Career Overview
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
Also Known As
- Design Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Product Engineer
- Project Engineer
Alternate Job Titles
- Air Conditioning Engineer (AC Engineer)
- Application Engineer
- Automation Engineer
- Body Engineer
- Brake Engineer
- Car Designer
- Combustion Engineer
- Cooling and Heating Systems Design Engineer
- Cryogenics Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Diesel Engineer
- Diesel Retrofit Designer
- Distribution Engineer
- Dust Control Engineer
- Electromechanical Engineer
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
- Investigate equipment failures or difficulties to diagnose faulty operation and recommend remedial actions.
- Recommend design modifications to eliminate machine or system malfunctions.
- Research and analyze customer design proposals, specifications, manuals, or other data to evaluate the feasibility, cost, or maintenance requirements of designs or applications.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Investigate equipment failures or diagnose faulty operations and recommend or perform remedial actions.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
- Science
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Written Comprehension
- Information Ordering
- Mathematical Reasoning
- Near Vision
- Written Expression
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Innovation
- Cautiousness
- Intellectual Curiosity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Recognition
- Achievement
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Autodesk Revit
- Bentley MicroStation
- C
- C++
- Chef
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- ESRI ArcGIS software
Tools & Equipment
- Accelerometers
- Acoustic emission AE sensors
- Air compressors
- Aligners
- Analog to digital converters
- Anodic wafer bonding systems
- Chemical-mechanical polishing equipment
- Computed tomography CT systems
- Contact lithography equipment
- Contact testers
- Coordinate measuring machines CMM
- Cryogenic apparatus
- Deep reactive ion etchers DRIE
- Digital particle image velocimeters
- Digital to analog converters
Work Environment
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $68,740 |
| Median | $102,320 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $161,240 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 286,760
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $68,730
Electrical Engineers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $111,910
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $77,180
Mechatronics Engineers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $117,750
Industrial Engineers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $101,140
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.