engineering jobs

These are the 12 coolest engineering careers that you may not have known existed

By Mike Richardson 16 May, 2023 4 mins read

Do you have a curiosity for engineering and want to pursue a career? You are looking for a career that allows you to solve complex problems and work on interesting projects. You are in luck if your answer to either one of these two questions is "yes". This article introduces you to some of the coolest engineering careers you've never heard of. These jobs offer not only a challenging and exciting career, but many other benefits to those who work in them.

Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical Engineers apply engineering principles to healthcare, medical research and other areas. These engineers develop medical devices and systems such as prosthetics or imaging systems.

Traffic Engineer

Traffic Engineers design and implement transportation systems such as highways, intersections, and traffic signals. They might work on projects such a optimizing traffic, improving safety or reducing congested areas.

Environmental Engineer

Environmental engineers are responsible for designing and developing systems that promote sustainability and protect the environment. Environmental engineers work on projects involving air and water, waste disposal, and pollution controls.

Nuclear Engineer

Nuclear engineers create and develop systems that utilize nuclear power, from energy generation to medical imaging. They work on projects that include radiation protection and reactor design.

Marine Engineer

Marine engineers design, develop, and maintain systems for ships and marine vessels. Marine engineers work on projects involving propulsion, navigation and safety systems.

Photonics Engineer

Photonics Engineers develop devices and system that can generate, manipulate or detect light. This field involves studying light and its interaction with materials and particles. It also includes the application of this knowledge in many technologies from solar energy systems to fiber optic communication.

Materials Engineer

Material engineers develop and design materials with specific properties such as strength and durability. They are involved in projects that include nanotechnology, biomaterials and advanced composites.

Engineer in Mechatronics

Mechatronics is the study of systems that are composed of mechanical, electronic, and software elements. The work they do involves robotics automation and control systems.

Systems Engineer

Systems engineers design and create complex systems that incorporate hardware, software, as well as human factors. They work on projects involving aerospace, transportation, and defense systems.

Geological Engineer

Geological Engineers study the Earth's systems, develop solutions to problems like landslides, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and research how they can be solved. They work on projects involving mineral exploration, gas and oil extraction, or geothermal energy.

Geotechnical Engineer

Geotechnical Engineers have the responsibility of studying the behavior and effects of soils, rocks, and other materials on structures, such as roads, buildings, and bridges.

Automation Engineer

Automation engineers design and develop systems that control industrial processes. Robotics, artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning projects are their focus.

Many benefits come with pursuing one or more of these cool engineering positions. One of the benefits is that these jobs provide a lot of job security as engineers are in high demand across industries. These jobs also offer excellent salaries, benefits and opportunities for professional and career development. Engineers can also work on the latest technologies and help solve some of the most pressing global problems.

These benefits are best illustrated with personal anecdotes. For instance, a biomedical engineer might describe how they designed a prosthetic limb that changed a patient's life. A space engineer may share their contribution to developing a probe that explored the outermost reaches of our Solar System. By sharing these stories, engineers can help to inspire the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.

You can find a variety of cool engineering careers that will challenge you and reward you. You can find engineering jobs in fields like aerospace, biomedical technology, robotics, etc. So why not take the first step to an exciting and fulfilling career in engineering today?

The Most Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have a degree in engineering to pursue one of these jobs?

In most cases yes. However, some engineering jobs may require a degree in a related field, such as physics or computer science.

What is the average salary for an engineer?

Salaries for engineers vary depending on the field and level of experience, but they are generally quite high. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the median annual wage for engineers in 2020 was $82,860.

Will I need a new job to become an engineer?

It depends on the field and location. Some engineering jobs can only be found in specific cities or regions, while other positions are available all across the country.

Can you find a good job in the engineering field?

Although the demand for engineers in general is high, it can be difficult to find a job, especially if you are interested in software engineering or aerospace.

What skills do I require to be successful as an engineer

A combination of technical and soft skills is needed to become an engineer. These include math and science as well as problem-solving skills, teamwork skills and communication skills.

FAQ

What types of jobs can I find if I major in engineering?

Engineers are able to find work in almost any industry, such as manufacturing, transport, energy, communications and finance.

Engineers with specialized skills can find employment at organizations or companies that specialize in their field.

Electrical engineers could work, for example, in telecommunications companies or medical device manufacturers.

Software developers may work for websites or mobile app developers.

Computer programmers may work for tech firms like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, or IBM.

What is a Chemical Engineer?

Chemical engineers combine science, math, engineering, technology, business skills, and science to create chemical processes, products and equipment.

Chemical engineers can choose to specialize in areas like petroleum refining or pharmaceuticals, food processing, agricultural, textiles and paper, mining, metalurgisty, and power generation.

They collaborate closely with scientists and researchers to solve technical problems.

What are the jobs of electrical engineers?

They create power systems for human use.

They are responsible to design, build, test, install, maintain, and repair all types of electrical equipment used by industry, government and residential customers.

They also plan, direct, and coordinate the installation of these system, which may include coordination with other trades such architects, contractors and plumbers.

Electricians design and install electronic devices, circuits and other components that convert electricity into usable forms.

What is the Most Hardest Engineering Major?

Computer science is the hardest engineering major because you need to learn everything completely from scratch. It is also important to be creative.

Programming languages include C++ and Java, Python, JavaScripts, PHP, HTML, CSS and SQL.

Understanding how computers work is another important skill. You will need to be able to comprehend hardware, software architectures, operating systems and networking.

Computer Science is an excellent option for engineers who want to study.

Statistics

Job growth outlook through 2030: 9% (snhu.edu)
Typically required education: Bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering Job growth outlook through 2030: 8% Aerospace engineers specialize in designing spacecraft, aircraft, satellites, and missiles. (snhu.edu)