What do engineers do

Many facets of our daily living have, in some way, been influenced by engineering. The work engineers do impacts and improves the way we live, work, travel and communicate. In this article, we explain what engineers do and review examples of those tasks. An engineer plans, designs, builds and oversees projects for society's needs. They use science, technology and math to resolve obstacles. The field is responsible for our daily living, which includes the development of homes, buildings, city structure, transportation, healthcare and more.

The field has grown considerably from offering branches in mechanical, chemical, civil and electrical engineering. There are hundreds of different subcategories that help improve the way we live and the world around us.

Related: What Is an Engineer? The field of engineering has several subsets of niche industries to choose from, but there are fundamental responsibilities and duties most engineers have, which include:. The foundation of responsibilities for a successful engineer is planning and preparing.

An engineer plans by creating and implementing detailed drawings, as well as preparing estimates and budgets. Part of the planning process also includes outlining the project deadlines for development and ensuring that the project finishes on time and on budget. Related: What Is Industrial Engineering? Career Guide for Engineers. Organizations hire engineers to create accurate and precise project specifications.

Many engineers also move on to law school to pursue a career in environmental law and litigation. Engineers' salaries are influenced by their experience as well. Engineers require a number of critical abilities. They will be better able to come up with ideas that will help them succeed and grow in their jobs as a result of these experiences.

Engineers need a bachelor's degree at the very least, ideally in engineering or engineering technology. Most schools enable you to specialize, which will allow you to obtain in-depth expertise in a certain field of engineering. Look for an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology-accredited educational program. The FE exam is the first of two exams that must be passed before a professional engineer can be licensed. You can take this test after graduation in most states.

You will be recognized as an engineer in training or an engineer intern after completing the test. Most jurisdictions require engineers to have a minimum of four years of relevant work experience before they can be licensed. Look for an entry-level engineering job or internship that will allow you to polish your abilities, enhance your technical knowledge, and prepare for licensing. Engineer license standards vary by state, but most states demand a test once you've completed the required job experience.

To become a professional engineer, you must pass your state's test and meet any other criteria. Create a comprehensive CV that details your technical experience with concrete examples. Describe the solutions and systems you've created, as well as their advantages.

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The projects I work on make a difference because they help make our military a more prepared, agile, and responsive force.

Depending on the project and the client, I may spend a lot of time researching a topic, developing materials to explain an idea or process, or writing a technical report to capture my findings.

Sometimes I get to lead conferences of subject matter experts to develop future concepts of operations. I love trying to understand the problem a client has — not just what they say the problem is, but really understanding the underlying cause.

Then my team and I work together to deconstruct the problem to its component parts. I really enjoy mentoring younger analysts and engineers on my team. Every day I also learn from managers, senior analysts, and engineers who have been working in my field for decades.

One part of my job involves traveling to the Middle East to support scientists and engineers in conducting research and exploring ways we can encourage sustainable development and build peace in the region. Oftentimes, part of my day is also spent working with my colleagues in Washington, DC on ways scientists and engineers can improve how they communicate complex, scientific information with one another, policymakers, and the public.

After work, I take courses in Arabic language and culture. In addition to their involvement in design and development, many engineers work in testing, production, or maintenance. They also estimate the time and cost required to complete projects.

Supervisory engineers are responsible for major components or entire projects. Engineers use computers extensively to produce and analyze designs; to simulate and test how a machine, structure, or system operates; to generate specifications for parts; to monitor the quality of products; and to control the efficiency of processes. Nanotechnology, which involves the creation of high-performance materials and components by integrating atoms and molecules, also is introducing entirely new principles to the design process.

Most engineers specialize. Numerous other specialties are recognized by professional societies, and each of the major branches of engineering has numerous subdivisions. Civil engineering, for example, includes structural and transportation engineering, and materials engineering includes ceramic, metallurgical, and polymer engineering. Engineers also may specialize in one industry, such as motor vehicles, or in one type of technology, such as turbines or semiconductor materials.

Aerospace engineers design, test, and supervise the manufacture of aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles. Those who work with aircraft are called aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are astronautical engineers.

Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, and production methods. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial aircraft, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets, and may become experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems.

Agricultural engineers apply their knowledge of engineering technology and science to agriculture and the efficient use of biological resources. Accordingly, they also are referred to as biological and agricultural engineers. They design agricultural machinery, equipment, sensors, processes, and structures, such as those used for crop storage. Some engineers specialize in areas such as power systems and machinery design, structural and environmental engineering, and food and bioprocess engineering.

They develop ways to conserve soil and water and to improve the processing of agricultural products. Agricultural engineers often work in research and development, production, sales, or management. Biomedical engineers develop devices and procedures that solve medical and health-related problems by combining their knowledge of biology and medicine with engineering principles and practices.

Many do research, along with medical scientists, to develop and evaluate systems and products such as artificial organs, prostheses artificial devices that replace missing body parts , instrumentation, medical information systems, and health management and care delivery systems.

Biomedical engineers also may design devices used in various medical procedures, imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imaging MRI , and devices for automating insulin injections or controlling body functions. Most engineers in this specialty need a sound background in another engineering specialty, such as mechanical or electronics engineering, in addition to specialized biomedical training. Some specialties within biomedical engineering are biomaterials, biomechanics, medical imaging, rehabilitation engineering, and orthopedic engineering.

Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry to solve problems involving the production or use of chemicals and other products. They design equipment and processes for large-scale chemical manufacturing, plan and test methods of manufacturing products and treating byproducts, and supervise production. Chemical engineers also work in a variety of manufacturing industries other than chemical manufacturing, such as those producing energy, electronics, food, clothing, and paper.

In addition, they work in healthcare, biotechnology, and business services. Chemical engineers apply principles of physics, mathematics, and mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as chemistry.

Some may specialize in a particular chemical process, such as oxidation or polymerization. Others specialize in a particular field, such as nanomaterials, or in the development of specific products. They must be aware of all aspects of chemical manufacturing and how the manufacturing process affects the environment and the safety of workers and consumers. Civil engineers design and supervise the construction of roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water supply and sewage systems.

They must consider many factors in the design process from the construction costs and expected lifetime of a project to government regulations and potential environmental hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes. Civil engineering, considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, encompasses many specialties. The major ones are structural, water resources, construction, transportation, and geotechnical engineering.

Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer. Others may work in design, construction, research, and teaching.

Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, test, and oversee the manufacture and installation of computer hardware, including computer chips, circuit boards, computer systems, and related equipment such as keyboards, routers, and printers. The work of computer hardware engineers is similar to that of electronics engineers in that they may design and test circuits and other electronic components; however, computer hardware engineers do that work only as it relates to computers and computer-related equipment.

The rapid advances in computer technology are largely a result of the research, development, and design efforts of these engineers. Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment. Some of this equipment includes electric motors; machinery controls, lighting, and wiring in buildings; radar and navigation systems; communications systems; and power generation, control, and transmission devices used by electric utilities.

Electrical engineers also design the electrical systems of automobiles and aircraft. Although the terms electrical and electronics engineering often are used interchangeably in academia and industry, electrical engineers traditionally have focused on the generation and supply of power, whereas electronics engineers have worked on applications of electricity to control systems or signal processing.

Electrical engineers specialize in areas such as power systems engineering or electrical equipment manufacturing. Electronics engineers, except computer, are responsible for a wide range of technologies, from portable music players to global positioning systems GPS , which can continuously provide the location of, for example, a vehicle.

Electronics engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electronic equipment such as broadcast and communications systems. Many electronics engineers also work in areas closely related to computers. However, engineers whose work is related exclusively to computer hardware are considered computer hardware engineers. Environmental engineers use the principles of biology and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems.

They are involved in water and air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and public health issues. Environmental engineers conduct hazardous-waste management studies in which they evaluate the significance of the hazard, advise on its treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. They design municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems, conduct research on the environmental impact of proposed construction projects, analyze scientific data, and perform quality-control checks.