So currently, I am a junior in high school and I think that engineering is the road I want to go down. Math and science are my two favorite classes so that is what my guidance counselors and parents are both pushing me towards. I also do well in both. I originally wanted to really get into Petroleum Engineering because not only did it have the highest salary, it also seemed really interesting to me. However, after doing a bit of research, I’m not sure if that’s what I want to get into because I’ve heard people say that the salary of the engineer is going to decrease because of how many students are starting to get into it. My uncle got into mechanical engineering and he is doing extremely well for himself but I feel like he may have gotten lucky because from amount research I’ve done, Mechanical engineers don’t make a ton of money. My next thought was chemical engineering, but I don’t really want to be someone who sits around all day working at a desk. I’m probably wrong about what they do so if someone could help me out there I’d greatly appreciate it. I guess I’m looking for an engineering job that makes more than average money, is fun to do, constantly doing something different, and safe to get into. I’ll appreciate any help I can get.
You can Google different engineering professions, and then see what look interesting. Look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics for some real, albeit not very up to date, information on salary and the like. Really, any engineering job will most likely be comfortably above the “average” salary.
Do what you like. That is especially important when going into a tough major like those in STEM. If what you study excites you and you want to learn more just because it’s cool, the complications and difficulty of the work won’t seem so bad. I’m choosing electrical engineering because I find computers and digital tech really interesting, so hopefully that will help me push through the tough times. To paraphrase another poster, “just think of that sweet, sweet salary…”.
As for specific jobs, there is such a wide variety of areas that engineers get into that it’s hard to make a list. Again, Google will be your friend in discovering your passion.
Mechanical Engineering is one of the more general areas and very popular now. Electrical Engineering is also a good choice. As @feartheENGR says, you need to major in something that you find intrinsically interesting.
At this point I’m not sure exactly what type of engineering I find interesting. I just know that I want to be able to get a job with relative ease out of college and one that exceeds the average salary by quite a bit.
Just stay away from biomedical unless you plan on going to grad school.
An easy path to being better off than average. That would be nice.
Mechanical engineering and Electrical engineering have good job prospects, Computer Science have very good job prospects. The first year of each program is virtually identical, so you have some time to explore and choose.
I’m not looking for an easy path with a high salary. I’m looking for a job with good prospects and a high salary. I don’t care if it is the most challenging, I actually would almost prefer a more challenging degree to get because I know that a smaller amount of people will have it.
@ShiversAhoy, What average salary? General population? Those with any UG degree? Engineers? Please elaborate. Also, since you’ve said that mechanical engineers don’t make a ton of money, what’s your definition of that? How much do you expect to make starting and at peak earnings?
My idea of salary to start off is around 65,000-70,000. Peak salary I had something like 140,000+ in mind. If those number are asinine please let me know. Like I said I’m only in high school so my knowledge of what people make is somewhat limited.
Bump
Your salary expectations are reasonable enough for any engineering major, provided that you have good grades and develop marketable skills during your college years. MechE or EE are probably your best bets, overall.
I always advise students that it’s a mistake to chose engineering fields based on salary. All engineers make decent money. As the economy ebbs and flows, so do the salaries of the different engineering fields. The one that’s hot right now, very possibly won’t be by the time you graduate. Then, you have a degree that you only wanted for the money, but now without that advantage.Terrible idea. Choose the field that interests you the most and don’t try to base it on the earnings beauty pageant of the day. Good luck.
All engineer fields make above average money, so chose the one that relates to your interests. The two main fields in engineering is typically, civil and mechanical. If you like mechanics and machines then mechanical engineering might be for you. It includes aerospace, petroleum, automotive, and manufacturing engineering. There is also the civil branch. This includes transportation, architectural, structural, and material engineering. Civil mostly deals with water, infrastructure, geology, and structures. Then you have computer, software, and electrical engineering that all deals with electronics and electricity. And then lastly there is biomedical and chemical engineering. Chemical deals with food, medicine, toxins, and even oil, while biomedical deals with manmade artificial limbs and pacemakers. Chose the engineering branch that you like not by money, or you will be miserable. I almost went into civil engineering myself because of the money and switched to architecture because that is what I love.
At most schools, you will have the choice (or even the requirement) to start with general or undecided engineering before choosing a discipline. You will learn the basics common to all, and have exposure to each so you can decide what appeals to you.
@bodangles this is probably a dumb question, but when you say don’t do biomedical unless you plan to go to grad school, would doing a 4+1 program to get a masters count as grad school? I’m a high school senior now and I’m going to Cal Poly Slo for BME and I was planning on doing their 5 year masters program and then trying to get a biomedical engineering job.
@jtrain5976 I think that counts! As long as you are fine with that fifth year, that is a perfectly good way to go, and the masters (I’ve heard) will give you more opportunities than a bachelor’s. I, personally, want to go straight into the workforce, so that’s why my advisor recommended I switch out of BME. Different strokes for different folks 
Most all fields of engineering have good job prospects and above average salary. As such, you should choose a field that is interesting to you and that you are passionate about. As a full time engineer, I have an above average salary, but that is not what is important to me. I would do what I do for much less money because I love it. My degree is in optical sciences and engineering, best field of engineering I could have chosen in my opinion.
There’s also civil, industrial, and manufacturing engineering. There’s more specialized fields as well, such as aerospace or automotive engineering. Aerospace is a subset of mechanical, for instance. Look at this link: http://typesofengineeringdegrees.org/ There’s a bunch of different fields of engineering. Be aware though that no school is going to offer degrees in all of these fields.