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What is Engineering? 15 Different Types of Engineers

What is Engineering? 15 Different Types of Engineers

You might probably have heard about Starship Enterprise, Neil Armstrong, and Bill Nye and do you know what’s common in them?

They are all engineers.

Engineers are so amazing that they can solve problems that arise in our life, like designing and building bridges, assembling some incredible equipment that can put a man on the moon and on other planets or create the steam engine that has become the lifeline of every nation.

It is a scientific field that takes a scientific understanding of nature and uses to invent, build and design new things to make our life better.

In other words,

The road we walk is a work of engineering,

The medium through which you are reading this article is a work of engineering,

Almost everything that we use today is the products of engineering.

Different Types of Engineering

Engineering has many different types and sub-types but the most significant. So, here are 15 different types of engineering field that are most significant.

1. Aerospace or Aeronautical Engineer

An aerospace or an aeronautical engineer is someone who designs aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles, and systems for defense.

It focuses on applying physics, mathematics and other disciplines, in order to construct aircraft. Aeronautical engineers work to make sure propulsion system operate efficiently and that an aircraft’s aerodynamic performance is sufficient.

Aspiring aeronautical engineers should get their bachelor’s degrees in aeronautical or aerospace engineering, though some related majors may be sufficient.

Although entry-level aerospace engineers, in general, do not require a license, higher level positions may require a Professional Engineering license or PE.

In order to become an aeronautical engineer, you have to complete a bachelor’s degree program usually in aerospace or aeronautical engineering.

2. Civil Engineer

A civil engineer is someone who designs and supervises large construction projects, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.

Civil engineers have a daily impact on the lives of most people in the world and must possess a very broad skill set form cost accounting to geology.

Many civil engineers have jobs that require a very hands-on role in construction while others may have positions more heavily weighted towards supervisory and administrative skills.  

So, you can see how important is for civil engineers to possess certain qualities and skills. Below are the skills that civil engineers should have to succeed in their professional life.

Technical Skills

Project Management

Leadership Skills

Communication Skills

Creativity, and

Visualizations

3. Computer Hardware Engineer

A computer hardware engineer is someone who researches, designs, develops, and tests computer equipment such as chips, circuit boards, or routers.

Computer hardware engineers design process to create a specific set of items. They aren’t limited to just those items, but they can also be seen making many other computer accessories similar to external hard drives, keyboards and much more.

In most cases, the goal of computer hardware engineers is to discover ways to make computers faster and more powerful.

Some more specialized engineers design other devices that incorporate computers like cars and medical equipment. Some work closely with software developers to design phones, tablets, and other devices.

Computer hardware engineers need to be creative, problem-solvers and work well as a member of a team using their powers of reason to find original solutions.

Usually, computer hardware engineers have a Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, though degrees in electrical engineering or computer science are also accepted and some positions might also require a master’s degree.

4. Petroleum Engineer

The world’s demand for oil and natural gas is unceasing. To find new supplies of these vital resources we depend on petroleum engineers.

A petroleum engineer is someone who locates reservoirs of natural gas and crude oil beneath the earth’s surface, and then determines if the effort of extracting the product will be worth the time and money for the company he works.

They searched the world for reservoirs containing oil or natural gas and work with geologist and other specialists to extract it.

There are many careers associated with petroleum engineers like a drilling engineer, completions engineer, production engineer or a reservoir engineer.

They are all essential in producing the raw materials that help provide us with the energy we need to fuel our cars, planes, etc.

A drilling engineer work with information provided by a geologist and other specialists to determine the best techniques to drill a well. Drilling engineers will assess additional factors such as equipment, methods, and costs needed to safely complete the drilling process.

Completions engineer works to complete the well which includes well stimulation also known as hydraulic fracturing and the installation oversight of pressure control techniques this is getting really interesting.

Reservoir engineers do production engineers design and monitor the equipment used to get the crude oil and natural gas out of the well and into storage tanks or pipelines for marketing and distribution.

If the well is not meeting expectations production engineers will look at alternative equipment or processes to improve the wells production reservoir engineers will evaluate the performance of individual wells groups of wells or well-filled to determine their perspective life cycles.

Reservoir engineers complete their research using advanced technologies that create sophisticated models that will establish well decline curves that information provides ideas for reservoir improvement and planning for future company operations.

5. Nanotechnology Engineer

A nanotechnology engineer is someone who works around the smallest, most amazing fragments of science.

It is a revolutionary field that’s expected to be on the same level of influence on human advancement as the Industrial Revolution.

Nanotechnology is one of those engineering fields a clear job description is hard to find because those jobs are yet to come into the market.

But potential students wishing to pursue this beautiful and ultra-modern field want to know what it’s all about and there is never enough irrelevant information around.

Nanotechnology on the big picture is an age of smart devices better than communication, space exploration and an effort to extend and elevate the human life experience.

6. Environmental Engineer

An environmental engineer is someone who uses the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems.

Environmental engineering is a branch of engineering concerned with the application of scientific and engineering principles for the protection of human populations from the effects of adverse environmental factors.

Protection of environments both local and global from the potentially deleterious effects of natural and human activities and improvement of environmental quality.

It can also be described as a branch of applied science and technology that addresses the issues of energy preservation, production, asset and control of waste from human and animal activities.

Furthermore, it is concerned with finding possible solutions in the field of public health such as waterborne diseases.

Implementing laws which promote adequate sanitation in urban, rural and recreational areas. It involves wastewater management, air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal. Radiation protection, industrial hygiene, environmental sustainability, public health and environmental engineering law.

A valued crew member of an airplane, a flight engineer is responsible for ensuring that all components of the plane are in proper working order.

7. Industrial Engineer

An industrial engineer finds ways to eliminate wastefulness in the production process.

They devise efficient ways to use workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.

It is a branch of engineering which deals with the optimization of complex processes, systems or organizations.

Industrial engineers work to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, men hours, machine time, energy and other resources that do not generate value.

According to Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, they figure out how to do things better.

They engineer the processes and systems that improve quality and productivity.

It is concerned with the development, improvement, and implementation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis and synthesis as well as the mathematical, physical and social sciences together.

With the principles and methods of engineering design to specify, predict and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems or processes. 

8. Mechanical Engineer

A mechanical engineer is someone who designs, develops, builds and tests mechanical devices, including tools, engines, and machines.

Read the pros and cons of becoming a mechanical engineer.

9. Electric Engineer

An electrical engineer is someone who designs and develops new electrical equipment, solves problems and tests equipment.

The field of electrical engineering of a highly technical discipline. Therefore, it is extremely important to gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals, in order to sustain interest when encountering complex theories and calculations.

You have to learn the basic concepts of electricity very well and let your mathematical aspects of electrical and electronics engineering come naturally as you progress.

Classes usually include physics, chemistry, and well-rounded liberal arts courses. You might even find a mentor to help you reach your engineering goal.

To be an electrical engineer you will also have to excel in science, and computers, and should need to be good problem solvers and a good team leader or members as well.

10. Geological Engineer

A geological engineer is someone who designs mines for the sage and efficient removal of minerals (such as coal and metals) for manufacturing and utilities.

In the vast world of subsurface construction, the expertise of geological engineer in demand to provide efficient and sage designs.

The course is focused on practical engineering solutions to industry problems.

11. Nuclear Engineer

A nuclear engineer researches and develops the process, instruments, and systems used to get benefits from nuclear energy and radiation.

It is a branch of engineering that focuses on the fission and fusion of atomic nuclei and other subatomic particles based on the principles of nuclear physics.

This profession requires the use of nuclear reactors, power plants and weapons and 18 percent of the electricity in the United States comes from nuclear power plants.

Engineers in this field work for national laboratories and the job outlook of a nuclear engineer is to predict the increase about9 percent every year.

A subfield in nuclear engineering is medical physics some examples would be nuclear medicine radiation therapy, etc.

12. Robotics Engineer

A robotics engineer is a behind-the-scenes designer, who is responsible for creating robots and robotic systems that are able to perform duties that humans are either unable or prefer not to complete.

It is the branch of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and computer science that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, we well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.

These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, and/or cognition.

Many of today’s robots are inspired by nature’s contribution to the field of bio-inspired robotics. 

The concept of creating machines that can operate autonomously dates back to classical times, but research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century.

13. Computer System Engineer

A computer systems engineer is someone who combines their knowledge of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis to develop, test and evaluate software, circuits, personal computers and more.

The computer system engineering focuses not only on how computer systems work but how they are embedded in the world around us.

From smartphones and kitchen appliances to life-saving medical devices.

Computer systems engineers learn about hardware and software as well as how they relate to an impact with one another.  

14. Software Engineer

A software engineer is someone who is engaged in computer software development and applies engineering principles to software creation.

Software engineering is the application of engineering to the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of software in a systematic method.

15. Marine Engineer

Marine engineering includes the engineering of boats, ships, and oil rigs and any other marine vessels or structure as well.

Specifically, marine engineering is the discipline of applying engineering science including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, 

electronic engineering and computer science to the development, design, operation, and maintenance of watercraft, propulsion and onboard systems and oceanographic technology.

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