The Best Paying Engineering Jobs - CareerAlley

The Best Paying Engineering Jobs - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Have you heard the acronym STEM? It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Conventional wisdom says that if you want a career with security and good pay, you should choose one of these fields. Today we will investigate the E in STEM and break down the best paying engineering jobs. Why Engineering Careers Are Constantly in Demand When you look at a board job like Monster, you see dozens of listing for engineering jobs. Why? This is due to a few key reasons. We All Need Them No matter where you live in the United States, if you have an engineering degree, you will probably always have a job. This is mainly because engineering careers can serve a variety of societal needs. The price of oil fluctuates due to a variety of factors, but the world still uses billions of gallons a day. And as a result, petroleum engineers are invaluable. Likewise, while the auto industry has ups and downs, they mostly dont affect the mechanical engineers who design the cars and trucks we drive. While individually we only purchase things like new cars and computers once every several years, engineers are always busy. Much of what they help to produce are things that we use daily. Chemical engineers are employed in agricultural production to ensure that crops are pest free, that livestock is healthy, and that food makes it safely from farm to market. Because we all have to eat, we need chemical engineers. Each day the necessities of our lives, from roads we drive to the clothing we wear, must be repaired or replenished. Consequently, engineering disciplines must continuously train new students to keep pace. Not only does the demand for engineers never cease, but demand can spike due to unforeseen circumstances. Dealing with things like floods, droughts, hurricanes, and blizzards require the expertise of civil engineers. As a result of climate change, these events are more frequent so the demand for civil engineers will be almost endless. source Engineers are Needed All Over the World There is great demand for engineers in mineral-rich countries like Australia, South Africa, and Canada who have large mining industries. The same is true for oil-rich countries in the Middle East. Companies hiring engineers in this field are looking for those who have specialized degrees in mechanical and chemical engineering. Engineers who work abroad not only earn a great salary, their compensation also typically includes travel, housing, and food allowances, health and life insurance, and bonuses. While working abroad as an engineer is exciting for single people, it can be hard on those who have families because they work away from home for months or years at a time. There Arent Enough Scarcity is part of it too. Only one in twenty college students choose engineering as their major, so engineering graduates can practically name their salary. Based on research compiled by Adecco, nationally there are 3.6 unemployed individuals per 1 job listing. When it comes to STEM, however, there is one qualified individual per 1.9 job listings. This shortage is obviously coming from somewhere. It could be the cultural drive away from math and science, or it could be that the modern population is generally disinterested in becoming engineers. Since manufacturing plants rely heavily on machines and computer-operated systems, they need to hire quite a number of engineering graduates. Because manufacturing plants run year-round and most have 24-hour shifts the need for engineers and technicians are high. From the maintenance of machines to training new hires to benchmarking new systems and processes, an engineers skills are always necessary for making the processes and systems more effective and efficient for the entire plant. Their Skills Are More Than Their Specialization While the nuts and bolts of engineering are very straightforward, a good engineer needs other kinds of skills that any employer wants. Since almost all engineers work in groups, they need excellent communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively to complete projects. These skills make for strong, effective leaders and often propel engineers into upper management positions. Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash Engineers are problem solvers too because they are so well trained in objective analysis whether they are dealing with company dynamics or an electrical grid. Another critical trait employers want. Make the Right Choice Many young people are reconsidering a college education because they dont want to fall into the trap of student loan debt because its such a burden. Especially for a degree that doesnt have a high demand or pays well. But when you choose to pursue an engineering degree, you will almost be guaranteed a well-paying job even right out of college due to the demand. Scientists dream of doing great things. Engineers do them. Tweet This For various engineering jobs, there are certain qualifications that you need to fulfill. Education-wise, an engineering graduate should have a specialization or a major course in order to qualify for certain positions. Petroleum, mechanical, biomedical, among other specialized engineering courses are available at most major universities and colleges. We have included what is considered to be the best program for each specialty. If youre going to spend the time and money to get a degree, you want to make sure it pays off. These are the best paying engineering jobs. Petroleum Engineering Jobs What They Do: Oil and gas companies employ petroleum engineers to design, test and implement methods to extract petroleum products from the earth and the sea floor. Petroleum engineers work with geologists to locate extraction sites and build the machinery to remove petroleum products. Best School: Texas AM. Out of state tuition and fees, $30,208, in-state $10,030 per year. Median Income: $128,230 Mechanical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Mechanical engineers design, build prototypes, test, and perfect a variety of machines across a huge range of industries including automotive, aerospace, transportation, and consumer goods. Best School: Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT). Tuition and fees, $49,892 per year. Median Income: $85,880 Biomedical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Biomedical engineers design and analyze solutions to problems in biology and medicine to improve the quality and efficacy of patient care. They work in hospitals and research facilities, universities, manufacturing and regulatory agencies. Best School: Georgia Institute of Technology. Out of state tuition and fees, $33,014, in-state, $12,418. Median Income: $85,620 Photo by Ousa Chea on Unsplash Chemical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Chemical engineers design and develop industrial processes used in the production of chemicals, materials, and energy for a wide range of products across a vast number of industries including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Best School: MIT again. Median Income: $72,799 Aerospace Engineering Jobs What They Do: Aerospace engineers design, build test and oversee the manufacture of aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles. Best School: MIT. Median Income: $71,803 Computer Engineering Jobs What They Do: Computer engineers develop and maintain computer functions and systems for personal and industrial use. Best School: MIT Median Income: $68,445 Electrical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Electrical engineers develop and maintain electrical systems for a wide range of industries including all manner of manufacturing and transportation. Best School: MIT again! Median Income: $67,662 Civil Engineering Jobs What They Do: Civil engineers design and oversee construction projects like roads, bridges, airports, water and sewage treatment systems. Best School: University of California, Berkley. Out of state tuition and fees, $42,112, in-state, $14,098. Median Income: $66,690 Materials Science Engineering Jobs What They Do: A material science engineer researches, manipulates and improves the materials used in industries like biotechnology, nanotechnology, energy, and communications. Materials will be combined or manipulated to improve the products performance and quality. A material science engineer will work with a range of materials such as ceramics, chemicals, composites, glass, metals, plastics, polymers and many more. Best School: MIT again. Median Income: $66,438 Entry Level Engineering Jobs While looking for your first post-college job can be intimidating, youre already miles ahead of other graduates because you chose engineering as your field of study. While many graduates struggle with student loan debt due to their choice of majors, engineering grads will probably not face the same difficulty. Even entry-level engineering jobs are highly paid because of the education and skills required. On the Right Path It takes a lot of time and money to get a degree. Therefore you want to get the best possible return on your investment. Not only does a career in engineering come with the promise of a good salary, but also, it provides job security and the opportunity to work all over the United States and the world. Congratulations on your excellent choice! As a result, you are on the right path to success. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to land your first job. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search