To become a professional engineer, one must go through rigorous training and education programs. There are many different disciplines of engineering, and an engineering degree usually requires you to select one of them to specialize in. A few of the many types of engineering are: mechanical, software, electrical, civil and chemical. In order to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, you must attend an accredited university or college program for four years. In order to become a professional engineer, you must work in an engineering field for several years and then pass a professional ethics examination.
Most people who complete their Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering will start applying for jobs as soon as their degree is handed to them. However, there are a couple of options available if you are looking to further your education. A Master’s Degree in Engineering can be completed by studying for another two or three years. This degree looks really good on a resume because it shows that you are dedicated to learning more your specific field of engineering. That being said, statistics show that the starting salary for an engineer who has a Master’s degree is not that much higher than the starting salary of one who just has their Bachelor’s degree. It is actually more beneficial (on average) to get a job as soon as you’re done school. This way you can use those 2 to 3 years to build up work experience and do some networking which help will make you the top candidate for raises and promotions.
New graduates usually start their careers in a field that is directly related to their specialization. As their careers progress, they will often find themselves working in positions in completely different industries. This is because engineers love to take on new challenges and tackle the hardest problems that need to be solved. Engineers have a large set of soft and hard skills that can be adapted and applied to almost any technology oriented job out there. After working for several years, engineers who have worked hard and impressed their employers will be promoted to a management position. There are many benefits to working in management, but the biggest advantage is the large salaries that upper management can make. There is virtually no limit to the salary of an employee in upper management and they are most often above $100,000 a year.
While the average to become a professional engineer ranges from $48,000 to $55,000, a few years of work experience is all that is needed to get promoted and start making an average of $86,000 a year. The job market for engineers is huge and constantly growing as our society wants everything to be faster, bigger, better and most importantly, easier. If you get an engineering degree, you will never have to look very hard to find a great job.
