Where Engineering is Needed Most Job-Wise
Ask anyone which careers are the most likely to be hired, and the answer used to be lawyers, doctors and engineers for decades. Today, the answer still includes doctors. Lawyers have been replaced by software engineers repeatedly, but engineers still remain on the list. That’s because the field continues to still be required for anything that involves construction, sizable assembly, mixture, design or transport that people depend on.
With an engineer’s certification, production and manufacturing move ahead to reality. Bridges are built, planes and now spaceships fly, and industrial complexes begin to produce their benefits to society. So, there’s unlikely to be a shortage of engineering needs. That said, some areas are being highlighted with higher levels of demand than others in the field.
The most in-demand engineering jobs today may surprise, however. Some categories are predictable, such as space and transport, but other fields are growing with a big emphasis as well.
Construction and Civil Engineering
Civil engineers have been the most visible area of engineering for centuries. Responsible for large-size construction, and in the 20th century most-famously responsible for hydroelectric dam construction, bridges and train systems, civil engineers have been the standard bearer for the field. That role isn’t likely to lessen anytime soon. Construction and infrastructure continue to be needed. However, the field has now grown internationally. Candidates need to be willing to travel and living for extended periods in other countries to have careers. While there are definitely jobs and roles in the U.S., the level of construction needed is predominantly overseas in emerging countries.
Aerospace and Water
Travel in the air, water and beyond Earth isn’t something in the movies anymore. There are real projects and big developments under way as the need for resources, space, production and exploration continues. Both deep sea and off-planet exploration will continue to drive this field, trying to find ways to make practical travel happen easier and more efficiently. Once that is solved, then comes the engineering challenge of harvesting resources in new environments. Both aspects drive this segment of engineering and will continue to need candidates trained specifically for this field.
Industrial Applications
The manufacturing world only occurs because an industrial engineer designed the best way for mass production to occur. This area involves everything from the assembly process to ergonomics. Again, this field is definitely migrating into computer-aided design, but it still needs an engineer to master the completion of ideas to reality in production processing. Even more importantly, supply logistics are being redesigned thanks to the recent pandemic. Industrial engineers are at the forefront of that push to make supply systems more resilient and flexible for societal changes.
Agriculture
The world’s need for food isn’t going down. In fact, as populations continue to increase, finding ways to produce more food on the same land and with the same resources has become even more critical. Add in the fact that existing farmland has been struggling with burnout and too much chemical fertilizer use, food production is a critical area for new engineers to consider a career in.
Environmental Engineering
With increased regulation, laws and environmental protection, engineering that is environment-friendly has come to the forefront. Whether it’s with sustainability design, recycling, or pollution control, environmental engineers are playing key roles in deciding whether business activities can move forward or how they need to be changed for the better. Everything from hazardous material handling to geology comes into play in this area.
Chemical Design
The unsung hero of so many new products, materials and re-imaging of resource use, the chemical engineer is part-inventor, part designer. Because of this role, this type of engineer continues to be in high demand for research, testing, product development, re-purposing and chemical plant operations.
So, in short, there are plenty of high demand roles for engineers. The above short list is only scratching the surface of career paths that trained candidates can consider.
