If you get a thrill from solving problems or finding ways to improve something, you may want to learn more about the highest-paying engineering jobs. That way, you can pad your bank account while working in a career you love. We’ve put together a list of the ten most lucrative options to jumpstart your research. Dive in!
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10 Of Highest-Paying Engineering Jobs
Here’s a list of the ten highest-paying engineering jobs in the market. If you land one of these roles, you can likely expect to earn six figures.
1. Engineering Manager
Median National Salary: $152,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 191,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 2% (slower than average)
Job Duties: As an engineering manager, you’ll create and implement a firm’s engineering strategy and oversee a team of engineers as they carry out the vision. You may work in front of a computer or out in the field.
2. Petroleum Engineer
Median National Salary: $131,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 22,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 8% (faster than average)
Job Duties: As a petroleum engineer, you’ll find ways to improve the efficiency of oil and gas extraction. You’ll spend much of your time interacting with other professionals at work sites.
3. Information Research Scientist
Median National Salary: $131,000
Education Required: Master’s degree (typically)
Number of Jobs: 33,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 21% (much faster than average)
Job Duties: As an information research scientist, you’ll work with others to solve computing-related problems. You may design and implement new systems, create new programming languages, improve existing hardware and software, and more.
4. Computer Hardware Engineer
Median National Salary: $128,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 76,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 5% (average)
Job Duties: As a computer hardware engineer, you’ll design, test, and oversee the manufacture of various computer hardware parts. You may develop new circuit boards, processors, routers, and more.
5. Aerospace Engineer
Median National Salary: $122,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 58,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 6% (average)
Job Duties: As an aerospace engineer, you’ll design and test new missiles, satellites, aircraft, spacecraft, and aviation-related technologies. Your work may benefit the military or commercial industries.
6. Software Engineer
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Median National Salary: $121,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 1.6+ million
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 25% (much faster than average)
Job Duties: As a software engineer, you’ll work with end users to uncover their needs and design a computer application or program that solves their problems. Depending on the organization and your skillset, you may write the code for the software or pass the project on to a programmer.
7. Computer Network Architect
Median National Salary: $121,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 174,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 4% (average)
Job Duties: As a computer network architect, you’ll plan and put together computer networks. You may work on intranets, local area networks (LANs), or wide area networks (WANs).
8. Nuclear Engineer
Median National Salary: $120,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 13,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: -11% (decline)
Job Duties: As a nuclear engineer, you’ll improve processes or solve problems regarding the use of nuclear energy or the disposal of nuclear waste. During your work, you may create new equipment, write operating procedures, ensure compliance with government regulations, and perform other duties.
9. Chemical Engineer
Median National Salary: $106,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 26,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 14% (much faster than average)
Job Duties: As a chemical engineer, you’ll improve chemical manufacturing processes, create and implement safety procedures, ensure compliance with applicable regulations, and more. You may work in various industries, like food, clothing, energy, or electronics.
10. Electrical Engineer
Median National Salary: $102,000
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 303,000+
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 3% (slower than average)
Job Duties: As an electrical engineer, you’ll create, test, and oversee the manufacture of electrical components, such as navigation systems and electric motors. While you’ll spend most of your time in an office, you may have to travel to work sites.
Requirements And Skills To Work Engineering Jobs
You need a related degree to break into engineering. But these skills are also must-haves for engineering careers:
- Industry expertise
- Math
- Analysis and critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Creativity
- Tech-savvy
- Project management
- Time management
- People management
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Communication and presentation
- Troubleshooting
- Quality control
- Regulation compliance
- Attention to detail
- Pressure management
Pro Tip: Engineering is fast-paced, so you must be committed to regularly learning new knowledge and honing new skills.
Where To Find High-Paying Engineering Careers
You can find high-paying engineering jobs in many places on the internet. Here are three of our top choices:
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is a well-known employment website that boasts more than 1.5 million engineering-related jobs as of this writing. The site’s search functionality is intuitive and is similar to other job boards. Plus, the platform houses a vast library of salary data to help you determine what you should get paid.
For more information, check out our ZipRecruiter review.
EngineerJobs
EngineerJobs is a niche job board that focuses solely on engineering positions. You can search for roles by keyword and location and refine your results by distance, pay, job type, and other parameters. Since EngineerJobs is partnered with Indeed, you may be taken to the Indeed website when applying for a job.
Engineering Jobs
Engineering Jobs is another site that specializes in engineering careers. You can search by keyword and location or browse by category, city, or state. If you find a role that excites you, you can create an account to save and apply for it. The platform also features many career advice articles to help your job search.
The Bottom Line
One of these highest-paying engineering jobs could be your ticket to a fulfilling and lucrative career. So, if your resume is top-notch, visit ZipRecruiter to start searching for your dream role. But, if it isn’t, we encourage you to partner with one of our picks for the best resume writing service before you begin your search. Happy hunting!
