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What does a junior engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Andrea Welker Ph.D.
What does a junior engineer do

A Junior Engineer helps design, build, or maintain engines, machines, or public works. They work under the supervision of an engineer.

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Junior engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real junior engineer resumes:

  • 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.
  • Design the user interactive (UI) web pages using web technologies like HTML5, XHTML, and CSS3.
  • Work on the windows default firewall application.
  • Provide hardware maintenance by installing windows patches.
  • Modify MATLAB program to model magnetic fields.
  • Install and configure software on Linux base camera servers.
  • Pass some VMware coursework so client can resell their products.
  • Assist with performing VMware's health check for multiple clients.
  • Review and verify accuracy of UC provisioning data submit by survey team.
  • Conduct studies using MATLAB to research the electromagnetic interference within naval vessels.
  • Provide lead role in prototyping new product samples for strategic heater business.
  • Design various steering boxes for NEXTEER light weight platform using CATIA V5.

Junior engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 11% of Junior Engineers are proficient in Control Systems, Java, and C++. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Junior Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Control Systems, 11%

    Assisted in design and implementation of various machine control systems for high volume manufacture of film, medical and plate products.

  • Java, 8%

    Managed, designed and implemented customer-facing reporting application (Java) increasing monthly operational report volume by 160%.

  • C++, 5%

    Developed a program (C++ and C#) to query failure data more efficiently than prior in house method.

  • C #, 5%

    Reviewed reports on engineering assessments -Traffic Studies of BRAC #133, Mark Center Building, and Alexandria, VA.

  • Windows, 5%

    Project Migration to Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory Technology based.

  • Troubleshoot, 5%

    Performed troubleshoot to determine problems with equipment.

Most junior engineers use their skills in "control systems," "java," and "c++" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential junior engineer responsibilities here:

Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a junior engineer to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Junior engineers often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "administered inventory and material management system to ensure proper handling of inventory. "

Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling junior engineer duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." According to a junior engineer resume, here's how junior engineers can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "estimated test efforts, analyzed, and communicated test results and participate in day to day qa activities. "

Problem-solving skills. junior engineers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to junior engineer responsibilities, because "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." A junior engineer resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "use the incident management system to document and manage problems and work requests and their respective resolutions and circumvention's. "

Mechanical skills. junior engineer responsibilities often require "mechanical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." This resume example shows what junior engineers do with mechanical skills on a typical day: "drafted components and assemblies for therapeutic support surfaces and electro-mechanical control units using solidworks and autocad. "

Math skills. Another common skill required for junior engineer responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of junior engineers all the time, as "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." An excerpt from a real junior engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a junior engineer does: "identify issues associated with math data and computer simulations in discovery. "

All junior engineer skills

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Compare different junior engineers

Junior engineer vs. Engineering internship

An engineering intern is responsible for assisting the overall project development under the supervision of a head engineer. Engineering interns' duties vary in every industry but generally include generating reports, analyzing budget goals and cost estimates, reaching out to clients for important updates, and providing project improvement recommendations. Engineering interns must have strong attention to detail, as well as excellent critical-thinking and project management skills. An engineering intern should be able to communicate effectively and use their logical judgments, especially when dealing with adjustments and meeting deadlines.

We looked at the average junior engineer salary and compared it with the wages of an engineering internship. Generally speaking, engineering interns are paid $28,735 lower than junior engineers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between junior engineers and engineering interns are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like control systems, java, and c++.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between junior engineers and engineering internship. For instance, junior engineer responsibilities require skills such as "troubleshoot," "technical support," "provisioning," and "matlab." Whereas a engineering internship is skilled in "engineering intern," "python," "powerpoint," and "work ethic." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Engineering interns earn the highest salaries when working in the telecommunication industry, with an average yearly salary of $45,479. On the other hand, junior engineers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $72,489.The education levels that engineering interns earn slightly differ from junior engineers. In particular, engineering interns are 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a junior engineer. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Junior engineer vs. Electrical engineer internship

The electrical engineer internship offers tasks to undergraduate engineering students related to electrical systems analysis and branch circuiting, site investigations, lighting calculations, and design drawings by complementing theoretical knowledge with practical duties on the job to gain experience and increase marketability. Through the internship, the undergraduate engineering students may develop professional aptitude, strengthen their character, and may increase their confidence in their work as it prepares them for what to expect in their field.

On average, electrical engineer interns earn a $7,255 lower salary than junior engineers a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Junior engineers and electrical engineer interns both require similar skills like "control systems," "c++," and "c #" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that junior engineer responsibilities requires skills like "java," "windows," "amazon web services," and "jenkins." But an electrical engineer internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "analog," "revit," "cad," and "powerpoint."

Electrical engineer interns may earn a lower salary than junior engineers, but electrical engineer interns earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $66,132. On the other hand, junior engineers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $72,489.electrical engineer interns earn similar levels of education than junior engineers in general. They're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for junior engineers in the next 3-5 years?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Virtual/augmented reality will play an increasingly important role in visualizing designs and interacting with them.

Junior engineer vs. Process engineer internship

A process engineering intern performs various tasks for an organization. These include collaborating with the technical team on cost savings, process efficiency improvements, and technology advancement, attending meetings with leadership teams, and participating in customer trials. Additionally, they may assist with the leadership or management teams in creating standard operating procedures. They are responsible for coordinating with engineers and work on projects assigned by the leadership. Ideal candidates for this role must have a degree in mechanical or industrial engineering, excellent communication skills, and knowledge and experience in process observation.

On average scale, process engineer interns bring in lower salaries than junior engineers. In fact, they earn a $31,158 lower salary per year.junior engineers and process engineer interns both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "control systems," "c++," and "data collection," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from junior engineer resumes include skills like "java," "c #," "windows," and "troubleshoot," whereas a process engineer internship is more likely to list skills in "process engineering," "process improvement," "continuous improvement," and "powerpoint. "

When it comes to education, process engineer interns tend to earn similar degree levels compared to junior engineers. In fact, they're 2.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Junior engineer vs. Project engineer internship

When it comes to a project engineer internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to follow the directives of engineers and managers while earning practical experience. Most of the duties will revolve around processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, participating in various projects, assisting engineers in basic tasks, and organizing inventory and supplies. There may also be instances when an intern may take part in presentations and attend meetings. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with supervising managers while adhering to all rules.

Project engineer interns average a lower salary than the annual salary of junior engineers. The difference is about $30,297 per year.While both junior engineers and project engineer interns complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like c++, c #, and windows, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A junior engineer uses "control systems," "java," "troubleshoot," and "amazon web services." Project engineer interns are more likely to have duties that require skills in "powerpoint," "rfi," "cad," and "meeting minutes. "The average resume of project engineer interns showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to junior engineers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.

Types of junior engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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