Is an Engineering Degree worth it?
In short yes, and some. Engineering positions tend to always feature in the top ten highest paying careers.
This is good news as all that hard work, blood, sweat and tears during your undergraduate and postgraduate studies had better pay off. And now is a good time to be getting into engineering-related career paths as the job market is pretty healthy.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, Mining, Construction, and Manufacturing industries are currently enjoying a period of strong growth. 415,000 positions were added in 2016 in the Healthcare industry alone in the U.S.
Engineering graduates also enjoy very high recruitment levels post graduation which is in stark contrast to many humanities graduates. But is pursuing a career in Engineering actually worth all the hassle?
Much like driving a car your degree is just the first test. Once you've graduated you will need to bolster your courage for a lifetime of stress, steep learning curves but, ultimately, one of the most rewarding careers one could choose.
But, of course, like any career, there will be highs and lows. Although many Engineers tend to love what they do working conditions can get on top of them.
On the whole, most disgruntled engineers report that they have, or are tempted to, quit their job because of a few common issues. These include not getting on with the boss, long commutes, stupid working hours, not potential for advancement.
Which Engineers earn the most?
Before we look into the countries that tend to offer the most money for engineers, we thought it might be useful to explore those disciplines of engineering that tend to pay the most.
After all, engineering is something of an umbrella term that encompasses many different industries, specializations and, of course, competition for employment.
The following are the top twenty highest paid engineering jobs. This data comes courtesy of typeofengineering.com .
The website compiled data from the US. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics data compiled with self-reported data from Universities, Forbes Magazine, US News & World Report, and reputable Engineering associations, such as the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
| Rank | Occupation | Average Annual Salary | Projected % growth in jobs between 2012 and 2022 | Projected growth in jobs between 2012 and 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Engineers | $147,520 | 25.50% | 20,000 |
| 2 | Architectural & Engineering Managers | $138,720 | 6.70% | 61,000 |
| 3 | Airline Pilots & Flight Engineers | $131,760 | -6.60% | 19,000 |
| 4 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $110,650 | 7.40% | 24,000 |
| 5 | Aerospace Engineers | $107,700 | 7.30% | 25,000 |
| 6 | Sales Engineers | $104,660 | 8.90% | 17,000 |
| 7 | Nuclear Engineers | $104,630 | 9.30% | 7,000 |
| 8 | Chemical Engineers | $103,590 | 4.50% | 9,000 |
| 9 | Engineering Professors | $102,000 | 11.80% | 11,000 |
| 10 | Mining & Geological Engineers | $100,970 | 12% | 3,000 |
| 11 | Electronics Engineers | $99,660 | 3.40% | 35,000 |
| 12 | Marine Engineers | $99,160 | 10.30% | 3,000 |
| 13 | Engineers, All Other | $96,350 | 3.80% | 30,000 |
| 14 | Electrical Engineers | $95,780 | 4.70% | 44,000 |
| 15 | Biomedical Engineers | $91,760 | 26.60% | 10,000 |
| 16 | Materials Engineers | $91,150 | 0.90% | 8,000 |
| 17 | Mechanical Engineers | $87,140 | 4.50% | 100,000 |
| 18 | Civil Engineers | $87,130 | 19.70% | 120,000 |
| 19 | Environmental Engineers | $86,340 | 15.30% | 21,000 |
| 20 | Industrial Engineers | $85,100 | 4.5% | 75,000 |
As interesting as this is, it must be borne in mind that these figures are just a snapshot in time. They don't, for example, capture potentially future trends in their respective industries.
Some disciplines, like Petroleum Engineering, are highly paid at present but future employment could be affected by changes in the supply and demand of hydrocarbons around the world.
So long as consumption remains at least comparable to today, as well as reserves, this should be a lucrative choice for the near future.
But there is another interesting consideration with fields like Petroleum Engineering. It is predicted that many current employees are set to retire over the next ten years.
This will certainly affect the demand for 'new blood', likely inflating offered salaries far in excess of current rates.
Computer engineering is another field that might not be fairly represented in this data. It is a relatively new discipline in engineering with some claiming it is currently under-supplied with labor.
Of course, the future could see a dramatic reduction in wages as more and more new graduates flood the market over the next few years given its current popularity for undergraduates
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