Engineers use their imagination and analytical skills to invent, design, and build things that matter. They are team players with independent minds who ask, “How can we develop a better recycling system to protect the environment, design a school that can withstand an earthquake, or create cutting-edge special effects for the movies?” By dreaming up creative and practical solutions, engineers are changing the world all the time.
Engineering is an exciting profession, but one of its greatest advantages is that it will leave you time for all the other things in your life that you love!
Engineering is a great outlet for the imagination—the perfect field for independent thinkers.
Engineering takes teamwork, and you’ll work with all kinds of people inside and outside the field. Whether they’re designers or architects, doctors or entrepreneurs, you’ll be surrounded by smart, inspiring people.
Come up with solutions no one else has thought of. Make your mark on the world.
Creative problem solving will take you into uncharted territory, and the ideas of your colleagues will expose you to different ways of thinking. Be prepared to be fascinated and to have your talents stretched in ways you never expected.
Engineers not only earn lots of respect, but they’re highly paid. Even the starting salary for an entry-level job is impressive!
An engineering degree offers you lots of freedom in finding your dream job. It can be a launching pad for jobs in business, design, medicine, law, and government. To employers or graduate schools, an engineering degree reflects a well-educated individual who has been taught ways of analyzing and solving problems that can lead to success in all kinds of fields.
Field work is a big part of engineering. You may end up designing a skyscraper in London or developing safe drinking-water systems in Asia. Or you may stay closer to home, working with a nearby high-tech company or a hospital.
Everywhere you look you’ll see examples of engineering having a positive effect on everyday life. Cars are safer, sound systems deliver better acoustics, medical tests are more accurate, and computers and cell phones are a lot more fun! You’ll be giving back to your community.
Imagine what life would be like without
pollution controls to preserve the environment, life-saving
medical equipment, or low-cost building materials for fighting
global poverty. All this takes engineering. In very real and
concrete ways, engineers save lives, prevent disease, reduce
poverty, and protect our planet.
Major funding for Engineer Your Life provided by The National Science Foundation and Northrop Grumman Foundation. Additional funding provided by Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr and the United Engineering Foundation (ASCE, ASME, AIChE, IEEE, AIME).