Jobs as Engineers

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I've been thinking about majoring in Engineering because I like physics and it's a degree I wouldn't mind falling back on and would feel safe in in case medical school doesn't work out (unlike Creative Writing). However I was wondering what kinds of jobs are available for Engineering majors (I plan on getting a PhD in any field I work in). I'm not sure what kind of engineering I'd like to go into though electrical, chemical and biomedical all seem really interesting. I guess what I'm really looking for is that I don't want to be stuck at a desk or in a lab all by myself. I like to interact with people, whether they be coworkers, clients, patients, etc. The only (electrical) engineer I know is my ~uncle and he's an International Banker now (though his engineering background is what got him the job), and I know that's probably not common. </p>

<p>Also, how much could I expect to be making? I don't need a ton of money but 80k+ in the long run would be nice (100k+ would be absolutely amazing). </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>A PhD is not required to get a job in engineering.</p>

<p>Some university career surveys list job titles and employers as well as pay levels and job placement and graduate school matriculation rates:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;
[Graduate</a> Status Report - Career Services - Cal Poly](<a href=“http://www.careerservices.calpoly.edu/content/student/gsr_report]Graduate”>http://www.careerservices.calpoly.edu/content/student/gsr_report)
[Post-Graduation</a> Survey and Report | Career Services | Virginia Tech](<a href=“http://www.career.vt.edu/PostGraduationSurveyReport/PostGrad.html]Post-Graduation”>http://www.career.vt.edu/PostGraduationSurveyReport/PostGrad.html)</p>

<p>Other career surveys:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>IMHO, I definitely would not go straight thru to a PhD in engineering. It isn’t required to get a good job in engineering. A BS is sufficient but an MS better. A PhD locks you into a specific nitch (at least if you want to benefit from the the PhD). You should have some work experience in that nitch to make sure you really like it before committing to the PhD program. Besides, most companies will pay (or at least partialy pay) for your PhD if you want to go that far.</p>

<p>The focus of an engineer is to develope a product and not just do research. Therefore, most engineers do work in groups, so people interaction is there. In fact, people skills are, again IMHO, very important in the workplace. </p>

<p>You may be forced to make a decision however with your schooling. To get the necessary coursework in engineering you may be required to take some very tough courses that are not required for med school. These classes may drop your GPA which would hurt your chances at med school.</p>

<p>Salaries are pretty good in engineering. Salaries above 100K (even well above) are common, although that is with some number of years of experience and having demonstrated a very good skill level. The Cal Poly ME grads from this past June had a mean starting salary in the mid-50K range for a BS.</p>