I’m going to be a senior in high school this year and applying for colleges in the next few months. I wanted to go into engineering (maybe Mech.) for a while now but I’m getting a little spooked by the BLS outlook. Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering are growing at only 5-6%, while Aerospace and Electrical Engineering are declining in numbers. The only engineering career that is growing at and impressive rate is Biomedical Engineering. This is a big concern when each year tens of thousands of people are earning their engineering degrees in the US but the Job Outlook isn’t looking good. Supposedly getting an engineering job is fairly easy, but will this be true in the next few years? Those of you that are engineers now or looking for an engineering job please leave your opinion.
Really? This is news to me and my family.
My dd is a CSE and EE she has work coming out of the wazoo.
My DH is constantly hiring EE’s and CSE’s
My son is targeting CE and his school has many EE, CSE and CE on-campus interviews.
Good thing a high school student is informing me that my family members entered a dying occupation. I better let them know that they need to stop interviewing new candidates for their open positions.
DD said that her professors told her, a couple of years ago, that biomedical engineering will be a “future” bigger career, but right now, there aren’t a lot of biomed companies. DD2 had a friend who graduated in 2016 with a biomed engineering degree and couldn’t find a job in that, so the friend is working in healthcare.
@BrendanG I think it is great that you are looking at the BLS numbers and have no reason why the first response you received was written in such a negative tone. Unfortunately, I am not an engineer so cannot comment but once again super that you are assessing the demand before you commit your time/resources. Good luck and I hope you get helpful responses going forward!!
Aunt Bea I don’t know why you are being so negative towards my post. Of course I don’t know everything, I’m still in high school. I was just asking a question, because the job outlook isn’t looking great. I wanted to get advice and opinions from people who have experience because statistics (BLS) aren’t always very accurate. Thank you for your opinion
Job growth isn’t the only thing to consider. That only represents how many more total jobs are expected. You also have to consider the rate at which new engineers are entering the workforce and old engineers are leaving the workforce to get the full picture of supply and demand for engineers. In that regard, keep in mind that baby boomers are retiring in droves (although not as fast as feared) and most engineering companies seem to have a hard enough time keeping up with it, let along the job growth on top of that.
Then why did you?
Because while I cannot comment on the job outlook for engineers I can certainly comment that the first response was not helpful.
Now that I see your username your response makes more sense…
@yearstogo, look at the title of the post: “Engineering job outlook is poor”. How can a blatant statement like that be posted and interpreted by all of these kids applying to colleges for engineering?
The BLS stats may have been misread and misinterpreted by the OP. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-outlook-for-engineering-occupations-to-2024.htm
I saw a -1.4% decrease until the year 2024 in “Electronics” Engineers, which are not the same as Electrical Engineers.
Was I snarky? Yes.
Was it negative, yes, because the “poor” label is contrary to what is going on in the actual profession.
Who’s not being helpful now? 
OP, do everything you can while in college to increase your chances of getting a job:
- Get an internship
- Join other activities such as research or a project team
- Get stellar grades
- Utilize the career center -- they likely do resume reviews and practice interviews, and they may have a job board online where companies can recruit specifically at your school
- Go to career fairs
- Apply early and often, and don't limit yourself by field or location
A lot of the process is in your control.
@“aunt bea” thats why I created this thread because I always though that the demand for engineers was high and it was relatively easy for an engineer to find a job. Although when I looked at BLS it showed a low percent job outlook which concerned me. I posted here to better understand the future of engineer careers and to see if the BLS stats were actually true and thank you @boneh3ad for answering my question
@brendanG It is also important to keep in mind that engineers are highly sought after for many types of jobs beyond their specific major. My BIL is a MechE but the job he does would ideally have a ChemE. Many other engineers later get an MBA and work in business.
One thing I would suggest is that no matter the type of engineering, I would want to be sure to take at least two or three CS courses, because there is no where to hide from changes in technology.
Don’t let the BLS numbers worry you too much. Just look at them with some perspective. A 5% growth rate is more than the US economy will grow during the same period.
In general, the job outlook for engineers is fine.
Keep in mind that we’re not only loosing engineers to retirement, as a significant number will also move on in their careers into different roles (management, sales, etc.).
I’d say 6% growth sounds ok… I suspect that lots of other fields are declining
“The only engineering career that is growing at and impressive rate is Biomedical Engineering.” - Maybe that is for those with grad degree? Per my reading here and a biomed engineering BS grad I know, job prospects are not great w/o grad degree.
Two things:
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Judging by the 3 “helpfuls” my post received I’d say my response made plenty of sense and is doing a fine job of fulfilling my purpose for being here.
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You do realize that making insults about a person’s name that they willingly chose is neither clever not effective, right?
Yes, for BME, you often need at least a master’s in order to be taken seriously by employers. Most BME undergrads do not intend to actually work as an engineer.
Another fast growing engineering career is CS. However, the number of CS graduates is also skyrocketing each year, so the job growth rate alone does not tell you the entire story.
I think you also have to consider whether you are willing to be flexible. Do you only want to work in a city or would you be willing to work in the boonies? Would you take a job in a foreign country? Would you be willing to sit at a desk all day or do you want field work? Would you be willing to do a job that isn’t traditionally done by an engineer, more on the business side or regulatory side?
My daughter picked civil engineering because that’s what she liked. She knew it wouldn’t be the highest paid. She’s found she likes building bridges, so may have to go to some developing places, some dusty and dirty places. My BIL is a civil engineer and honestly, it was a little rough in 2008-10 because construction stopped in a lot of areas (he used to work on a lot of bike paths and infrastructure). He now works at a mine because that was the opportunity (he loves it).
It’s good to be concerned, but if you are open to different paths in the future, you should be fine. You’ll find plenty of things to do with an engineering degree.
Thanks guys for all the input, It’s been really helpful!
As a long time EE (>25 years experience), I shall take a slightly contrarian perspective.
What the BLS data seem to miss is the cyclical nature of engineering. Engineering experiences demand and surplus. There are hiring surges and then mass layoffs. I think the different cycles cause the different BLS outlooks.
I remember taking a career assessment back in high school and it recommended becoming a doctor, dentist, or some other stable profession. I played around with the options and discovered that engineering is not considered stable because of its cyclical nature. The different specialties may have different cycles but they all have their ups and downs. Biomedical engineering is projected to be in demand because of the aging population, but I suspect demand will eventually drop. I personally think it is better to get a mechanical or electronics engineering degree and then find a biomedical related job because it provides more options.
Bottom line: pursue engineering if you genuinely enjoy it and would do it as a hobby. You will be fine. But if you are looking for an easy stable job, you might be disappointed.
@BrendanG, sorry about the negativity, I read it like an attack and immediately wondered why? As a high school student I think its great you are looking for a field that will grow and provide you a career and that you are doing the research to expand your knowledge.
How many students get a four year degree in a particular field and cannot find a lucrative job when they graduate? FAR TOO MANY.
Is test engineer a stable career?