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A day in the life of an engineer
In the United States, the Federal Government’s Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system lists 17 different engineering specialties. These specialties are:
1. Aerospace Engineering: designing, developing and testing aircraft, spacecraft and missiles; creating the technologies that improve aviation, national defense and space exploration
2. Agricultural Engineering: using biological resources more efficiently; designing the machinery and equipment that harvest these resources; improving food and bioproducts engineering techniques
3. Biomedical Engineering: developing the devices and procedures that solve medical problems; requires a combination of expertise in biology, medicine and engineering; inventing and improving technology such as artificial organs, prostheses and medical imaging systems
4. Chemical Engineering: applying chemistry principles to solve common problems; creating products as diverse as clothing, food, energy and electronics; innovations in this field can also be applied to healthcare, biotechnology and business
5. Civil Engineering: designing and constructing roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, water supply systems and sewage systems; considering construction costs and potential environmental hazards during the planning process
6. Computer Hardware Engineering: researching, designing, developing and testing computer hardware systems, such as computer chips, circuit boards, computer systems, keyboards, modems and printers
7. Electrical Engineering: designing, developing and testing electrical equipment, such as electric motors, machinery controls, lighting, wiring, automobiles, aircraft and navigation systems
8. Electronics Engineering: developing and improving a wide range of electronics and technological equipment such as, portable music players, cell phones, global positioning systems (GPS), and communications and broadcast systems
9. Environmental Engineering: creating solutions for environmental challenges such as, water and air pollution control, recycling and waste disposal and public health issues; improving environmental regulations and protecting wildlife
10. Health and Safety Engineering: preventing harm to people and property; calculating risks of disasters, such as fires, toxic chemicals, injuries and illnesses
11. Industrial Engineering: discovering the most effective ways to use factors of production and to increase productivity; evaluating the efficiency of people and technology; managing and supervising production processes
12. Marine and Naval Engineering: designing, constructing and maintaining ships, boats, aircraft carriers, submarines, sailboats and tankers; maintaining the stability, propulsion and steering systems on these ships
13. Materials Engineering: designing, developing, researching and testing the materials that make up other objects, including metals, ceramics, plastics, semiconductors and composites; studying these materials at the atomic level
14. Mechanical Engineering: designing, developing and testing tools, machines and other devices that perform work, such as generators and engines; working with engineers in other specialties to accomplish tasks more efficiently
15. Mining and Geological Engineering: finding, extracting and preparing natural resources like coal, metals and other minerals for widespread practical use; supervising mine shaft construction; creating the processes that separate minerals from dirt, rock and other unusable materials; ensuring the safety of mine workers
16. Nuclear Engineering: researching and developing the instruments, systems and processes that allow people to harness nuclear energy and radiation; designing, developing and operating nuclear power plants
17. Petroleum Engineering: finding the world’s oil and natural gas reservoirs; determining the most effective and least expensive drilling methods
Due to the wide variety of job duties within each engineering specialty, engineers work in many settings. Commonly, their work takes place in office buildings, laboratories, industrial plants, and construction or production sites. Some engineers also travel between buildings and locations to supervise the activities there.
Salary Range:
$23,080 — $64,070
Education Level (minimum):
Associate degree in engineering technology
Growth Outlook (2002 – 2012):
10 – 20%
