<p>If I had to guess it would be the following:</p>
<li> Near perfect GPA at a top 10 engineering school</li>
<li> Good people skills</li>
<li> Business background, MBA</li>
</ol>
<p>Personal experience would be great! Thanks.</p>
<p>Wealthy engineers don't need any of the above (except for maybe #2). Wealthy engineers are creative and innovative and can market their product well. By that, I mean they design the product themselves and not for anybody else, i.e. not working for a company. Wealthy engineers are entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>Yeah... certainly not #1. It may help but many and I'd say even most of the wealthiest engineers don't have backgrounds like that.</p>
<p>How wealthy is "wealthy"?</p>
<p>I was thinking over $200k income</p>
<p>good people skills is a deffinite must
being creative
willing to take risks
hard work
and some luck</p>
<p>so engineers convince people to buy products? like a salesperson?</p>
<p>There's a certain amount of marketing involved in any field where you have to win clients. If you're good at marketing yourself and your products, and the rest of the engineers have spent their lives ignoring the necessity of people skills, then you're going to do well.</p>
<p>It's even better when the product can sell itself.</p>
<p>As an engineer you could one day make around 100k working for a company as an engineer. </p>
<p>If you want to make more you will have to do what most wealthy people do (who aren't in entertainment..), start your own business. Or you could create some great new product.</p>
<p>If you're looking at 200k in a company you'll have to jump into management and work high up the ladder...but then you aren't really an engineer anymore.</p>
<p>if you think about $ then it's better to be an electrician.
my neighbour earned $173000.00 last year working as an electrician, (Chrysler)</p>
<p>$173,000 as a Chrysler electrician!!!!! - another reason that bankruptcy is the best route for the car companies. Do you at Chrysler, expect me, a small business owner, to bail you out again so that you can make ridiculous salaries.</p>
<p>Us Car maker work rules, salary schedules and benefits need to be brought in line with the non-us based car makers that have factories here.</p>
<p>a trust fund from your wealthy parents.</p>
<p>Hard work.
Luck.
Doing what you love.
Sometimes doing what you hate.
Communication skills.
Working well with others.
Understanding how to manage your wealth.</p>
<p>One more thing - Frugal</p>
<p>
[quote]
if you think about $ then it's better to be an electrician.
my neighbour earned $173000.00 last year working as an electrician, (Chrysler)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Most electricians don't make nearly that much money.</p>
<p>I guess he is the electrician equivalent of Joe the Plumber...</p>
<p>Be a good engineer --then get an MBA and move into management.</p>