What is the career path for an engineer?

• Industrial engineering

• Mechanical engineering

• Electrical engineering

• Civil engineering

• Software engineering

• Environmental engineering

• Big data engineering

• Chemical engineering

• Aerospace engineering

• Biomedical engineering

• Nuclear engineering

While some engineering fields have transferable knowledge and skills to other fields, some do not. However, there are some common soft skills that nearly every engineer needs to advance on their specific engineering career path, which includes:

• Communication (both written and verbal + listening and speaking)

• Creativity

• Collaboration

• Time management

• Conflict resolution

• Problem-solving

• Critical thinking

• Attention to detail

• Organization

• Teamwork

• Adaptability and flexibility

While each engineering career path can differ in terms of roles and responsibilities, in general, most engineering companies structure the engineering hierarchy in this manner, starting with the lowest role and ascending toward the highest:

• Staff Engineer

• Senior Staff Engineer

• Principal Engineer

• Distinguished Engineer

Depending on the scale of the organization, principal engineers can have a career path and hierarchy dedicated specifically to them. Here is a common principal engineering hierarchy, from lowest role to highest role:

• Principal Engineer

• Senior Principal Engineer

• Distinguished Principal Engineer

• Fellow Engineer

Here is a quick look at some of these specific engineering roles on a typical engineering career path:

• Staff engineer

  A staff engineer reports directly to the directors of engineering. Staff engineers design, build, and test structures, products, systems, services, or equipment depending on their specialty.

  They are employed in various industries and mainly specialize in civil, mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering. Staff engineers, such as staff software engineers, may also work in the technology space.

• Senior Engineer

  Senior engineers are professionals who receive this title through experience. They may handle several projects simultaneously, performing engineers' tasks and providing team guidance.

  These engineers are highly technical and ensure teams apply common engineering principles and concepts to their own teams' responsibilities.

• Principal Engineer

  A principal engineer is a professional who oversees other engineers in different departments and contributes to multiple projects at one time. A principal engineer has many years of experience and training in particular or multiple engineering fields.

  They oversee and manage engineers in a specific department or several different departments. Leadership is a crucial component of a principal engineer's job.

  Some of their responsibilities include planning engineering strategies for a company, managing several departments and figuring out goals for each, and writing and managing engineering budgets.