Become A Consulting Engineer
Where do you want to work?
Working As A Consulting Engineer
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Interacting With Computers
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Deal with People
$74,358
Average Salary
What Does A Consulting Engineer Do
How To Become A Consulting Engineer
Industrial engineers must have a bachelor’s degree. Employers also value experience, so cooperative education engineering programs at universities are also valuable.
EducationIndustrial engineers need a bachelor’s degree, typically in industrial engineering. However, many industrial engineers have degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering technology, or general engineering. Students interested in studying industrial engineering should take high school courses in mathematics, such as algebra, trigonometry, and calculus; computer science; and sciences such as chemistry and physics.
Bachelor’s degree programs include lectures in classrooms and practice in laboratories. Courses include statistics, production systems planning, and manufacturing systems design, among others. Many colleges and universities offer cooperative education programs in which students gain practical experience while completing their education.
A few colleges and universities offer 5-year degree programs in industrial engineering that lead to a bachelor’s and master’s degree upon completion, and several more offer similar programs in mechanical engineering. A graduate degree allows an engineer to work as a professor at a college or university or to engage in research and development. Some 5-year or even 6-year cooperative education plans combine classroom study with practical work, permitting students to gain experience and to finance part of their education.
Programs in industrial engineering are accredited by ABET.
Important QualitiesCreativity. Industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal.
Critical-thinking skills. Industrial engineers create new systems to solve problems related to waste and inefficiency. Solving these problems requires logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to the problems.
Listening skills. These engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff. They must listen to customers and clients in order to fully grasp ideas and problems the first time.
Math skills. Industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Problem-solving skills. In designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance.
Speaking skills. Industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available. Being able to explain concepts clearly and quickly is crucial to preventing costly mistakes and loss of time.
Writing skills. Industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference. The documentation must be coherent and explain their thinking clearly so that the others can understand the information.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsLicensure is not required for entry-level positions as an industrial engineer. A Professional Engineering (PE) license, which allows for higher levels of leadership and independence, can be acquired later in one’s career. Licensed engineers are called professional engineers (PEs). A PE can oversee the work of other engineers, sign off on projects, and provide services directly to the public. State licensure generally requires
- A degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
- A passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
- Relevant work experience, typically at least 4 years
- A passing score on the Professional Engineering (PE) exam
The initial FE exam can be taken after one earns a bachelor’s degree. Engineers who pass this exam are commonly called engineers in training (EITs) or engineer interns (EIs). After meeting work experience requirements, EITs and EIs can take the second exam, called the Principles and Practice of Engineering.
Several states require engineers to take continuing education in order to keep their licenses. Most states recognize licenses from other states, as long as the other state’s licensing requirements meet or exceed their own licensing requirements.
AdvancementBeginning industrial engineers usually work under the supervision of experienced engineers. In large companies, new engineers also may receive formal training in classes or seminars. As beginning engineers gain knowledge and experience, they move on to more difficult projects with greater independence to develop designs, solve problems, and make decisions.
Eventually, industrial engineers may advance to become technical specialists, such as quality engineers or facility planners. In that role, they supervise a team of engineers and technicians. Obtaining a master’s degree facilitates such specialization and thus advancement.
Many industrial engineers move into management positions because the work they do is closely related to the work of managers. For more information, see the profile on architectural and engineering managers.
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Consulting Engineer jobs
Consulting Engineer Career Paths
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Senior Principal Engineer 4.9 years
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Principal Engineer 4.7 years
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Senior Engineer 4.3 years
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Engineering Technician Lead 4.2 years
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Control Systems Engineer 3.9 years
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Senior Information Technology Engineer 3.9 years
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Computer Systems Engineer 3.9 years
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Senior Consultant Engineer 3.8 years
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System Design Engineer 3.6 years
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Management Engineer 3.6 years
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Operations Engineer 3.5 years
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Consultant Systems Engineer 3.5 years
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Service Engineer 3.4 years
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Systems Support Engineer 3.4 years
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Lead Engineer 3.4 years
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Senior Support Engineer 3.4 years
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Information Systems Engineer 3.3 years
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Systems Integration Engineer 3.3 years
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Customer Support Engineer 3.3 years
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Systems Engineer 3.2 years
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Consulting Network Engineer 3.1 years
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Consulting Engineer 3.0 years
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Information Engineer 2.8 years
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Solutions Engineer 2.7 years
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Contracting Engineer 2.5 years
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Associate Systems Engineer 2.1 years
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Deployment Engineer 1.7 years
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Project Engineer 9.5%
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Project Manager 8.8%
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Engineer 8.0%
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Senior Engineer 7.5%
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Design Engineer 7.1%
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Consultant 6.3%
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Systems Engineer 5.4%
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Mechanical Engineer 5.2%
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Engineering Manager 4.7%
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Electrical Engineer 4.0%
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Software Engineer 3.9%
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Network Engineer 3.8%
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Research Assistant 3.7%
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Principal Engineer 3.6%
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Process Engineer 3.4%
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Staff Engineer 3.4%
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Internship 2.7%
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Project Manager 10.8%
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Consultant 9.8%
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Project Engineer 7.3%
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Senior Engineer 7.3%
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Engineer 7.3%
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Systems Engineer 5.4%
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Principal Engineer 5.4%
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Design Engineer 4.6%
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Engineering Manager 4.3%
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Electrical Engineer 4.2%
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Mechanical Engineer 4.2%
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Process Engineer 4.1%
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Lead Engineer 3.1%
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Software Engineer 3.1%
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Contracting Engineer 2.8%
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Research Assistant 2.7%
Average Length of Employment
Top Careers Before Consulting Engineer
Top Careers After Consulting Engineer
Consulting Engineer Demographics
Gender
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Male
85.0% -
Female
11.0% -
Unknown
4.0%
Ethnicity
-
White
69.4% -
Asian
14.2% -
Hispanic or Latino
10.7% -
Unknown
4.8% -
Black or African American
0.9%
Languages Spoken
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Spanish
33.9% -
French
10.9% -
Arabic
9.5% -
German
8.6% -
Carrier
6.6% -
Japanese
3.9% -
Russian
3.6% -
Hindi
3.3% -
Italian
3.3% -
Chinese
3.0% -
Mandarin
2.6% -
Korean
2.3% -
Portuguese
2.3% -
Romanian
1.3% -
Dutch
1.0% -
Turkish
1.0% -
Urdu
1.0% -
Sami
0.7% -
Vietnamese
0.7% -
Hebrew
0.7%
Consulting Engineer
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Consulting Engineer Education
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Northeastern University
9.3% -
University of Phoenix
7.7% -
Purdue University
6.9% -
Georgia Institute of Technology -
6.7% -
Pennsylvania State University
6.4% -
University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
5.1% -
University of Texas at Austin
4.9% -
Arizona State University
4.7% -
Texas A&M University
4.7% -
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
4.4% -
University of Houston
4.4% -
University of California - Los Angeles
4.2% -
Carnegie Mellon University
4.1% -
University of Florida
3.9% -
University of Colorado at Boulder
3.9% -
New Jersey Institute of Technology
3.8% -
San Jose State University
3.8% -
Drexel University
3.8% -
Iowa State University
3.8% -
Auburn University
3.6% -
Mechanical Engineering 20.1%
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Electrical Engineering 19.6%
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Business 9.1%
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Civil Engineering 7.6%
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Computer Science 7.0%
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Engineering 5.4%
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Chemical Engineering 4.6%
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Computer Engineering 3.7%
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Management 2.2%
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Project Management 2.0%
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Physics 1.9%
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Finance 1.8%
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Bachelors
42.5% -
Masters
28.9% -
Other
14.1% -
Doctorate
6.5% -
Associate
4.5% -
Certificate
2.5% -
Diploma
0.9% -
License
0.2%
Schools
Majors
Degrees
Consulting Engineer
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Real Consulting Engineer Salaries
Job Title
|
Company
|
Location
|
Start Date
|
Salary
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network Consulting Engineer | Trident Consulting | San Jose, CA | Sep 17, 2016 | $176,800 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Trident Consulting | San Jose, CA | Nov 06, 2016 | $176,800 |
| Real-Time Testing Consulting Engineer | The Mathworks, Inc. | Natick, MA | Sep 18, 2015 | $169,550 |
| IP Consulting Engineer | Alcatel Lucent USA, Inc. | Mountain View, CA | Mar 31, 2015 | $165,000 - $202,675 |
| IP Consulting Engineer | Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc. | Mountain View, CA | Sep 05, 2015 | $165,000 |
| IP Consulting Engineer | Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (DBA Nokia) | Miramar, FL | Sep 14, 2016 | $165,000 |
| IP Consulting Engineer | Alcatel Lucent USA, Inc. | Hillsborough, NJ | Sep 20, 2016 | $160,000 - $184,250 |
| IP Consulting Engineer | Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (DBA Nokia) | Orlando, FL | Aug 29, 2016 | $160,000 |
| Engineering Consultant 2 | Gibson Applied Technology &Amp; Engineering, Inc. | Houston, TX | Oct 01, 2015 | $155,000 |
| Consulting Engineer | Cavium, Inc. | San Jose, CA | Apr 24, 2016 | $154,939 - $174,939 |
| Consulting Engineer | Cavium Inc. | San Jose, CA | Jul 12, 2016 | $152,131 |
| Consulting Engineer | Cavium Inc. | San Jose, CA | Nov 30, 2016 | $152,131 |
| Engineering Consultant | Gibson Applied Technology &Amp; Engineering, Inc. | Houston, TX | Oct 01, 2015 | $151,000 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | San Jose, CA | Jan 04, 2016 | $111,000 - $185,000 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Iselin, NJ | Jan 19, 2016 | $110,297 - $155,000 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Parkton, NC | May 01, 2015 | $110,219 - $143,800 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Parkton, NC | Feb 25, 2016 | $110,219 - $143,800 |
| Consulting Engineer | Polycom, Inc. | San Jose, CA | May 13, 2016 | $110,000 - $125,000 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Bellevue, WA | Nov 19, 2015 | $110,000 - $147,300 |
| Consulting Engineer, Software | Omnicell, Inc. | Mountain View, CA | Feb 17, 2016 | $109,762 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Fremont, CA | Jan 03, 2016 | $109,658 - $143,800 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Los Angeles, CA | Sep 21, 2015 | $96,054 - $147,300 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Super Technology Solutions Inc. | New York, NY | Jul 09, 2016 | $96,002 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Atlanta, GA | Aug 05, 2015 | $95,846 - $143,800 |
| Engineering Consultant 2 | M&H Enterprises, Inc. | Houston, TX | Feb 05, 2015 | $95,680 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | TN | Jul 15, 2016 | $95,576 - $131,800 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Saint Petersburg, FL | Jan 07, 2016 | $95,306 - $143,800 |
| Network Consulting Engineer | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Tampa, FL | May 15, 2016 | $95,306 - $143,800 |
| Engineering Consultant III (Instrumentation & Control) | Stantec Consulting Services Inc. | Bakersfield, CA | Dec 17, 2015 | $95,167 |
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Top Skills for A Consulting Engineer
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Top Consulting Engineer Skills
- Products
- Hardware
- Procedures
- Develop custom electronic communication & instrumentation products for clients in the industries.
- Designed a 1500-node college campus migration from 3-Com/Bay Networks gear to Cisco hardware.
- Assist with interpreting procedures, codes and standards.
- Design, implement and manage Active Directory environment based on Windows Server2000/2003 technology.
- Constructed plan to modernize an entire product line of elevators to increase safety for technicians.
Top Consulting Engineer Employers
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