Career Track: Becoming An Engineer
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines engineers as those
who "apply the theories and principles of science and
mathematics to research and develop economical solutions to
technical problems." In other words, engineers are the ones who
solve complex problems for the rest of us.
There are approximately 1.5 million engineers in the U.S. today.
Engineering is a challenging job with decent pay (an engineer's
pay is higher than most with just a bachelor's degree). In fact,
the average salary for an engineer was reported at just slightly
over $65,000 in 2002. The top 10% of all engineers earned more
than $90,000. Of course, an engineer's salary ultimately depends
on their location and specialty.
Engineers find employment virtually anywhere innovation takes
place. Engineers design and manufacture machines, processes,
systems and even economical structures. They commonly work in
the government, research, industry, military, teaching,
management or consulting sectors.
There are more than 25 recognized career tracks for the
engineer. And you can rest assured that as technology advances,
engineering specialties will only grow in number. A few of the
major engineering specialties include; aerospace, chemical,
civil, electrical industrial, materials, mechanical, and
software engineering.
You will at least need a bachelor's degree from a university
engineering program to qualify for an engineering position. The
degree must be from a college or university accredited by the
ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology).
To get into most college engineering programs, a student is
expected to have completed two years of high school algebra and
one year of trigonometry. They should have also completed one
year of both chemistry and physics.
As you've probably heard, engineers are typically very good at
math and science. So if the thought of algebra makes you squirm,
this career may not be the right one for you.
The best engineers enjoy complex problem solving, and are true
inventors at heart. If you choose engineering as a career, you
can expect to be right on the cutting edge of technology. You
will turn ideas into reality and solve problems that better
society.