Regardless of the specific degree, engineers can usually find jobs in design, research, technical services, and production. Management opportunities come with experience. Then there are a wide variety of fields from which to choose: manufacturing, construction, agriculture, business services, and government. The pay varies according to degree level, experience, the industry, and, of course, individual performance.
Career Opportunities and Goals
Believe it or not, a great many people who study engineering during college end their careers in a field other than engineering. The reason for this is that over the course of a career, many engineers move into management, or into other lines of work altogether.
This isn't necessarily a bad idea. Each individual, during his or her working career, is usually making choices about whether to continue in an existing job, consider a promotion, or go to another employer. And in many lines of work, having an engineering degree demonstrates strong problem-solving skills that are useful in many other areas. Sometimes, unfortunately, a person finds future career growth stopped simply because there isn't a higher position to move into without leaving engineering work. The point here is that getting an engineering education is a way to open doors to a variety of career opportunities.
One of the first things you should do when considering engineering is to evaluate your long-term goals. You don't have to make a solemn commitment to the goal you choose now. But you should try to get a feeling for whether your long-term preference is research, production, design, or management. This decision will dictate how far you should plan on going in your education and will help guide your choice of engineering disciplines.
Salaries and the Intangible Rewards
Here's the good news: at least initially, engineering graduates earn the highest pay of any college graduates. Surveys from such organizations as the National Association of Colleges and Employers show that engineers with B.S. degrees average around $48,000; with M.S. degrees, around $55,000; and with Ph.D. degrees, $65>000 and up. Over the long term, salaries tend to flatten out at a level that is still very high relative to all professionals, but not the highest.
Pay is a sensitive topic for most people. All other things being equal, nearly everyone would like to make more money for the work they do. The trade-off usually involves taking promotions that could require a shift in professional focus-going, for example, from production engineering to plant management, or design to sales and marketing. If higher pay is the sole object, an engineering degree certainly is no hindrance. Some of the highest-paid executives in American corporations started out as engineers.
Not all engineers put the highest priority on the biggest dollars. Many engineers, having gained the experience they believe they need, simply want to continue their current work for the remainder of their careers, getting better and better at that task. For many engineers this means that their pay will begin to level off, with each years raise less than in preceding years.
Some companies, recognizing the value of such experienced engineers, set up a "dual track" for promotions through the ranks. Under this structure one can move through the ranks in the conventional manner, rising from design or production to management, marketing, or administration. However, one can also rise through another set of positions designed only for engineers and other technical specialists.
The highest pay, at least early in one's career, is with large corporations. The next highest is with small companies, and some of these are on a par with the salaries offered by government. Over the long term, salaries are higher for consulting engineers or engineers who start their own businesses. But with the higher pay go the uncertainties of the job market; one could lose a job if business conditions go sour or get less pay if sales or business goals aren't met.
It used to be true that most engineers, like workers of all types, were hired by a large corporation upon graduation and then spent the rest of their careers with that employer, gradually rising through the ranks. Today the commitment by employers to keep their staff through thick and thin is reduced. For their part most young workers today don't feel exceptionally loyal to their first employer either. The end result is that a certain amount of job-hopping is now the norm. This isn't necessarily bad; many engineers can gain valuable experience by dealing with a technical issue from different sides, for example, as a producer, a user, or a government regulator.
However, you must be ready to manage your career from the outset. Once you have joined a particular company in a particular industry, get familiar with all aspects of that industry. Read business magazines, talk with people in the field, and become knowledgeable about what trends are occurring. At the same time, many engineers benefit by forming strong ties with their professional organization. Join the local section of your engineering society, go to the monthly meetings, and participate in the organization's annual events. The most valuable information about what is going on in an industry comes from talking with fellow engineers about it. Finally, don't rule out getting another job if that job will provide experience that you might value. And if you lose a job, be prepared to win another by having your resume and other information at the ready.
