The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines engineers as those who apply the theories and principles of science and mathematics to research and develop economical solutions to technical problems. In other words, engineers are the ones who solve complex problems for the rest of us.
There are approximately 1.5 million engineers in the U.S. today. Engineering is a challenging job with decent pay (an engineers pay is higher than most with just a bachelors degree). In fact, the average salary for an engineer was reported at just slightly over $65,000 in 2002. The top 10% of all engineers earned more than $90,000. Of course, an engineers salary ultimately depends on their location and specialty.
Engineers find employment virtually anywhere innovation takes place. Engineers design and manufacture machines, processes, systems and even economical structures. They commonly work in the government, research, industry, military, teaching, management or consulting sectors.
There are more than 25 recognized career tracks for the engineer. And you can rest assured that as technology advances, engineering specialties will only grow in number. A few of the major...