Become A Mechanical Designer

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Working As A Mechanical Designer

Interacting With Computers
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Analyzing Data or Information
Getting Information

Deal with People
Make Decisions
$65,823
Average Salary

What Does A Mechanical Designer Do

A Mechanical Designer creates designs for mechanical devices and equipment. They work closely with engineers and architects to complete their work.

How To Become A Mechanical Designer

Mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. Mechanical engineers who sell services publicly must be licensed in all states and the District of Columbia.

Education

Mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. Mechanical engineering programs usually include courses in mathematics and life and physical sciences, as well as engineering and design courses. Mechanical engineering technology programs focus less on theory and more on the practical application of engineering principles. They may emphasize internships and co-ops to prepare students for work in industry.

Some colleges and universities offer 5-year programs that allow students to obtain both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Some 5-year or even 6-year cooperative plans combine classroom study with practical work, enabling students to gain valuable experience and earn money to finance part of their education.

ABET accredits programs in engineering and engineering technology. Most employers prefer to hire students from an accredited program. A degree from an ABET-accredited program is usually necessary to become a licensed professional engineer.

Important Qualities

Creativity. Mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery. A creative mind is essential for this kind of work.

Listening skills. Mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists. They must listen to and analyze different approaches made by other experts to complete the task at hand.

Math skills. Mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.

Mechanical skills. Mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems.

Problem-solving skills. Mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific discoveries and use them to design and build useful products.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Licensure is not required for entry-level positions as a mechanical 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 to renew their licenses every year. Most states recognize licensure from other states, as long as the other state’s licensing requirements meet or exceed their own licensing requirements.

Several professional organizations offer a variety of certification programs for engineers to demonstrate competency in specific fields of mechanical engineering.

Advancement

A Ph.D. is essential for engineering faculty positions in higher education, as well as for some research and development programs. Mechanical engineers may earn graduate degrees in engineering or business administration to learn new technology, broaden their education, and enhance their project management skills. Mechanical engineers may become administrators or managers after obtaining the requisite experience.

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Mechanical Designer jobs

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Mechanical Designer Career Paths

Mechanical Designer

Piping Designer Senior Designer Design Engineer

Design Engineering Manager

8 Yearsyrs

Senior Designer Project Manager Product Manager

Director Of Product Development

11 Yearsyrs

Design Engineer Project Engineer Engineering Manager

Engineering Director

13 Yearsyrs

Mechanical Engineer Project Engineer

Engineering Manager

10 Yearsyrs

Senior Mechanical Designer Senior Mechanical Engineer Engineering Manager

Engineering Operations Manager

9 Yearsyrs

Engineer Systems Engineer Project Engineer

Engineering Program Manager

10 Yearsyrs

Application Engineer Process Engineer Facility Engineer

Facilities/Engineering Manager

13 Yearsyrs

Piping Designer Field Engineer Field Supervisor

Field Operation Manager

8 Yearsyrs

Project Engineer Operations Manager Plant Manager

Manufacturing Director

14 Yearsyrs

Mechanical Design Engineer Manufacturing Engineer

Manufacturing Engineering Manager

10 Yearsyrs

Manufacturing Engineer Design Engineer Process Engineer

Process Engineering Manager

9 Yearsyrs

Mechanical Design Engineer Product Engineer

Product Engineering Manager

9 Yearsyrs

Senior Designer Design Engineer Project Engineer

Project Engineering Manager

8 Yearsyrs

Product Engineer Product Development Engineer

Project Management Engineer

6 Yearsyrs

Engineer Mechanical Engineer Project Engineer

Quality Control Manager

8 Yearsyrs

Research And Development Engineer Research And Development Manager

Research And Development Director

12 Yearsyrs

Manufacturing Engineer Engineering Manager

Senior Engineering Manager

12 Yearsyrs

Mechanical Engineer Manufacturing Engineer

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

10 Yearsyrs

Design Engineer Mechanical Engineer

Senior Mechanical Engineer

11 Yearsyrs

Project Engineer Engineering Manager Engineering Director

Vice President Of Engineering

13 Yearsyrs

Average Length of Employment

Senior Mechanical Designer 5.8 years
Senior Design Drafter 5.7 years
Senior Mechanical Engineer 5.1 years
Mechanical Designer & Draftsman 4.7 years
Mechanical Design Drafter 4.6 years
Design Checker 4.5 years
Mechanical Engineering Manager 4.5 years
Computer Aided Design Designer 4.5 years
Draftsman/Designer 4.4 years
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer 4.4 years
Electro-Mechanical Designer 4.2 years
Machine Designer 4.2 years
Design Drafter 4.0 years
Mechanical Designer 4.0 years
Electrical/Mechanical Designer 3.9 years
Mechanical Design Engineer 3.7 years
Lead Mechanical Designer 3.7 years
Product Designer 3.6 years
Mechanical Draftsman 3.5 years
Mechanical Engineer 3.4 years
Detailer/Designer 3.0 years
Designer 3.0 years
Associate Mechanical Engineer 2.9 years
Contract Mechanical Designer 2.7 years
Junior Mechanical Engineer 1.8 years
Mechanical Design Internship 0.7 years
Mechanical Engineering Internship 0.6 years

Top Careers Before Mechanical Designer

Top Careers After Mechanical Designer

Mechanical Designer Demographics

Gender

Male
86.5%
Female
11.0%
Unknown
2.5%

Ethnicity

White
77.3%
Hispanic or Latino
10.8%
Asian
9.7%
Unknown
1.6%
Black or African American
0.7%

Languages Spoken

Spanish
33.2%
Carrier
11.4%
French
7.4%
Chinese
7.4%
German
7.4%
Mandarin
5.2%
Portuguese
4.4%
Japanese
3.9%
Russian
3.1%
Italian
2.6%
Vietnamese
2.2%
Hindi
2.2%
Arabic
2.2%
Cantonese
1.7%
Romanian
1.3%
Gujarati
0.9%
Korean
0.9%
Bulgarian
0.9%
Turkish
0.9%
Malay
0.9%

Mechanical Designer

Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.

Mechanical Designer Education

Schools

Northeastern University
9.8%
Pennsylvania State University
6.5%
University of Phoenix
6.5%
Rochester Institute of Technology
6.3%
Wentworth Institute of Technology
5.4%
University of Massachusetts - Lowell
5.4%
Houston Community College
5.0%
San Jose State University
5.0%
Purdue University
5.0%
University of Houston
4.8%
A-Technical College
4.4%
Fox Valley Technical College
4.2%
Hennepin Technical College
4.2%
Pittsburgh Technical Institute
4.2%
De Anza College
4.2%
Greenville Technical College
4.2%
Porter and Chester Institute
3.8%
Weber State University
3.8%
Ferris State University
3.6%
Arizona State University
3.5%

Majors

Drafting And Design 32.9%
Mechanical Engineering 25.7%
Mechanical Engineering Technology 8.3%
Business 4.9%
Engineering 4.5%
Industrial Technology 3.4%
Graphic Design 3.3%
Engineering Technology 3.0%
Project Management 1.8%
Engineering And Industrial Management 1.7%
Electrical Engineering 1.7%
Management 1.4%
Computer Science 1.1%
Electrical Engineering Technology 1.0%
Architecture 0.9%
Manufacturing Engineering 0.9%
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians 0.9%
Computer Applications 0.9%
Precision Metal Working 0.8%
Education 0.8%

Degrees

Associate
29.9%
Bachelors
29.0%
Other
25.2%
Masters
7.4%
Certificate
6.3%
Diploma
1.5%
Doctorate
0.5%
License
0.1%

Mechanical Designer

Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.

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Real Mechanical Designer Salaries

Job Title	Company	Location	Start Date	Salary
Staff Engineer, Cell Mechanical Design	Tesla Motors, Inc.	Palo Alto, CA	Sep 13, 2016	$150,000 - $160,000
Mechanical Design 4	Apple Inc.	Cupertino, CA	Nov 28, 2016	$140,000 - $160,000
Engineering Specialist I, Mechanical Design&Develo	Xerox Corporation	Wilsonville, OR	Sep 27, 2013	$94,354
Hvac Mechanical Designer	The Greenbusch Group, Inc.	Seattle, WA	Nov 30, 2016	$91,936 - $100,000
Manager Mechanical Implant Design	Advanced Bionics LLC	Santa Clarita, CA	Sep 10, 2013	$90,000 - $125,000
Engineer II, Mechanical Design	Intelligent Energy, Inc.	San Jose, CA	Jul 29, 2013	$88,000
Engineer II, Mechanical Design	Intelligent Energy, Inc.	Sunnyvale, CA	Jul 01, 2013	$88,000
Engineer II, Mechanical Design	Intelligent Energy, Inc.	Long Beach, CA	Sep 17, 2013	$88,000
Principal Mechanical Designer	BISN Oil Tools LLC	Houston, TX	Aug 17, 2015	$85,000
Mechanical Designer	Emergent Systems Corporation	Farmington Hills, MI	Sep 01, 2015	$83,000 - $90,000
Mechanical Drafters	Tata Consultancy Services Limited	San Jose, CA	Apr 10, 2015	$83,000
Mechanical Designer	New Era Converting MacHinery, Inc.	Paterson, NJ	Oct 10, 2013	$82,228
Mechanical Designer	Emergent Systems Corporation	Farmington Hills, MI	Sep 26, 2015	$67,974 - $90,000
Onsite Lead Mechanical Drafter	Tata Consultancy Services Limited	Houston, TX	Jul 24, 2014	$67,500
Mechanical Drafter	Tata Consultancy Services Limited	Arlington Heights, IL	Aug 22, 2014	$67,000
Mechanical Designer	Tait Towers, Inc.	Lititz, PA	Sep 03, 2013	$67,000
Mechanical Designer	Glumac	San Francisco, CA	Jun 15, 2015	$66,498
Mechanical Drafter	Tata Consultancy Services Limited	Arlington Heights, IL	Aug 22, 2014	$66,100
Mechanical Drafter	Tata Consultancy Services Limited	Houston, TX	Nov 07, 2013	$66,000
Mechanical Designer	Polytech Heating LLC	OR	Mar 01, 2014	$59,960
Mechanical Designer	Advanced Flow Engineering Inc.	Corona, CA	Oct 01, 2013	$59,208
Mechanical Designer	Glumac	Portland, OR	Sep 12, 2013	$58,968
Mechanical Designer	Seville Classics, Inc.	Torrance, CA	Sep 15, 2016	$58,000
Mechanical Designer	CP Manufacturing, Inc.	San Diego, CA	Sep 18, 2013	$57,893
Mechanical Designer	CP Manufacturing, Inc.	San Diego, CA	Nov 13, 2014	$57,262
Mechanical Designer	Jordan & Skala Engineers, Inc.	Norcross, GA	Aug 22, 2016	$57,262 - $63,000

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Top Skills for A Mechanical Designer

Top Mechanical Designer Skills

Engineering Department
Solid Models
Auto CAD

You can check out examples of real life uses of top skills on resumes here:

Drafted metals and other materials determined by Engineering Department.
Researched assignments and developed complex mechanical designs including development of associated three dimensional solid models and manufacturing drawings.
Created a 3D model from rough sketches and dimensions using Inventor and Auto CAD.
Maintained/updated industrial machine layout drawings.
Commended for strengths in defining complex product design models for turbine blades, shroud blocks and fuel delivery piping assemblies.