<p>This may be a dumb question. Are there any engineering fields in which most work is done in an office setting? I understand that most engineers' work is "hands-on" - but are some fields less "hands-on" than others? I would like to hear from people actually that have experience in the field please.</p>
<p>On the contrary, I would argue that most engineering jobs take place mostly in an office environment and that engineers doing mostly hands-on work are in the minority these days. I wouldn’t say that there are any fields that are, by definition, less hands on than the others. However, if you are looking to keep away from doing hands-on work, I would steer clear of petroleum engineering and environmental engineering.</p>
<p>Really? I know I sound very uneducated on the topic, but a lot of my perceptions on the engineering industry are simply assumptions… and we all know what assumptions do.</p>
<p>It just seems as I watch videos on ‘The day in the life of a chemical engineer’ or ‘The day in the life of an aerospace engineer’ they seem to display a very hands-on approach. But, then again, these videos seem to be very archaic.</p>
<p>I would also stay away from civil engineering. Those firms like to send the young guys out into the field to do inspections.</p>
<p>^^^Ha, very true! I climbed around a lot of dirty, smelly paper mills. For one inspection, my boss wanted me to climb out on a pipe bridge, way above a raging river, but my husband said no way (he worked at the same company). Sexist as heck, but I didn’t argue. Sue me!</p>
<p>They show all the hands-on stuff in the videos because that is what MOST people are looking for in engineering, at least from what I can tell.</p>
<p>There are lots of different jobs in engineering. I would say that probably 80% of my time has been spent in an office, although I know other engineers who spend as much of their time either in the lab or in the field. I cannot say if this is true for all disciplines, but it is true for electrical!</p>
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I think people assume all engineers like DIY.</p>
<p>IMO, it’s not because people assume engineers like DIY, but rather in general (and I stress in general), people find being “hands-on” more interesting than sitting in an office in front of a computer.</p>
<p>So most of modern-day engineering jobs are really desk/office jobs with a little hands-on experience. Yet, it depends what job you land- in the end, they really all vary?</p>