There are all kinds of career pursuits that might attract you. Some people feel like they know exactly what they want to be from a very young age. Others realize their career path a little later in life. Either way is acceptable, so long as you eventually find a method to support yourself about which you also feel passionate.
Mechanical engineering is one job that attracts a wide range of individuals, and you might be one of them. Read on to discover some particular reasons why this might be the right career choice for you.
1. You Get to Be Creative
If creativity matters to you, mechanical engineering might be a suitable career option. You’ll probably start by learning about all kinds of concepts, from simple ones all the way up to more complex notions.
Maybe one day you’ll learn about slitting, the process in the material converting world of slicing large material rolls into smaller strips. The next day, you might discover some electricity basics or others having to do with kinematics or structural analysis.
You might very well go from learning about the basics to discovering or creating new processes. You may revolutionize some industry with what you make, thereby changing the world.
2. You Get to Do Hands-On Learning
Let’s say you do decide to go to college for a mechanical engineering degree. You will quickly find that this is not the sort of pursuit where you can sit on the sidelines for long. You have to be able to work diligently with your hands. Your professors should soon give you an opportunity to do that.
There is a theoretical mechanical engineering component that exists. However, a time will come fairly early on during the educational process where you will need to actively engage with the environment and tools in which you will receive your formal training. The hands-on learning that you experience will help you as you get ready to enter the job market a little further down the line.
You should also try to get into a field where you’re sure there will be jobs available when the time comes that you graduate from college and you’re ready to make your way in the world. If you’re a recent mechanical engineering graduate, that probably means you learned all about the latest technologies that various industries use.
This field is growing faster than the average, so there should be plentiful jobs that you can pursue when the time comes. Many different industries will need you to create and maintain system components. With the recent training you received, you will definitely be ready to tackle any of those that seem like a suitable fit for you.
4. These Careers Pay Well
It also never hurts to get into a field where the jobs pay well. By many estimations, what you can make as a mechanical engineer will set you up nicely for a comfortable life, at a minimum.
The average mechanical engineering salary now is right around $70K per year. You can even make more than that in certain jobs and with some particular companies.
You can also look for a mechanical engineering job that has profit-sharing opportunities. This is possible if you can get in on the ground floor with a startup that sees your worth and values you. You can expect bonuses when you complete more significant projects in many instances.
If you get into a job like petroleum engineer or aerospace engineer, you can easily make six figures. That’s a tempting prospect as you get ready to enter the ever-competitive job market.
5. You Will Continue Learning Throughout Your Career
Another great mechanical engineering aspect is that you can continue learning fresh concepts and mastering new skills as you go. This field involves constantly changing technology. There is always more to learn, but there are also specific areas in which you can concentrate depending on what niches interest you most.
If you start with a BS, you can always go back for your Masters at the appropriate time. Doing so might be what it takes for you to get a huge raise or land a plum position with your dream company.
The more you plunge into mechanical engineering, the more you should realize whether or not this field makes sense for you. There’s no denying, though, the practical reasons for getting into it if you’re not certain of your life’s current direction.
