Element #2
Career Choice #1
Mechanical Engineer
Job Description
Design, develop, test, and build mechanical and thermal sensors and devices.
Mechanical engineers generally work in offices. They may occasionally visit worksites where a problem or piece of equipment needs their personal attention. Mechanical engineers work mostly in engineering services, research and development, and manufacturing.
Earnings
The entry-level salary for a mechanical engineer is $67,038.
The mean annual salary is $100,820.
The top 10 percent salary is $151,260.
Soft Skills
The three most common soft skills for a mechanical engineer are creativity, listening skills, and math skills.
Hard Skills
Some hard skills that a mechanical engineer needs are cad, solidworks, and mechanical systems.
Employment Outlook
Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. Around 19,200 openings for mechanical engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Training
It costs around $52,000 to get your bachelors degree in mechanical engineering.
ROI
ROI (1) - 130%
ROI (10) - 1942%
ROI (40) - 7769%
Interview
Question #1: What would you suggest I do in high school to prepare for this career?
Engineering requires a lot of math. The best way to prepare is to complete as much math in high school with college credit that you can. You will take calculus 1 and 2 and differential equations and statistics. Physics has a lot of crossover into dynamic and electric circuits so a good understanding of physics is helpful.
Question #2: What education or training do you need to have for this job?
Some engineering programs do not officially admit students to the engineering program until the student has completed their Calculus series. You need to have at least a 4 year bachelor's degree from a school with an ABET accredited engineering program. A masters degree is very helpful nowadays.
Question #3: How much do most people spend on education and training for this career? Do you have any suggestions for how I can pay for that?
Cost of education varies by school. I would recommend seeking out scholarships for your bachelors degree and then find a company that will pay for your masters degree if you work for them or are a graduate research engineer for them. You can plan on $7,000-$10,000 per year for in-state tuition and fees only.
Question #4: What licenses or certifications are required for this job and how often do they have to be renewed? What does that process look like?
When you graduate with a bachelor's degree, you will need to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam to get your Engineering in Training status. Then after a couple of years in the industry, you can take the Professional Engineering Exam to get your P.E. license, if you want. It is not required for many engineering roles in industry. I do not have my P.E. license.
Career Choice #2
Agricultural Engineer
Job Description
An agricultural engineer solves problems such as power supplies, machine efficiency, the processing and storage of agricultural products, and the use of structures and facilities.
Earnings
The entry-level salary for an agricultural engineer is $55,810.
The mean annual salary is $82,640.
The top 10 percent salary is $127,030.
Soft Skills
The three most common soft skills for an agricultural engineer are problem-solving skills, analytical skills, and communication skills.
Hard Skills
Some hard skills that an agricultural engineer needs are engineer practices, technical assistance appearing, and water conservation.
Employment Outlook
Employment of agricultural engineers is projected to show little or no change from 2021 to 2031. Despite limited employment growth, about 100 openings for agricultural engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Training
To get the required bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering, it will cost around $68,500.
ROI
ROI (1) - 81%
ROI (10) - 1211%
ROI (40) - 4846%
Interview
Question #1: What would you suggest I do in high school to prepare for this career?
Take a lot of Ag classes like welding and plant science so that you can have a basic understanding of the type of work you can do.
Question #2: What education or training do you need to have for this job?
You need to go to school for 4 years and graduate with a bachelor's degree. Some places you work at will do training before they give you the job to make sure you understand what it is they require you to do.
Question #3: How much do most people spend on education and training for this career? Do you have any suggestions for how I can pay for that?
I went to school in Mexico and so it was fairly cheap. I spent around $11,000 on my bachelor’s degree. You can usually find places where the cost is $7,000-$14,000.
Question #4: What licenses or certifications are required for this job and how often do they have to be renewed? What does that process look like?
If you want to build and design things like me then you have to have welding certifications. If you want to specialize in GMO’s and crops then you need to have an applicators license. The welding certificate you just have to weld a couple of welds and for the applicators license you have to study a textbook and take a proctored test. In Mexico there aren't any tests or certifications that you have to have so coming to the United States it was hard because most people wanted you to be able to weld or have an applicators license.