TOP 4 HIGHEST PAYING ENGINEERING CAREERS

Engineering is a diverse field. The word originates from Latin ingenium, meaning “cleverness” and ingeniare, meaning “to contrive, devise.” This discipline is the application of scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, and improve structures, machine, devices, systems, materials, and processes.

Best known for his genius as an artist, Leonardo Da Vinci was also a gifted inventor, architect and engineer. He claimed to be able to create all sorts of machines both for the protection of a city and for siege. When he fled to Venice in 1499 he found employment as an engineer and devised a system of movable barricades to protect the city from attack. He also had a scheme for diverting the flow of the Arno River, a project on which Niccolo Machiavelli also worked. Leonardo’s journals include a vast number of inventions. They include musical instruments, a mechanical knight, hydraulic pumps,  hydraulic pumps, reversible crank mechanisms, finned mortar shells, a helicopter, a submarine, and a steam engine.

Also Read: Types of engineer majors

1. Petroleum Engineering

This is a field of engineering concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Exploration and Production are deemed to fall within the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry. Exploration, by earth scientists, and petroleum engineering are the oil and gas industry’s two main subsurface disciplines, which focus on maximizing economic recovery of hydrocarbons from subsurface reservoirs.

Petroleum engineers have a future full of challenges and opportunities. They must develop and apply new technology to recover hydrocarbons from oil shale, tar sands, and offshore oil and gas fields. They must also devise new techniques to recover oil left in the ground after application of conventional producing techniques. Since many petroleum companies conduct worldwide operations, petroleum engineers have the opportunity for assignments all over the world.

National Average: $106,000

Mid-career: $160,000

National Salary Range: $61,655- $165,052

2. Nuclear Engineeringatomic-power

Nuclear engineers are in charge of successfully completing nuclear engineering tasks for their organization. They develop and execute complex model interactions, use innovative computational methods to predict effects, and assess risks, as well as static and dynamic events. They must have advanced knowledge of nuclear engineering principles and their proper use while following strict safety laws when dealing with dangerous substances and materials.

Nuclear engineers apply nuclear reactor technologies that make processes faster, manage technical performance and constraints, monitor core application, test new nuclear methodologies, and use their expertise for process optimizations, flow, and subsequent evaluation.  Generally, they work in an office or reactor facility environment, using complex systems that make projections and calculations relevant to their company’s needs.

National Average: $82,000

Mid-career: $117,000

Salary Range: $58,277- $128,031

Also Read: How much money do engineers make

3. Chemical Engineeringchemistry

Chemical engineers find solutions to problems such as pollution, world hunger, and energy demands. They also conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment. They typically work indoors in laboratories, utilizing the newest and most advanced technology. Chemical engineers will typically find themselves working in teams with other engineers.

Chemical engineers perform density, gravity, and pressure tests at various stages of production in order to ensure accurate results. They are constantly faced with challenges that require innovative thinking. They are efficient with time and money, consistently evaluating the time and cost to complete projects. Since they work with dangerous chemicals, they are concerned with developing safety procedures for themselves and others working close to possible chemical reactions.

National Average: $73,000

Mid-career: $115,000

National Salary Range: $50,693- $119,232

4. Aerospace Engineeringspace-shuttle

An Aerospace Engineer designs aircraft, missiles, space crafts, and satellites. They test prototypes to make sure that the models function according to how they are designed. They are spacecraft/vehicle engineers that deal with related infrastructure of these things. There are many specialties within this job. Aerospace Engineers are usually employed by industries whose workers build aircraft, and the engineers are primarily involved in the analysis and design, manufacturing, industries that perform research and development of such craft, and perhaps even the federal government.

They can often work on projects that are related to national defense or with the military and so they often require security clearances. As they gain more experience, they may train for a specialty. This job requires high intelligence, problem solving, self-motivation, an ability to work independently and also as a team, to articulate complex ideas to a team, and to stay with projects through many variations and to sometimes lengthy fruition.

National Average: $77,000

Mid-career: $109,000

Salary Range: $55,568- $117,813