How To Become A Junior Design Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a junior design engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Junior design engineers are responsible for assisting an organization with administrative engineering and design. They usually work under the supervision of a senior design engineer, and typically find opportunities in the technology, manufacturing, and energy fields.

The general job duties of a junior design engineer include creating prototypes and models, helping with tender proposals, documenting prototype test results, and participating in product design reviews. They are also responsible for managing product literature, crib sheets, and bills of material, among other relevant paperwork. Furthermore, they maintain open communication with key stakeholders to obtain approval for their work.

Junior design engineers must have a degree in a relevant field of engineering, depending on the industry they want to work for. Apart from that, one must have adequate knowledge of design software such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Visualize, as well as basic office programs. Junior design engineers can expect an average salary of around $67,000 annually.

ScoreJunior Design EngineerUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $59,383

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 16.90%

Black or African American 3.08%

Hispanic or Latino 7.86%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.55%

Gender

female 12.78%

male 87.22%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a junior design engineer

Explore junior design engineer education requirements

Most common junior design engineer degrees

Bachelor's

71.7 %

Master's

11.4 %

Associate

10.7 %

Start to develop specific junior design engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Engineering Drawings	13.80%
Solidworks	12.35%
Auto CAD	9.25%
R	7.10%
Prototyping	5.41%

Complete relevant junior design engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New junior design engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a junior design engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real junior design engineer resumes.

Research junior design engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead a brainstorming session for review with supplier & management and follow through the successful implementation of a corrective action.
Design and modele HVAC systems using Revit and AutoCAD software.
Assist in the supervision and fabrication of prototype equipment including conveyors, robotics, and pharmaceutical equipment and automate beverage systems.
Prepare design documentation and release to production AirScale RRH mounting configurations.

Prepare your junior design engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your junior design engineer resume.

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