If you are interested in engineering, you are probably the type of person who wants to know how things work. Whether it's the analysis or design of products, processes or systems, engineers are notoriously inquisitive. They follow science and math into new frontiers. Maybe you are dreaming of being the next Nikola Tesla or Elon Musk. Or maybe you want to tinker with robots or become the real-life Tony Stark. There are a ton of professional paths that make engineering exceptionally fascinating. We have picked a few of the endless opportunities--some of which have yet to be invented.
Many of the most future-facing engineering jobs focus on electrical engineering and programming as systems and IoT become more complex. Within specialized career paths, the next decade has projections of a demand so high you could earn over $250K annually. Imagine what you could do shaping the future?
Here are a few of the most fascinating things different types of engineers do:
Global Development
Changing the world is no small part of engineering. As we globalize, our economic and world health depend on how we progress and accommodate worldwide population increases, water shortages, energy and food. Development depends on engineers to help create solutions for many of the world’s growing problems, spanning increasingly larger projects.
Some of the amazing areas that engineers will make tremendous impact are:
Agricultural Engineering: As the world population grows, terraforming areas not normally considered for food production and maximizing land use will be imperative. Agricultural engineers are tasked with innovating better irrigation systems, alternative farming, sustainable food production and new ways to reduce, repurpose or eliminate food waste. Agricultural engineers can also help with management of large farms or creating more sustainable food production. How can we harvest methane from cattle ranches? What about repurposing agricultural runoff?
Water Management Engineering: The concern over clean water is spreading from the third world to concerns for the larger global market. Engineers are increasingly tasked with finding better ways to drill for water, create desalination facilities, treat and recycle water and source water. Think that’s boring? There have even been water coolers invented to pull water from humid air!
Environmental Engineering: The news increasingly shows the global climate and environmental challenges impacting our communities and the planet. Environmental engineers specialize in areas like land usage and laws, materials, LEED certified building, sustainability and/or public land use and solutions. They can work on environmental impact projects, like preserving wetlands or creating safe public spaces. They also help find solutions for waste management, pollution, fire and water. Environmental engineers can also create solutions to pollution problems. How about an algae that eats car emissions and later becomes a lipstick.
Future Tech: Robot Helpers, 3D Printing and Augmented and Virtual Reality
Do you dream of robotic household helpers you can print in your garage? Future tech doesn’t seem to progress in small steps, but gigantic leaps. As an engineer majoring in an electrical, mechanical or computer concentration you can create strides towards invention.
Robots are already being developed and employed in a number of areas. Robotics engineers are tasked with understanding the design and deployment of robots or the computer systems that operate them.
Manufacturing is also changing. Automation is becoming incredibly more complex, but not all new production is going to come from a manufacturer. 3D printing can help customize or print on-demand products that are used in niche ways.
Because 3D printing is projected to have an incredible growth curve, having engineering experts on the mechanics of 3D printing will continue to be in short supply. And, if you are more into computer engineering, the world of augmented and virtual reality is breaking new digital ground. The intersection of technological gear and programming come alive in the VR era.
Biomechanics, Bionics and Prosthetic Engineering
Cybernetics, biosensors, bionics and prosthetics are all changing due to complex intersections of engineering. How we live is under continual reinvention and improvement. The Internet of Things reads sensors on your household goods, and even your health indexes to help organize your life, adjust to your preferences, better your living and even order the things you need. Medical technology can allow people to move artificial limbs with a thought. With a biomedical engineering degree, you can do everything from help cure disease to help people walk.
Sometimes, it’s about human motion and mechanics. For example, athletic prosthetics that allow people to competitively run with great efficiency. Sometimes, human design is about complex electronic engineering and computer programming as much as it is about materials and mechanics. There are now early stage developments of tech that can help people see and mind-controlled prosthetics. You can literally transform someone’s life through technology.
Mechanical Engineer for Product Design
Applying materials knowledge to mechanical engineering can lead to exciting opportunities to design and innovate new things.
This “Day in the Life” shows how mechanical engineers get to work with applying their knowledge to creating some of the coolest tech from state-of-the-art commuter alternatives to Beats headphones.
Building and Transforming Cities
Almost 70% of the world’s entire population will live in urban areas by 2050 according to the UN. Rethinking cities, creating greener buildings and planning for people to live improved lives are all part of creating a better world for those city dwellers. Some countries have even planned or are planning high-tech future cities that combine sustainability with advanced technology like Songdo in South Korea. Or take a look at the 100 Resilient Cities project that the Rockefeller Foundation Pioneered. Is your home city on the list?
There would be no planned cities or city spaces without civil engineers. Urban planners ideate what the future cities zones and how land and resources will be allocated for urban development. None of that planning becomes real without civil engineers to partner with.. Civil engineers are vital for analyzing proposed projects, advising on planning and suggesting alternatives and improvement projects.
For example, an urban planner may wonder, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could grow more food in urban environments in limited space?”
The civil engineer can say, “I can work out a vertical farm system that can be planned for urban rooftops or balconies. I can also show you how to create a system of plants, fish and vegetables that circulate resources between each other for more sustainable, small scale food production.”
The urban planner may then say, “How do we deal with air pollution?” and they may even design city centers with better public transportation plans or pedestrian-only zones.
Then it comes to the civil engineer, “I can work with the architectural team to create sustainable, smog-eating buildings that use materials to convert smog to less harmful components” Then he might think, “We can also design or change transportation systems to run more efficiently on greener energy.”
Make Your Future Sustainable
You’ve had a small glimpse into the boundlessly creative, perpetually evolving world of engineering careers. You can start on that path at LETU. We want to help nurture your intellect and guide your overall development. That way, we can all or work together to create a better world.
To stay engaged in all the budding opportunities, take a look at the following list and keep up-to-date on the continually evolving engineering world by getting involved and keeping apace with things like The Magazine or other engineering innovators.
