Engineering is a fantastic career regardless of the field you enter, but many people don’t know that engineering is more than just computers and motherboards. If you’re looking to pursue a career in engineering that’s a bit different than the norm, check out these five engineering jobs, you might not have considered:
Health and Safety Engineer
Health and Safety Engineers are responsible for ensuring that products and facilities operate safely to prevent injury or illness to those who interact with them. They work to establish and maintain safety protocols, identify potential hazards or malfunctions in any given space, review employee safety measures and investigate industrial accidents to create preventative measures in the future. Some health and safety engineers have a general knowledge of all protocols, but some may choose to specialize in a specific area. Fire prevention and protection, product safety and systems safety are all subsets of engineering in this field that one could pursue.
- Average Salary: $99,040
- Job Outlook: 4% (average)
- Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or environmental health and safety
Environmental Engineer
Using their collective knowledge of the environment, biology and chemistry, environmental engineers are responsible for developing solutions to environmental problems. They are typically accountable for inspecting and advising project managers on the environmental impacts of a specific project and work to improve environmental conditions such as recycling, waste disposal, public health and water and air control. They also collaborate with environmental scientists, urban and regional planners, hazardous-waste technicians, other engineers and specialists, such as experts in law and business, to address environmental problems and environmental sustainability.
- Average Salary: $96,820
- Job Outlook: 4% (average)
- Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree in engineering
Marine Engineer
Marine engineers, also known as marine design engineers or marine mechanical engineers, are responsible for the design and internal workings of vehicles and infrastructures operating on the water. This can include designing and maintaining ships, tankers and submarines and installing and inspecting alternative energy projects like wind turbines and tidal power. Marine engineers are usually responsible for knowing the ins and outs of all of the workings of these structures and performing maintenance and quality checks to ensure the device is running as it should be.
- Average Salary: $93,370
- Job Outlook: 4% (average)
- Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree in engineering
Sound Engineering Technicians
Sound engineering technicians, also known as audio engineers or sound mixers, assemble and operate sound equipment. They use this equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit or reproduce music, voices or sound effects for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events and other productions. Sound engineers also frequently work in tandem with lighting, video and broadcast technicians to create a more collaborative production. This engineering field is perfect for those who want to work in a more technical field and pursue a creative avenue simultaneously.
- Average Salary: $48,790
- Job Outlook: 10% (faster than average)
- Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or environmental health and safety
Sales Engineers
Having many of the same duties as a salesperson, sales engineers are responsible for selling complex scientific and technological products or services to businesses. Though they may not have the typical job duties of engineers in other fields, sales engineers need extensive knowledge and understanding of how their product works and is operated to sell to customers. They use their technical skills to explain the benefits of their products or services to potential buyers and to show how their products or services are better than their competitors. Some sales engineers may even assist in the design and build of certain products.
- Average Salary: $103,710
- Job Outlook: 6% (average)
- Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field, such as business
Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics
