Engineers make our society go around. Engineers contribute to making our lives simpler. They design bridges. They build medical tools. They create computer networks. They build aircraft. They help with growing food. They are helping to save our planet. Engineering is an extremely broad field. Obviously, you can only ever specialize in one type of engineering, but no matter who you are, you’ll likely find an engineering discipline that suits you.
Engineering is a rewarding career path, too. We won’t lie and say that you’ll be making buckets full of cash as an engineer, but you certainly won’t be hurting for money. You will, however, know that you are contributing to making people’s lives better. When you design a system that ‘works,’ you’ll be contributing to the betterment of the planet. How cool is that?
11 Types Of Engineering Degrees
If you’re interested in engineering, your college education will start with choosing an engineering degree. There are dozens and dozens of different engineering disciplines. We’ll focus on the main areas.
Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineers work in either aeronautics (building aircraft) or astronautics (building spacecraft), which are heavily used in our lives. Those who gain a degree in aerospace engineering can help design the aircraft or spacecraft, inspect the completed product, or contribute to its construction.
This career path is ideal for those interested in ‘flying’ and entering a rapidly developing field. It can be tough to find jobs in certain areas (aeronautics and astronautics tend to be focused in very specific parts of the country), but those who can move to get a job can expect an average salary of $126,000 per year.
Agricultural Engineering
Agricultural engineers work heavily in farming. In rare cases, they develop new farming tools. However, the vast majority of agricultural engineers work in renewable energy, designing irrigation systems, soil inspection systems, waste treatment systems, etc. They are essential for the affordable production of our food while also ensuring that farming has a minimal impact on our environment.
Recent career paths include agricultural robotics, but electrical engineers are in high demand, as are equipment engineers. Expect to earn $83,000 in this job.
Biomedical Engineers
Biomedical engineers work in the medical field. They often need a solid understanding of biology. This knowledge is used to create a variety of medical devices and machines, such as pacemakers, diagnostic equipment, treatment equipment, etc., and to keep old tech up to date. Some may also work directly with the creation of pharmaceutical products. So, the field is very broad, and there is a career track for everybody.
This field is often the best choice for those who have a genuine desire to help people and improve their lives directly. Biomedical engineers have worked hard to create life-saving treatments and to discover new diagnostic techniques to ensure people are diagnosed at the earliest possible stage.
Biomedical engineers can work in hospitals, doctor practices, etc. However, most end up working at pharmaceutical companies, where they earn a little under $100,000 per year.
Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineers work in product design, food production, nanotech, and more. As a chemical engineer, you would be responsible for working with all sorts of materials. You may develop techniques for more sustainable food production, help design manufacturing facilities, carry out research into the properties of various materials, etc. A lot of people who graduate as chemical engineers go into waste management, work at chemical plants, or design factory systems. Again, it is a very varied career path. If a chemical has been developed or formulated in the past, then there was almost certainly a chemical engineer behind it.
Due to the vastness of chemical engineering, it is tough to know who would be most interested in a position in it. However, students who have been interested in chemistry during their science lessons may be interested since that is required a lot. The relatively high engineering salary of $106,000 per year may also help.
Civil Engineering
Civil engineers develop all sorts of things. They help in construction. They build bridges. They design transportation engineering systems. They get involved in geotechnical engineering. Their whole job is about creating infrastructure. Have you seen a bridge, building, or transport? A civil engineer was behind that. Jobs involve overseeing the engineering part of the structure, inspections, and more.
With an average salary of $89,000, civil engineering is not really the best-paying engineering field. However, a lot of people get into civil engineering as they want to create structures that people will benefit from for decades. Build something good, and you could go down in history. Although most civil engineers won’t gain worldwide recognition, they can just live content with the fact they’ve made something good.
Computer Engineering
Computer engineers are among the most in-demand of engineers right now. They create hardware in our computers, develop software, create websites, code, produce technical documents, get involved with cyber security, and, of course, more recently, design the AI systems that many are proclaiming are ‘the future.’
This is a highly involved engineering sector, but one that will be protected in the future since our lives increasingly revolve around computers. Those who can get into the field are expected to earn an average of $132,000, but many in the upper echelons of the field earn much more than this.
Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineers design electrical systems. This includes circuits, robotics, solar panel systems, and more. Any circuit or electromechanical system developed has an electrical engineer behind it, ensuring that everything works perfectly. You may also see electrical engineers involved in the creation of computer networks, power systems, and more. This means that there are a lot of employment opportunities.
Electrical engineering is a great choice if you love tinkering with electronics and enjoy finding out how things work. It is also a good area to enter if you want to be paid well, with an average of $104,000 for electrical engineers on offer.
Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineers, as the name suggests, work with the environment. This includes those who work in energy auditing, land surveying, and more. These people will often work in waste treatment, pollution management, energy generation, or inspecting areas before they are built upon. In an ever-increasingly eco-friendly world, environmental engineers are in demand since companies and governments are always looking for the ‘greenest’ possible way to build new structures and implement new processes. It is environmental engineers who may end up saving this planet if they design processes that can better control waste and reduce pollution.
Although it is not the most popular engineering degree, the average—salary is $96,000 per year. Environmental engineers must use their engineering knowledge, including biology, physics, and chemistry. So, it is a Thuseat degree for those who are passionate about all sciences.
General Engineering
As the name suggests, general engineers don’t really specialize. This can include systems design, basic civil engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering. Basically, those who study for this degree will learn a little bit of everything.
General engineering degrees are often recommended to those who may not know what engineering field they wish to get into or those who wish for the broadest possible choice once they graduate. Sure, you won’t really be able to dive into the more advanced engineering jobs, but finding work should be easy.
General engineers earn $87,000 per year, on average.
Industrial Engineering
Most of the work carried out by an industrial engineer will focus on developing manufacturing systems. They may also dabble in data science. Careers here include developing and designing industrial systems, overseeing the operation of those systems, designing safety equipment, and general inspections.
Industrial engineers may be employed by companies that specialize in designing factories. They may also be employed by factories directly. They are always in demand since companies are always looking to make their manufacturing processes safer and much more efficient.
You’ll want to consider being an industrial engineer if you love ‘solving’ puzzles. All engineering really involves solving problems, but industrial engineering kicks this up a notch. The average salary for an industrial engineer is $96,000, but good industrial engineers can earn so much more.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineers design mechanical systems, including engines, car designs, manufacturing systems, transport systems, and more. Their jobs can include product design, automotive engineering, inspections, and more.
This is one of the more popular engineering degrees because mechanical engineering students have the opportunity to learn how things used in our daily lives really work. They can also design systems that can be rolled out internationally.
Salaries start at about $96,000 per year.
