Mechanical Engineer Career Guide

Are you mechanical, good a maths and adaptable to both team work and independent work? If yes, then look no further, as we think you may be suited to a career as a mechanical engineer!

Mechanical engineers are responsible for the design, development, building, and testing of a wide variety of different thermal and mechanical devices. The work of mechanical engineers is essential for our thriving and developing society and, as a result, there will be many exciting job opportunities for mechanical engineers over the coming years.

If you think mechanical engineering may be the right profession for you, browse the career profiles below. Our career profiles have been developed based on interviews with professional mechanical engineers who actually work in this field on a daily basis and know what it takes to succeed in the industry.

Mechanical Engineer Career Ratings

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Income

Career
Growth

Personal Growth

Contribution

Influence

Job Profiles

Real-Life Mechanical Engineer Job Profiles

Below is a list of links to anonymous job profiles of REAL PEOPLE who have filled out our survey and offered to share their insights with our users about their job in the Mechanical Engineer field.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33705	Senior Mechanical Project Engineer	Male	41	$65,000	Bristol, NY	01/01/2010
33346	Design Engineer	Male	24	$75,000	salinas, CA	01/01/2010
33336	Mechanical Engineer	Female	26	$58,000	Westfield, MA	01/01/2010
33261	Measurement Deployment Engineer	Male	27	$60,000	peoria, IL	01/01/2010
33026	Mechanical Engineer	Female	50	$100,000	Union Grove, WI	01/01/2010

Overview

What a mechanical engineer does

Mechanical engineers are responsible for the design, development, building, and testing of a wide variety of different thermal and mechanical devices. The field of mechanical engineering is very broad, which offers many exciting opportunities. For example, a mechanical engineers can work in a research & development department or in the manufacturing field. Whereas others may work for the government, or for a private company. Regardless of where they work, their typical duties and responsibilities include:

Analyzing problems to see how mechanical and thermal devices might help solve them
Designing or redesigning mechanical and thermal devices or subsystems
Investigating equipment failures or difficulties to diagnose faulty operation
Recommending remedies for equipment failures
Developing and testing prototypes of devices they design
Analyzing the test results and changing the design or system as needed
Overseeing the manufacturing process for the device

Why they are needed

Mechanical engineers play a critical role in manufactured technologies. We might not even realize it, but we are most likely to use something that has been mechanically engineered every single day. Without mechanical engineers, we would not have things like engines, generators, elevators or even air conditioning. That would mean we would have no cars, no airplanes, trains or other technologies that we need in our every day life. Essentially, mechanical engineers are important for our developing society.

Pros and cons of a career as a mechanical engineer:

Pros:

Like all engineers, mechanical engineers are offered a competitive salary
Mechanical engineers are in high demand
There are lots of opportunities for advancement and progression
The work as a mechanical engineer is rewarding as they are helping with the development and progression of society
There is a lot of variety because mechanical engineers can work for a number of different industries

Cons:

It is a very competitive job market
There is often a lot of studying required to become a mechanical engineer (e.g., a bachelors degree, a masters degree and further training)
Mechanical engineers may have to work long hours
Mechanical engineers may be exposed to work hazards

Employability

Job market

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations.

This employment growth is expected because mechanical engineers will remain involved in various manufacturing industries. For example, in automotive manufacturing, mechanical engineers will play a key role in improving the performance of hybrid and electric cares. However, employment rates will differ depending on the industry – in some industries, there will be an employment decline.

Career paths

In order to land an entry-level mechanical engineer job, you will need a bachelors degree in engineering (preferably mechanical engineering). Whilst studying, you will learn through classes, laboratory work and field study in areas such as mathematics, life and physical sciences, as well as engineering and design. Most colleges and universities offer cooperative programs in which students gain practical experience while completing their education.

In order to have the best employment and development opportunities, some mechanical engineers will complete a 5-year program in mechanical engineering that leads to both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Regardless of what route they choose, all aspiring petroleum engineers should aim to complete ABET accredited programs.

After completing the relevant degree and on-the-job training (where they will be supervised by experience engineers) to become licensed, mechanical engineers can advance to supervising teams of engineers and technicians. At the later stages of their career, mechanical engineers may go into sales and use their engineering background to inform the discussion of a products technical aspects with a potential buyer.

Example Job Titles for Mechanical Engineer

Below is a list of common job titles in the Mechanical Engineer field. Click the links below for more information about these job titles, or view the next section for actual real-life job profiles.

Benefits & Conditions

Income and benefits

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for mechanical engineers in the United States was $90,160 in 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $58,410, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $141,060. The top paying industry was scientific research and development services, with a median annual salary of $104,260. This is followed by computer and electronic product manufacturing ($97,180), transportation equipment manufacturing ($92,650), architectural, engineering and related services ($91,590) and then machinery manufacturing ($82,190).

Autonomy and Flexibility

Qualified and skilled mechanical engineers will have high levels autonomy. They are often very senior members in team and therefore have control over many decisions regarding product production. As mechanical engineers progress through their career, their autonomy will increase further as they gather more experience, knowledge and responsibility.

Locations and commute

According to Zipp ia, the best states to be a mechanical engineer, based on average annual salary and number of job opportunities, are:

California, where the average annual salary is $85,029
Delaware, where the average annual salary is $81,832
New Hampshire, where the average annual salary is $77,414
Washington, where the average annual salary is $77,775
Massachusetts, where the average annual salary is $78,887

The worst states to be a chemical engineer, according to Zippia, are Missouri, South Dakota, Hawaii, North Dakota and Arkansas.

Work environment

The largest employer of mechanical engineers in the United States was architectural, engineering and related services, which employed 20% of all mechanical engineers in 2019. 14% of mechanical engineers were employed by the machinery manufacturing industry, 11% by transportation equipment manufacturing, 7% by computer and electronic product manufacturing and a further 6% by scientific research and development services.

Mechanical engineers generally work in offices. They may, on occasion, visit worksites where a problems or piece of equipment needs their personal attention. In nearly all settings, they will work with other engineers and other professionals, so they must be able to work as part of a team.

Career Satisfaction

Common Matching Personality Types

Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Mechanical Engineer careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Mechanical Engineer career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Mechanical Engineer.

16 Types (Myers-Briggs)

Big Five (OCEAN)

None

DISC

Enneagram

Type 5

Holland Codes (RIASEC)

Personality types

There has been no scientific exploration into exactly what personality types will make a successful mechanical engineer. However, successful engineers are likely to be the the Myers Briggs personality type of ISTP, or otherwise known as ‘the Virtuoso’. ISTPs are likely to be suited to a career in engineering because they can use their five senses in a manner that is concrete and literal. They typically have innate mechanical abilities and love to understand how things work, which makes them perfectly suited to being a mechanical engineer.

Accomplishment and mastery

Like most engineering careers, it takes a long time to become fully qualified and have lots of responsibility. Therefore, when a mechanical engineer fully qualifies, they are likely to feel a huge sense of achievement.

Throughout their career, mechanical engineers will constantly be working to design, develop build and test of a wide variety of different thermal and mechanical devices. Every time they create successful devices, mechanical engineers will feel a huge sense of accomplishment and mastery.

Meaning and contribution

Mechanical engineers play a critical role in manufacturing technologies. They play a huge role in producing the products we use every single day, from engineers to generators. Based on this, the work of mechanical engineers has high levels meaning and contribution.

Life fit

Most mechanical engineers will work normal full time hours. They may have to work overtime to travel to and from different sites and to fix problems as they arise.

Who will thrive in this career?

There are many qualities that a mechanical engineer needs in order to thrive. For example, mechanical engineers must be mathematically minded in order to thrive. Similarly, they should have good IT skills and be analytical.

As mechanical engineers will spend a lot of time working in teams with other professionals, they should also be good at working with others and have strong communication and team work skills. However, as mechanical engineers will also work alone at times, they need to be adaptable and flexible enough to manage this change in work environment. Finally, a thriving mechanical engineer should also have the ability to work under pressure and enthusiasm for the job!

Who will struggle in this career?

As with any type of engineering, you will struggle if you are not naturally creative. Similarly, those who are not natural born problem-solvers and can’t pay attention to detail may struggle as an engineer, who needs to be able to notice and solve even the smallest of issues. Finally, not being able to adapt to the demands of teamwork followed by independent work might cause someone to struggle as a mechanical engineer.

Requirements

Quick Glance

Skills

Degrees

Skills and talents

Mechanical engineers will learn many of the skills they need during their education and studying. However, they must also have skills such as:

Creativity, because mechanical engineers are responsible for designing and building complex pieces of equipment and machinery
Listening skills, as mechanical engineers will often work in projects with others and must be able to listen to and analyze different approaches to complete the task at hand
Problem-solving skills, as mechanical engineers need to be able to use scientific principles to design and build useful products
Attention to detail, as mechanical engineers must not overlook any potential issues
Mechanical skills, as mechanical engineers must be able to compile and make sense of large amounts of technical information and data
Math skills, as mechanical engineers must use the principles of calculus and other advanced topics for analysis, design and troubleshooting

Education

Mechanical engineers will need a bachelors degree in engineering (preferably mechanical engineering). Generally, most aspiring engineers will complete cooperative programs as this allows students to gain practical experience while completing their education. All mechanical engineers should aim to complete ABET accredited programs.

In order to have the best employment and development opportunities, some mechanical engineers will complete a 5-year program in chemical or mechanical engineers that leads to both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.

Certifications

Mechanical engineers can achieve a professional engineering (PE) license later on in their career. Licensing demonstrates an engineer competence and gives them more progression opportunities. Licensed engineers can oversee the work of other engineers, sign off projects and provide service directly to the public. To achieve a PE license, aspiring engineers will need:

A degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
A passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
Relevant work experience
A passing score on the Professional Engineering (PE) exam

How to Become

Summary

Mechanical engineers are responsible for the design, development, building, and testing of a wide variety of different thermal and mechanical devices. The field of mechanical engineering is very broad, which offers many exciting opportunities. They are essential for our thriving and developing society and, as a result, there will be many exciting job opportunities for mechanical engineers over the coming years.

Immediate action

If you’re at high school and looking to become a mechanical engineer, you should consider taking courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and math (including algebra, trigonometry, and calculus). To have the best chance of getting accepted onto an engineering degree programs, we advise having lots of extra-curricular activities (e.g., sports teams, art classes).

Education and learning

Mechanical engineers will need a bachelors degree in engineering that is accredited by the ABET. Some aspiring mechanical engineers will enrol in 5-year programs, where they can obtain a bachelors degree and a master’s degree.

Skill development

Mechanical engineers will learn many of the advanced skills and knowledge they need through their education. Once they graduate, they can take further training in order to give them more career progression opportunities, which will further advance their skills.

FAQs

Ask a Question

Have a question about Mechanical Engineer careers? If so, our mentors would love to help! Just click on a mentor’s profile below and then fill out the “Ask a Question” form on that page. Your question will then be emailed to the mentor, who can then email you a reply.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33705	Senior Mechanical Project Engineer	Male	41	$65,000	Bristol, NY	01/01/2010
33346	Design Engineer	Male	24	$75,000	salinas, CA	01/01/2010
33336	Mechanical Engineer	Female	26	$58,000	Westfield, MA	01/01/2010
33261	Measurement Deployment Engineer	Male	27	$60,000	peoria, IL	01/01/2010
33026	Mechanical Engineer	Female	50	$100,000	Union Grove, WI	01/01/2010

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