Engineers design and develop new products in a variety of different industries. They might be mechanical or software engineers or create electric machinery, design chemical or geotechnical processes, or help to structure civil or management disciplines. Whatever the case may be, engineers are involved in creating the diverse technologies that facilitate the processes of our lives in different areas. Combining creative thinking with the principles of mathematics and science using a wide range of technical skills, engineers work on the design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of various products from machines, vehicles, buildings, and roads to software or social processes serving consumers, businesses, and societies.
Engineers are creative thinkers and brilliant problem solvers. They excel at mathematical, scientific, and mechanical analysis. They follow plans and blueprints with a strong focus, yet remain flexible and work well under pressure.
Engineers develop systems for solving various problems as members of a team. They know that a single component is worthless without their counterparts, so they have to be great communicators, as well, to be successful at their job.
How to Become an Engineer
What is an Engineer
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $37.74 an hour? That's $78,492 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 12,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does an Engineer Do
There are certain skills that many engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed creativity, listening skills and math skills.
How To Become an Engineer
If you're interested in becoming an engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 65.2% of engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 12.7% of engineers have master's degrees. Even though most engineers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an engineer. When we researched the most common majors for an engineer, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on engineer resumes include associate degree degrees or high school diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an engineer. In fact, many engineer jobs require experience in a role such as internship. Meanwhile, many engineers also have previous career experience in roles such as project engineer or engineering internship.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
Engineer Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of project engineer you might progress to a role such as systems engineer eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title manager, systems engineering.
Engineer Jobs You Might Like
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Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Engineer resume.
Average Salary for an Engineer
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Engineer Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming an Engineer. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
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Michelle Phillips |
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Patricia Nelson  Pontiac, MI  (410) 555-0569  pnelson@example.com Experience Engineer2020 - Present General Motors•Pontiac, MI
Plant Engineer2017 - 2020 Analog Devices•Marlborough, MA
Industrial Engineer2013 - 2017 Boston Scientific•Marlborough, MA
Skills Production OperationsFacilities MaintenanceMVCHardwareMaintenance ActivitiesSigmaProceduresHL7Value StreamCloud Education Bachelor's Degree Mechanical Engineering2010 - 2013 Pennsylvania State University•Main, PA |
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Kyle King  Engineer2016 - Present General ElectricBlue Ash, OH
Mechanical Designer2014 - 2016 BelcanBlue Ash, OH
Draftsman/Designer2009 - 2014 Jacobs Engineering GroupCincinnati, OH
 Bachelor's Degree Mechanical Engineering2006 - 2009 Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN |
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Contact Information  Blue Ash, OH (590) 555-1013 kking@example.comSkills Hardware ECR Procedures Layout Mechanical Equipment Control Systems Structural Steel Catia Unix CAD |
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Noah Lopez  Boulder, CO  (540) 555-0301  nlopez@example.com Skills LANSoftware ApplicationsPowershellLinuxSystems EngineersHardwareCloudDisaster RecoveryCustomer TrainingProject Management |
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Employment History Engineer2018 - Present Ball•Boulder, CO
Systems Administrator2016 - 2018 Ball•Boulder, CO
Customer Support Engineer2014 - 2016 IBM•Boulder, CO
Education Bachelor's Degree Mechanical Engineering2011 - 2014 University of California - Davis•Davis, CA |
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- Developed and patented a clandestine human activity monitoring system based on off-the-shelf hardware.
- Worked on CR's for enhancements, productions issues of both datastage and PL/SQL stored procedures.
- Set up and Maintain servers in Microsoft Azure, and Google compute cloud.
- Executed FEA such as thermal, static structural, modal, and harmonic response using ANSYS.
- Supported 3D cad and 2d drawing cleanup for sheet metal, cabling and component packaging using SolidWorks 2008.
- Managed failure analysis and debug work for OEM and ODM partners on sustaining product.
- Assisted in the setup and maintenance of a network for the engineering department.
- Developed current state and future state value stream maps with external fuselage supplier team.
- Worked directly with electricians to help correct errors in engineering drawings.
- Act as liaison between engineering and shop floor.
- Participated in various process engineering functions while acquiring experience in semiconductor manufacturing.
- R
- Unix
- SAN
- Jenkins
- Product Development
- DFM
- Service Calls
- Troubleshoot
- Control Systems
- CAD
- Major: Electrical Engineering
- Served as member of C5I Rack Work Instruction Process Improvement Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Project Team.
- Established MRP and supply chain process improvements to support a global supply chain with international partners.
- Issued supplier quality performance reports and managed the supplier assessment databases using MRP.
- Designed and developed reconnaissance imaging systems consisting of electro-optics, power systems and digital imaging hardware.
- Assigned to product development and support marketing efforts in South America.
- Checked and promoted engineering drawings in Pro/E Wildfire 2.0 for classified military vehicles.
- Provided engineering support to production of US Army's Bradley Fighting Vehicle during follow-on production test.
- Worked on the cargo floor, modeling composite and aluminum parts for cargo floor components and assemblies in CATIA V-5.
- Created Engineering Drawings for the Assembly and Install of Hydraulic Control Loading for Rotor Wing Cyclic Controls.
- Trained field personnel at off-site facility at Orogrande, NM in the procedures to develop engineering drawings and document engineering changes.
- Generate Bills of Materials (BOM) and assembly drawings.
- Ship checks to prepare field sketches for design changes.
- Document Control Officer for engineering and product drawings and information.
- Provide plant wide engineering support activities to include project leader and daily troubleshooting of various mechanical/electrical equipment.
- Developed GM Truck development of engineering solutions to meet FMVSS201 Head Impact Regulations.
- Oversee the design, build, and installation of assembly plant tooling from concept through production.
- Improved supplier performance in quality, service and price by conducting on-site workshops.
- Generated status reports of all Supply Chain Management projects to the Operational Governance team.
- Managed New Product Development for the Diesel Market.
- Advanced Checkout Solution - QA Team Lead - Lead group of 10 QA testers on various projects.
- Coded javascript for page functionality popup screens.
- Developed Action class and dyna action form using struts-config.xml for software modules.
- Coordinated Office testing during Windows XP and Windows XP SP2.
- Support platforms for Control-M are Linux, Unix, and Windows environments using Oracle DB for the CM/EM.
- Worked with Javascript, AJAX and XML for the client side implementation.
- Worked on user authentication and session management for Cognos Analytics 11 using HTTP authentication, JSON and AJAX.
- Database
- Javascript
- Project Management
- Layout
- API
- QA
- Procedures
- Http
- Cloud
- Unix
- Worked with the chief architect engineer in a matrixed environment and had responsibility for project management of 12+ projects.
- Developed Web Services for Application integration.
- Led the interface between suppliers and design team during product development and roll-out including design and technical collaboration at all stages.
- Provided technical/engineering support to Lockheed Martin customers for issues related to the SWFPAC crane program.
- Designed and developed portable battery powered LED display testers for hardware functional verification.
- Performed validation of PCI and IO blocks and full SOC chip using Formal Verification techniques.
- Updated lab's HDL Coding Guidelines to capture SystemVerilog best practices.
- Sorted through PLC program to gather variables for data collection using a MySQL database.
- Process Engineer supporting 2 papermachines including quality, customer / supplier relationships, and project management.
- Supported a mix environment of ESX Hosts and Windows Servers that included Patching, Firmware upgradations and troubleshooting of servers.
- LAN
- Design Process
- Production Processes
- Minitab
- Perl
- Procedures
- New Features
- AWS
- Javascript
- Kaizen
- Used CISCO Network Assistant for IOS up gradation of 6500 & 871w CISCO routers and network monitoring.
- Used Active Batch to schedule jobs and e-mailed the status of ETL jobs to operations team daily.
- Recognized internationally as authority on high performance computer HW & switch fabric architecture.
- Created MATERIALIZED VIEWS & DB LINKS for providing database table access to other system.
- Performed reliability testing and post stress electrical validation on different products.
- Generated proposals, cost estimates and schedules for new product development.
- Led a fast turn around RF amplifier product line.
- Resolved leak defects from >10000 to <50PPM using root cause analysis, Taguchi methods, and statistical process control.
- Practiced Six Sigma, Statistical Control, and utilized statistical and graphical techniques to quantify and communicate.
- Established equipment monitoring procedures and process control systems and created Best Known Method documents for FSE.
- Robustified operational procedures and implemented additional measures to prevent mechanical test wafers contaminating Regen baths.
- Supported electronics and network systems integration and technology insertion coordination of combat weapon systems.
- Designed expansion of local system to meet growing hardware needs.
- Conducted technical sales calls and promotions for precast and prestress products.
- Key contributor during product development and posterior 3 new product launches for paint and coating applications.
- Utilized Metasys software to display graphics that display real time data for HVAC equipment.
- Provide a single point of contact in order to facilitate and/or expedite interactions including quotations, order entry and acknowledgements.
- Generated and maintained Bill of Material for prototype and production phases.
- Coordinate certification development effort and advise product planning, product development and business teams for established and new business markets.
- Cost and warranty reduction c. Current and New product support
- Create and modify CAD models for vehicle body parts using NX.
- Completed CAE/FEA and physical testing according to DVP (Design Validation Plan).
- Key Achievements: * Responsible for coordination of all product development activities, for power steering products, worldwide.
- Product Development
- Product Engineering
- User Interface
- CAD
- Management System
- Customer Service
- AWS
- SEO
- PPC
- Engineering Department
- Led projects and systems engineering teams.
- Monitored and reported the fault management alarms and the RF KPI's performance trends to client and Ericsson Internal teams.
- Developed for Control Processor based on MC68360 with FPGA and PLD components.
- Prepared cost estimates and reviewed cost proposals while creating bid packages.
- Ensured adherence to corporate guidelines for Project Management and Controls.
- Project management for the fast-paced DHS Operations Center project at the USCG HQ site.
- Prepared cost estimates, change orders and daily/weekly/monthly reports.
- Evaluated standard and routine processes and products according to engineering drawings, specifications, prescribed methods, and instructions.
- Coordinated full range of services, directing personnel in field applications and HSE issues.
- Fulfilled request for information (RFI) from the public.
Learn How To Write an Engineer Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Engineer resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Engineer Resume Examples And Templates
Find the best Engineer job for you
Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Engineer resume.
Top Colleges for Engineers
1. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Find the best Engineer job for you
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Welcome to the third course in the Building Cloud Computing Solutions at Scale Specialization! In this course, you will learn how to apply Data Engineering to real-world projects using the Cloud computing concepts introduced in the first two courses of this series. By the end of this course, you will be able to develop Data Engineering applications and use software development best practices to create data engineering applications. These will include continuous deployment, code quality tools, lo...
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Top Skills For an Engineer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 8.3% of engineers listed python on their resume, but soft skills such as creativity and listening skills are important as well.
- Python, 8.3%
- Cloud, 5.7%
- C++, 5.1%
- C #, 5.1%
- AWS, 5.1%
- Other Skills, 70.7% See All Engineer Skills
12 Engineer RESUME EXAMPLES
Build a professional engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your engineer resume.
Best States For an Engineer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, Maine, and Arizona. Engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $93,823. Whereas in Washington and Maine, they would average $82,767 and $82,501, respectively. While engineers would only make an average of $82,151 in Arizona, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. California
$93,823
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
$82,767
Avg. Salary
3. Arizona
$82,151
Avg. Salary
How Do Engineer Rate Their Jobs?
3.0
3.0
Electrical engineering • December 2019What do you like the most about working as Engineer?
Troubleshooting and commissioning Show More5.0
5.0
Mid Continent Oroduction Mgr • July 2019What do you like the most about working as Engineer?
Challenge, satisfaction of problem resolution and working with team Show MoreTop Engineer Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ engineers and discovered their number of engineer opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Tata Consultancy Services was the best, especially with an average salary of $70,904. Wipro follows up with an average salary of $69,441, and then comes Caterpillar with an average of $81,852. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an engineer. The employers include Twitter, VMware, and TEKsystems
Engineer FAQs
Can everyone become an engineer?
No, not everyone can become an engineer. It takes time, dedication and a bachelor's degree from an accredited engineering program at a college or university. After graduating, you can get licensed to work as a Professional Engineer.
Engineering programs are very demanding and can take five years to complete. Longer for a master's or Ph.D. Admission requirements to get into an engineering program are competitive. A high GPA, strong ACT or SAT scores and letters of recommendation with a proven background in math and science are necessary to be considered.
The core curriculum includes calculus, physics, chemistry, linear algebra, and general engineering.
How can I start engineering?
You can start engineering by deciding on which field of engineering is of most interest to you. There are over 30 specialized engineering majors. Not all schools have the same offerings.
Then you must apply and enroll in a college or university accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology. The process of applying and finishing a bachelor's degree is rigorous and competitive.
Near the end of your engineering studies, you must take additional exams to begin working in your field. The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam is one of the first exams. It takes approximately 6 hours to complete.
It might be helpful to meet with engineers in your area to interview them or find answers about what it is like to work as an engineer. This way, you can learn directly about what is required to get your dream job.
How many years does it take to become an engineer?
It takes four to five years to become an engineer. Engineering degrees are followed by post-education examinations, specialization, supervised training, and continued education. It can take 8-12 years for advanced engineering degrees.
You can study for two years and earn an associate's degree in engineering technology. This would only qualify you to be an engineering technician or technologist rather than a licensed engineer, which requires at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited program.