Getting a mechanical engineering degree is a great springboard into a career in almost any technical field. It’s a broad discipline with skill sets needed across a wide array of industries: public utilities, consumer products, automotive manufacturing and more.
There is also a growing demand for mechanical engineers. Over the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates an 11% employment increase through 2033—much faster than average. Because there’s such a need for mechanical engineers, average annual salaries also tend to be strong.
Mechanical engineering is about more than the pay and the labor market, though. It’s an integral part of pushing technology forward, whether it’s life-saving medical technologies or cutting-edge robotics.
If you’re thinking about a career in mechanical engineering, here’s what you need to know.
What is mechanical engineering?
Generally, mechanical engineering focuses on the study and application of physics and movement. Using these principles, engineers design, develop and fabricate tools, machines, engines and similar devices.
What mechanical engineering looks like in practice depends heavily on the industry. Controls engineering, for example, deals with technology that controls or regulates other technology.
In an automotive company, controls engineers might work on a car’s automated systems. In manufacturing, on the other hand, they might instead work on designing, maintaining or optimizing automated production lines. And in aerospace engineering, controls engineers may work on internal systems for aircraft, spacecraft and satellites.
“That’s the strength of mechanical engineering, the versatility of it,” said Professor Kyle Watson, the chair of University of the Pacific’s mechanical engineering department. “Looking at what our students do on CO-OP, there are medical device companies, electronics companies, paving equipment, companies that design and build pavers. It’s a huge range of applications and opportunities that are opened up.”
In other words, you’ll have plenty of space to pursue your own engineering passions through your class choices, internships and personal projects.
“I think mechanical is great for people who are very nitpicky and technically inclined,” said mechanical engineering graduate student Madi Wilcox. “I like to tell people it’s like the jack-of-all-trades. You could go into any of the engineering fields because it’s a very general major.”
Do I need to be good at math to be an engineer?
A solid understanding of mathematics is essential for understanding engineering concepts. There’s no getting around that. If you already enjoy the subject, that could be a sign you’re meant for engineering.
That being said, you can still go into engineering even if math isn’t your strongest subject. If you’re still in high school, be sure to take all core math classes offered. If available, calculus or Advanced Placement calculus can do a lot to prepare you for college math.
If you think math is difficult, you should seek extra help. You’ll want to speak with your teachers, who may be able to give you extra support. Your school may also have staff or peer tutors who can help you crack those tougher concepts.
You’ll also have access to similar resources in college, too. Professors and instructors hold office hours each week where you can ask questions about class or homework. Most universities also have academic support centers that offer drop-in or scheduled tutoring, taught by high-achieving peers or graduate students.
“If you’re going to be paying for school, you should take advantage of the resources available to you,” said mechanical engineering major Felipe Rodarte. “If office hours are available, go to office hours if you need help. There are study groups, the student support center. There are a lot of resources out there that people don’t take advantage of.”
You may also consider help from outside your university, like private or online tutoring. These options can tailor their teaching to your specific needs.
Industrial engineering vs. mechanical engineering
When it comes to manufacturing, it can be easy to confuse industrial with mechanical engineering. Both fields are concerned with the machines and devices used for production. Often, both are working to optimize those systems.
The key difference between the two is the scale. While mechanical engineers are concerned with the individual machine, industrial engineers are concerned with how all the machines work as a unit. Their job is to oversee all facets of production, drawing upon their technical knowledge to make better decisions affecting the whole manufacturing process.
Mechanical engineering jobs
As we mentioned earlier, the next decade is looking bright for mechanical engineers. Their employment is projected to increase by 11%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to the average rate for all professions of 4%.
Pay for mechanical engineers depends heavily on the industry they’re in, but it’s generally quite strong. If you consider all industries, the average yearly salary hovers around $80,000 per year, according to the website Payscale. It’s worth noting that graduates from Pacific actually tend to outperform this metric, with annual salaries averaging over $100,000 in the first decade of their career.
Across various industries, there are many roles which employers look to mechanical engineers to fill.
Maintenance engineer
Maintenance engineers play an essential role for businesses that rely on industrial machinery and technical equipment, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and is operated according to safety regulations. They’re also responsible for handling system-wide maintenance and repair processes.
It’s important to differentiate between maintenance engineers and maintenance technicians. Technicians are generally the people who do routine maintenance on equipment. Maintenance engineers deal with big picture issues: making sure a facility’s machinery runs optimally, training staff, managing budgets, planning system upgrades and so on.
That’s not to say that maintenance engineers don’t get their hands dirty. They will often be involved in installing new equipment, running diagnostics on important equipment or handling major repairs. Depending on the company, some maintenance engineers may also carry out the duties of a technician.
HVAC Engineer
If you’ve ever cranked on the air conditioning on a hot summer day, then you should thank an HVAC engineer. Short for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC systems control indoor temperature and air quality.
HVAC engineers are the people who design, maintain or improve those systems. They’re essential for the construction of new buildings, taking into account the structure itself, its design, energy costs and the needs of future occupants.
A school has very different HVAC needs than an apartment building. They also generally have very different budgets and may not adhere to the same safety and building codes. On top of all that, HVAC engineers need to know how a building’s design affects its air flow, heat load and heat loss. They’ll also oversee the system’s installation and ensure it works as intended.
They may provide other services, too, like evaluating how well an already-installed HVAC system works and recommending improvements.
Other career options
Mechanical engineering is one of the widest disciplines in engineering, and there are plenty of other roles that you could pursue, including:
- Design engineer
- Field service engineer
- Project engineer
- Production engineer
- Controls engineer
- Manufacturing engineer
- Construction engineer
- Launch manufacturing engineer
- Design release engineer
- Component engineer
- Vehicle dynamics engineer
Why study mechanical engineering at Pacific?
Pacific’s mechanical engineering degree can help you take your first steps into an intellectually challenging and rewarding career. With an average class size of 24 people, you’ll become deeply enmeshed with both your peers and professors.
“It’s great having a personal connection with professors,” Rodarte said. “Having office hours, you know the professors and they know you. They’re willing to help you out whenever you need it.”
Going to office hours can be intimidating, but it’s also an integral part of pushing your education forward.
“Once I finally sucked it up and went, the rest of my time at school was so much easier,” said Wilcox. “They’re not judgy. They meet me halfway. They know, if I’m lacking in something, they can direct the class lecture according to what the students don’t understand.”
It’s also important to nurture relationships with your peers. Friends you make in classes, clubs or other extracurriculars might become partners on a project. Members of Pacific’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers club, for example, brought their skills together to build a Formula One car from the ground up.
Pacific’s professional learning opportunities
The other big reason to study at Pacific is the plethora of professional learning opportunities. The most notable is Cooperative Education program, known as CO-OP for short. Pacific partners with employers, which post CO-OP-exclusive internships on a job. board that students are able to apply and interview for.
The paid internships, which last from six to eight months, can even be a first step into a post-graduation role.
“Many times, I hear stories of students, once they come back, that continue to work part-time for these companies while they finish their degree here,” said Watson. “And when they’re done here, they go work for these companies.”
You’ll also work on a senior project, designing a product or process that requires mechanical engineering in some way.
There are also plenty of on-campus organizations you can join to learn alongside peers. Wilcox is the vice president of the Society of Women Engineers, which she was also involved in as an undergraduate at Pacific. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers provides another opportunity to work with people who have similar professional interests.
Collaborative spaces
Pacific has over 30 laboratories on campus where you can use a variety of equipment, including a wind tunnel, a machine shop, materials testing machines and data acquisition systems.
Dual-Degree program
Finally, some Pacific students fast track their pathway into graduate school through the university’s Master of Science in Engineering dual degree program. This program allows you to start taking graduate-level engineering courses as an undergraduate, shortening how long it takes to finish a master’s degree.
Next steps
Mechanical engineering is a foundational discipline for engineering as a whole. Earning a degree can be the first step into a diverse array of work in nearly any technical industry you can name.
Taking your first steps into a career can be tricky, so you’ll want to choose a program which gives you practical opportunities on top of classroom learning. It’s also important to find an internship to build experience and industry connections that will help you get your foot in the door.
With the right combination of theoretical and practical learning, a mechanical engineering degree can help you land an interesting and exciting career. To see if Pacific is the right fit for you, you can find more information on Pacific’s mechanical engineering program’s webpage.