanical engineer. Computer and design skills have also become a requirement in most, if not all, fields of engineering.

As science and technology are regularly changing and developing mechanical engineers should possess a desire for continued education.

Why Choose a Career as a Mechanical Engineer?

A hands-on type person who wants to know how things operate will find a satisfying career in mechanical engineering, gaining good pay for enjoyable work. Engineering graduates are amongst the highest paid professionals in the United States. Mechanical engineering offers greater job opportunity and diversity than any other engineering field.

Employment in mechanical engineering is expected to rise at a rate of 4% over the ten year period between 2006 and 2016.

Final Thoughts

If you were the kid at school trying to take apart the clock with a screwdriver while the other kids were learning to tell time, then mechanical engineering is probably a great career choice for you. An interest in mechanics and an ability to think outside the square are the key requisites. For those who are successful in this field the rewards are great, there is no shortage of opportunity and the pay is excellent.