Design
Design is probably the most common type of engineering work. Design simply means taking the knowledge of materials, processes, systems, and nature that one learns in college and adapting it to machines, equipment, structures, production methods, and government regulations. To look at an automobile, for example, is to see the efforts of thousands of design engineers who were instructed to improve a component or part on the basis of new information. It would be intimidating for one person to design each of the thousands of components of an automobile from scratch, although projects as complex as this have been done. More often, there is a large body of existing knowledge about why something was made a particular way. The design engineer becomes familiar with this body of knowledge through experience and then tries to adapt the component or structure to a new situation.
This process may seem dull or uninspiring, but in fact it is one of the most creative and exciting aspects of engineering work. When there is something truly new-a new type of plastic or a new microchip, for example-the engineer must envision how those things will be used. Many of the best engineers consider themselves close to artists because they must envision things that have never existed before.
Production
This is probably the second largest area of work for engineers. Production is simply making whatever product a company is responsible for, as often as desired, and with the level of quality demanded by customers.
In a typical factory, there are many types of equipment doing something to materials or objects as they pass along a line. In a food-processing plant, for instance, grains of wheat can be successively ground to flour, mixed with various ingredients, shaped into cookies, baked, packaged, and shipped. In a steel mill, iron and other metals are melted in a furnace; poured into molds; shaped by rolls into sheets, plates, or bars; treated by heat or chemicals for purity; and put on trucks or rail cars to be shipped to another factory. There an equally complex set of steps turns the steel into an appliance part or auto chassis.
Production engineers are responsible for keeping the assembly lines running. This involves an understanding of the products function and specified quality. In addition the production engineer must know how the various machines that handle the product are operated, so they can be fixed if they break or begin to turn out faulty products. The capabilities of workers must also be taken into consideration. If a machine is being operated incorrectly or inefficiently, that will also affect the final product. Finally the production engineer must keep an eye on the cost of all the production steps. It may be worthwhile to spend a lot of money to improve some step in the production process if the improvement results in lower operating expenses or higher quality.
Production engineering is a fairly direct route to corporate management because no manufacturer can continue to exist if the products it makes are shoddy or cost too much. Production engineers can move from responsibility for one component in a manufacturing process to the entire plant and then to groups of plants.
Construction
Construction, or civil, engineers use many of the same skills as production engineers. One difference is that construction engineers work on buildings, highways, and other permanent structures that are often one of a kind. Like production engineers, construction engineers must understand the final product, the necessary equipment and worker skills, and the economics of the project. Materials of construction are constantly evolving, and so construction engineers must be aware of how these materials are to be used or installed. Construction can, but is not required to, involve outdoor work.
Research
Research done by engineers is often the same thing as research done by scientists. Something is discovered in nature or in the real world, and the engineer or scientist brings that discovery into the laboratory and tries to find out why it occurs.
There is pure research performed by engineers-usually teachers at colleges and universities-that may have no immediate application in the real world. This research is similar to a scientist discovering a new type of star, or a new mathematical equation, and feeling a sense of accomplishment for that discovery. But most research engineers, especially those working for private industry, engage in something called "applied" research. In this case, the engineer is trying to find a way to accomplish a specific objective that his or her employer will then turn into a marketable product or service. For example, a research engineer trying to find out why the turbine blades in jet engines wear out might discover that a different alloy works much better than the alloys currently being used. That discovery is then passed on to other engineers (sometimes called design engineers, sometimes development engineers) who will figure out how to make the turbine blade out of the new material.
Not all research engineers have a doctorate, but many of them do, and having that level of training will open many laboratories' doors. There is also a fairly steady interchange between research and design. At some companies a research engineer will discover a new principle or capability in a laboratory and then follow that discovery in each step through development, design, production, marketing, and sales.
Technical Services and Consulting
Many engineers find lucrative employment by offering nothing more than their judgment, written up in a report, just as a lawyer advises a client to write a contract a certain way, or a doctor advises a patient to follow a certain diet. The product that the consulting engineers sell is their understanding of the technical details of some issue.
For example, many consulting engineers work in some aspect of the construction industry. A client will come to the engineer saying, "We need to reduce traffic jams on our roads." The engineer will observe the situation, analyze the data, think about the underlying problems, and then offer a set of recommendations. The cost of implementing these recommendations is an important element of the final report. In another application, many consultants are being hired today as "systems integrators" for computer networks. A big company will create a list of preferred vendors for the computer system and then turn the list over to the systems integrator. That person or firm will then figure out the best arrangement of components for achieving the customers goals and provide a report of recommendations. Sometimes, the consultant will oversee the installation.
Technical services and consulting are wide-ranging and very dependent on the entrepreneurial skills of the engineer. Many engineers don't consider a career in consulting or technical services until they have several years' experience in some relevant type of work. Many large corporations, however, employ technical services engineers to help their customers solve problems that might occur in the use of the company's products.
Sales, Marketing, and Product Management
Traditionally engineers have been stereotyped as tongue-tied, shy people who are happier dealing with machines than with other people. That image has been obsolete for a long time, as evidenced by the importance of sales engineering and the marketing and development of commercial technology.
The solitary inventor-engineer still exists today, but more often, invention and product development is the result of collaborative work involving diverse professional teams. Consider, for example, Dean Kamen, who made headlines recently with "It"-the Segway personal-transport device. Kamen, who has 150 patents to his name, formed "a group of talented engineers and designers, dedicated marketing specialists, visionary investors, and committed supply partners" when he formed the Segway Company to develop his invention. (Kamen, who is a member of the illustrious National Academy of Engineering, shares a trait with another technological pioneer, Bill Gates: he is a college dropout. While studying physics, he invented the first of his highly successful biomedical devices.) The point is, carrying an idea from conception to commercialization requires an array of communication skills, and an inventor will either have those skills, or will develop a team that does.
Sales as a career requires good communication skills, the ability to get along with people, persistence, and technical know-how. Technical salespeople need to be able to translate the needs and requirements of the customer into the specifications for the appropriate product. Because this experience is so vital to a manufacturer s success in the marketplace, sales careers often lead to marketing management positions. In many cases the experienced sales engineer will be put in charge of developing a new product and coordinating the campaign to get it out into the marketplace. These product managers are key players in most high-tech companies.
