What can you do with a Mechanical Engineering Degree?

What can you do with a Mechanical Engineering Degree?

Are you looking for the answer to the question, “What can you do with a mechanical engineering degree?” so you can take a course in it and adequately prepare for a career in it?

This post is for you if you are.

You will discover the various exciting jobs available to mechanical engineering graduates that you can start a career on if you choose.

Read on:

Why Mechanical Engineering Degree?

Among other engineering disciplines, mechanical engineering is the only one conjectured as the basis for all engineering fields.

It is often referred to as the most versatile engineering profession because it covers many fundamental aspects of other engineering disciplines.

Mechanical engineering encompasses the application of principles of motion, force, and energy in order to design tools and processes that meet the technical, economic and social needs of the society.

Mechanical engineers are owed many thanks for their countless contributions to the design and development of internal combustion engines, gas turbines, electric generators, and various other power/non-power machines we utilize in our day-to-day mechanized operations.

They specialize in the development of products that meet needs through mechanical means; they manage/supervise manufacturing operations in power plants, factories, as well as plan the generation/distribution of energy and even the contriving of market strategies.

The cross-discipline nature of mechanical engineering is largely attributed to the combination of subjects it covers among which include math, physics, chemistry, and material science.

Mechanical engineering majors during the course of their education are bestowed with a lot of valuable transferable skills such as the ability to analyze and design mechanical systems, creative thinking skills to come up with awesome product ideas, exceptional number-crunching skills to handle mathematical challenges and a knowledge of machine nitty-gritty.

These skills translate to jobs in a multitudinous number of fields such as the management, finance, medicine, research/development, and other branches of engineering discipline.

Engineering degrees are very popular among undergraduates but a mechanical engineering degree goes beyond being just popular to being the most popular engineering degree and 26th most popular college degree in the U.S with 32,560 degrees awarded from 2013-2014 according to Matchcollege.

What Jobs can you get with a Mechanical Engineering Associate’s Degree

As a step towards pursuing a career in the field of mechanical engineering, you can opt for an Associate’s degree in Mechanical engineering technology which prepares you for Bachelor’s degree studies and can aid you to secure jobs as:

• Mechanical Engineering Technician: They work with mechanical engineers assisting them with designing, developing, testing, and fabricating of mechanical products and devices. They create the layout of mechanical components; evaluate designs and work to manufacture/assemble mechanical parts for equipment. They also carry out tests and repairs to ensure a mechanical product works efficiently. They are estimated to earn a median salary of $53,910 annually according to BLS report.
• Aerospace Engineering Technician: They assist aerospace engineers with the design and development of mechanical parts for aircrafts. They carry out research for new designs/techniques; they repair/replace worn out parts and ensure the proper running of aircraft machine parts. They also carry out tests to improve safety of air and space crafts. They are projected to earn $66,180 annually.
• Automotive Service Technicians: They assist in the design, development, manufacture, and repairs of vehicles. They help out in the preparation of manufacturing materials; they design mechanical parts for automobiles, test run newly manufactured/repaired vehicles to ensure seamless performance. They also perform vehicle maintenance tasks as well as interact with clients to explain vehicle issues. Annually, they earn an average of $37,850.

What Jobs can you get with Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree?

Having a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical engineering creates room for better job prospects.

It aids graduates in securing jobs as:

• Maintenance Engineer: As the name implies, their duties revolve around ensuring the optimal performance of machines and equipment. They create maintenance plans, perform routine checks on equipment and analyze mechanical parts where necessary. They also ensure the safe and efficient operation of equipment by clients.
• Mechanical Engineer: They specialize in the provision of technical solutions for the design/development of equipment, machines and mechanical parts. They design safe and affordable equipment, ensure the consistent performance of a designed product as well as the manufacture, testing, and improvement of product design/process.
• Automotive Engineer: They are responsible for the design, manufacture and repairs of automotive contraptions. Their duties include creating 3D designs using CAD tools, selecting appropriate materials for the fabrication of parts, considering the needs of customers in the manufacture of vehicles and then carrying out tests and inspection of automobiles to ensure faultless operations.
• Aerospace Engineer: They oversee the manufacture, repairs, and maintenance of air/space crafts. They analyze parts and designs to ensure conformity to set standards; they identify and resolve technical faults in an aerospace product, carry out research to develop new aviation technology and ensure safety of flight operations.
• Production Manager: Mechanical engineers can fill in as a production manager performing the duties of directing the processes of production, managing the costs of production, ensuring efficient operation/maintenance of equipment and attainment of production standards. They also ensure adherence to safety/health policies.

Going for advanced degrees is usually recommended for one seeking to achieve an expert status in a field.

What Jobs can you get with a Mechanical Engineering Master’s or Doctorate Degree?

With a Master’s/Doctorate degree in mechanical engineering, you can occupy positions as:

• Research Engineer: They utilize their technical knowledge in conducting research and surveys to develop new products and technologies. They design prototypes and perform tests to ascertain the workability of a product design.
• Instructor: With a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering, you can occupy academic positions as a college professor/lecturer educating undergraduate students on the principles/concepts of mechanical engineering.

Conclusion

Mechanical engineering degree is a highly applicable discipline with several exciting jobs that you can do and feel fulfilled as well as earn lucrative pay.