Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a junior engineer and how to become one
A junior engineer is a trained engineering professional who works under the direct supervision of an engineer. The role is usually an entry-level position meant to equip the engineer with the necessary skills and experience to enable him/her to execute his/her /her duties successfully and professionally. Junior engineers are present in all engineering subsections, including civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, etc.
Under the senior engineer's supervision, a junior engineer's duties include developing project drawings, reviewing project plans and budgets, assisting in getting the required approvals, and delivering progress reports. A junior engineer spends half of the time working in the office and half of the time in the field.
A junior engineer typically works 40 hours a week, although you might be required to go beyond this due to the field's time. Also, tight project delivery deadlines might force a junior engineer to work extra hours.
What general advice would you give to a junior engineer?
Andrea Welker Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University
Avg. Salary $70,653
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 2%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%
Asian 16.68%
Black or African American 3.07%
Hispanic or Latino 7.80%
Unknown 4.51%
White 67.84%
Genderfemale 16.56%
male 83.44%
Age - 39American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 39Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Junior engineer career paths
Key steps to become a junior engineer
Explore junior engineer education requirements
Start to develop specific junior engineer skills
Skills Percentages Control Systems 11.06% Java 8.02% C++ 5.37% C # 5.37% Windows 4.98% Complete relevant junior engineer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New junior 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 engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real junior engineer resumes.Research junior engineer duties and responsibilities
- Manage the collection of static HTML sites for marketing.
- Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
- Work on HTML, CSS & Java.
- Used CSS, HTML/XHTML, and JavaScript to customize the front-end of a large web application.
Prepare your junior engineer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your junior engineer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a junior engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable junior engineer resume templates
Build a professional junior engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your junior engineer resume.
Apply for junior engineer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a junior engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first junior engineer job
Are you a junior engineer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average junior engineer salary
The average junior engineer salary in the United States is $70,653 per year or $34 per hour. Junior engineer salaries range between $54,000 and $91,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do junior engineers rate their job?
Junior engineer reviews
continuous learning
low scale pay which is not so good for the years of experience
I’ve always wanted to have a job related to engineering and used Math and Science. I think it is fascinating!!
Very hard job. Will definitely get home late and you have to be mega smart.
Working in electrical department is like a lifetime goal. And coming to the internship I can get to work with new people on my favourite site then put on some skills.
Junior engineer FAQs
Search for junior engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
