What jobs can you get with a mechanical engineering degree?

Today’s blog would help you guide you to find what kinds of work mechanical engineering graduates could carry out and in which engineering industries or how you could pursue a totally different career.

Mechanical engineers are seek by employers in almost all sectors of the engineering sector, here mentioned a few of the lot:

Aerospace industry – designs, manufactures, operates and maintains aircraft
Automotive industry – designs, manufactures, distributes and markets motor vehicles
Chemical industry – covers oil companies, chemicals manufacturers and the businesses that support them
Construction industry – designs and builds infrastructure, buildings and buildings services
Electronics industry – designs and manufactures components and complete equipment for sectors from automotive to medicine and the military
Marine industry – develops and helps operate vessels
Pharmaceuticals industry – develops and manufactures drugs
Rail industry – designs, constructs, manages and maintains rail system components from trains and tracks to electrical power systems and train control systems
Utilities industry – that supplies power, water, waste management and telecoms.

What specifically would the job as a mechanical engineering graduate be?

In many roles you will be a mechanical engineering specialist, applying your skills and knowledge to those specific aspects of your employers’ technical operations that need this skill set. But engineering careers in some cases involve becoming that of a generalist. Fast moving consumer goods are an industry that often calls for generalists.

If you want to specialise, there are various options:

Andy Haasz, head of component engineering at Rolls-Royce outlined job roles in the aerospace industry: A mechanical engineer could work on the components needed to create a Rolls-Royce aero engine. They might assess the design, optimise the component for cost or weight, or establish the best yielding process to use in production. Later on in they might become an engineering specialist or a lead engineering programmer.
Pamela Wilson, engagement manager at BAE Systems, outlined job roles in the defence industry: She said that mechanical engineers are involved in design, development and testing of complex mechanical systems.
Mechanical engineering graduates could also choose to work in the materials and metals industry where they could be involved in process technology and development, manufacturing improvements, or they could take on a more customer-facing roles.
In the power generation industry, you could typically maintain the mechanical plant items.
There are several opportunities in the rail industry where you could be involved in track systems, rolling stock and other rail vehicle engineering, as well as with other mechanical systems.
Mechanical engineers in the oil and gas sectors design equipment and machines that the offshore engineers and technicians make use of, like pipelines, valves and turbines, make sure that it is productive and safe to use.

Non-engineering career options for mechanical engineers

A mechanical engineering degree is a great gateway to a huge variety of non-engineering graduate jobs, both within the industry and outside it.

If you want a non-technical career in the engineering sector, you could get involved in areas such as finance and management. You could also consider jobs in areas such as supply chain or technical sales.

Outside the engineering industry, many employers welcome ME graduates for their high level of problem-solving mentality. In particular, IT companies and technical consultancies will hire you if you have programming skills. Your skill set are also suited for recruiters in finance, business management or management consulting graduate schemes, while teachers with technical backgrounds are always in demand.

Remember that about 40% of graduate jobs are open to graduates from any degree of discipline. Your extra skills developed in university could help take your career in an entirely new direction.