A Guide to Engineering Career Pathways

Are you interested in an engineering career? Learn all about engineering career pathways for you to explore here!

From aerospace engineering to civil engineering, you can have a successful future in all sorts of engi neering fields. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the average salary of a mechanical engineer , for example, is $97,000 as of May 2021.

Whether you’re looking for entry-level roles or still finishing your education, you’ll likely find the below guide to engineering career pathways super useful. You’ll learn all about how to become an engineer and figure out which type of engineering is best for you.

How can I become an engineer?

If you’re considering a career in engineering, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in an engineering field. Depending on the career path that’s caught your eye, you might need a more advanced degree too. At some universities, you can apply for a program that combines your bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years.

As you figure out your education, you should consider the four main types of engineering careers: chemical engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. Each of these engineering types is home to all kinds of engineering career pathways. In whichever field you choose, you’ll need a deep love of figuring out – and understanding – how things work. Here are five popular engineering careers and their education requirements.

1. Software engineer career path

If you love technology or computer science, software engineering might be for you. This role is all about software design and development.

Software engineers often work with a team to decide how a software platform will operate. You’ll work closely with designers and coders, which means you’ll need to know some coding yourself.

To work in software engineering, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science, or a similar degree.

2. Systems engineer career path

Systems engineering is the creation and management of any computer system (both hardware and software). It’s often associated with a career path in information technology (IT). A common aspect of systems engineering is managing the computer systems within an organization for the smoothest experience possible.

For this type of role, you’ll need a bachelor’s in engineering, computer science, or something related. Depending on the route you go within this career path, you might also want to look into IT certification.

3. Project engineer career path

This is the project management role of the engineering world. The project engineer oversees engineering processes and products. They’re in charge of managing the engineering team’s daily, weekly, and monthly work and tasks. In this role, you’d be responsible for three key project logistics: time, cost, and scope.

You’ll need an engineering degree, and it helps if you get a project management certificate at a university too. If you have some internship experience or any real-world experience in managing projects at an organization, that’s also a plus.

4. Materials engineer career path

In this career path, you’ll work with all kinds of materials to create processes and products that people use every day. You’ll test materials to find the right ones for the job so that whatever you’re building works exactly as needed. This is why materials engineers often work with semiconductors, plastics, and other items that are in just about everything. You might also get to work with 3D printing as a materials engineer.

This path involves a lot of trial and error and problemsolving, so you should love the puzzle and the end results. You should have at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and you can get a master’s in material science and engineering to find more opportunities.

5. Civil engineer career path

There are all kinds of engineers and career paths within the overarching field of civil engineering. These engineers create and develop construction solutions such as electrical systems, fire protection, and structural soundness.

You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a similar field to work as a civil engineer. Depending on the role and how far you want to move up the ladder, you might eventually need a master’s too.

Conclusion

As you head down any engineering career pathway, you should really think about what you love doing. Look back on your past experience (or at least what you’ve liked most in school) to figure out which field is best for you. Then, as you get started with your career, make collaboration and trial and error toptier priorities. They’re how you’ll learn how to deliver better software faster and automate your workflows.

As you start your first job in engineering or move on to other engineering opportunities, you can ask your managers for hands-on feedback. This way, you’re always getting better at what you do.

You can use Fellow’s f eedback tools to get and give feedback on what’s working and what needs some adjusting. You can also use Fellow’s OKR tools to track objectives and stay on top of your growth goals. With these tools in your toolbelt, there’s no puzzle you can’t solve.