Many engineers have become concerned that they will lose their jobs, if they haven’t already. This is the result of the problems in the recession. The public and private sectors are facing budget constraints, forcing engineers to reassess the security of their positions. But – the recession will pass. The recovery will begin at some point. The big question engineers need to ask is how the field will benefit from the renewing economy, and which parts will not do well. While you can’t predict the future, there are some indications of what engineering fields will prosper.
Engineering will require continuing education to keep its people on top of the latest tech trends. This is how you offer the best solutions. State licensing boards require professional engineers to renew their license periodically, anyway – and continuing ed. Credits are required. You will need professional development hours, which correlate to your courses. If you find that your engineering field is not growing you may need to switch to another. If you find you are lagging behind you may need to strengthen your technical knowledge.
One of the upcoming hot markets is going to be knowing what the baby boomers want. As they retire, they will change the world as we know it. They have lots of expendable cash and they can afford to buy what they want. And what they want is going to be delivered as a result of the work of engineers. Biomedical engineers will prosper as the baby boomers require medicine to maintain youthfulness and health. The aging population will also require the construction of new facilities, such as Senior Living Communities. Civil and mechanical engineers will definitely prosper. View the section “what do mechanical engineers do” to find out why the demand for them is only going to escalate.
Environmental Engineering is also going to boom. This statement should prove obvious to many of you. Green products, renewable energy, etc. It’s already a hot topic, but it’s not active quite yet. The USA will continue to grow and push these technologies, too, meaning there is lots of money there to develop the technologies. Solar and Wind power will continue to be backed by grants for some time. Many jobs will be created. As housing and water resources are stretched to their limits, Environmental, Civic and Mechanical engineering opportunities will become more abundant.
Civic engineers can expect that, due to the growing population, their skills will be in higher demand. The need to add more roads and other infrastructure will only continue to grow over the coming decades.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that from 2008 to 2018 the field will grow by 11%. More than 45% of the 1.6 million engineering jobs in the US are held by Civic, Mechanical or Industrial Engineers. The smallest fields are the most specialized, being Agricultural, mining and safety, marine and naval engineering.
Engineering can also be fruitful for engineers. Approximately 3% of the engineers were self-employed, serving as consultants. The remaining 97% are employed by the government or private firms.