5 Hottest Careers to Pursue With Engineering Degree Online
Students looking to pursue an engineering degree online are placing themselves in a favorable position for a future career in a stable field that seems to be steadily evolving with advances in technology.
The skill required to apply scientific and mathematical knowledge to build complex systems is an advanced skill acquired through years of education.
The demand for engineers isn't going anywhere.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for biomedical engineers, for example, is projected to grow by as much as 72 percent through 2018, the largest expected increase of any career in the country.
That's good news for members of the military who acquire highly-technical skills overseas and are eventually looking to make a civilian transition.
If you know engineering is your desired major, but find yourself wondering what career could result from such a degree, don't stress. There are numerous thriving careers under the engineering umbrella.
Here are the five hottest careers to pursue with an engineering degree online right now:
1. Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineers are highly-skilled professionals who specialize in designing medical information systems and health delivery systems. They also work with doctors and surgeons to develop medical programming. If engineering, combined with biology and chemistry, sounds appealing, take a serious look at this rapidly growing field.
"It's a great field because it’s really dynamic and not likely to saturate or have so many people in the field and reach a limit," said Grantham University Engineering instructor James Carmichael, who will be the featured guest on a Webinar entitled "4 Things Engineers Need to Know" at 6 p.m. CDT on Thursday, March 15. "It's going to be progressive for years to come."
One final perk for biomedical engineers: The median annual salary for a position in this field was $77,400 in May 2008. Yes, please.
2. Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineers are expected to see a 31 percent growth in employment through 2018, per the BLS report.
This field combines engineering with earth sciences and meteorology, as we continue to build cities and infrastructures. Much of the time, this type of career solves environmental issues, such as pollution problems, by designing systems (think water and waste management) to protect the environment.
"Instead of trying to go back and retro-fit, having that system at the beginning of the design is critical," Carmichael said. "That’s why this field is really hot right now."
3. Radio Frequency Engineering
If designing circuitry and creating applications for smart phones, tablets and laptops sounds like an area where your talents would stand out, consider the growing field of radio frequency engineering.
Plus, with the constantly evolving nature of wireless communication (new iPad, anyone?), there will likely be a steady demand for radio frequency engineers in the future.
4. Mechatronics
A mechatronics engineer combines several aspects of mechanics, electronics and computing to generate a reliable operating system.
These engineers may work in an automotive plant, designing censors that collect data and focus on quality control.
5. Technical Project Management
This field combines elements of engineering and project management.
"Technical project management is really emerging as an art," Carmichael said. "It's all about data today. How can we manage projects such that we reduce the amount of manual intervention? These engineers make sure systems automatically hand off data."
Photo credit: stock.xchng
About the author: Eric Sorrentino joined Grantham University as Social Media Manager in October 2011. Prior to his current position, he blogged about the Big 12 Conference for KUsports.com and was a sports copy editor for the Lawrence Journal-World. Eric received his Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.
Sign up for our Engineering Webinar on Tuesday, March 13, by clicking the icon below:
Sign up for our Engineering Webinar on Thursday, March 15, by clicking the icon below:
