Since I can remember I have always been interested in automobiles. When I was young however I wasn't to sure how I wanted to use that interested and make a career out of it. I juggled around a few ideas: bus driver, gas station employee, taxi driver, etc. It wasn't until I got older however that I realized how low down those jobs were. So I looked around to find a higher-class job that paid more money. My older brother mentioned to me about Mechanical Engineering and designing cars. Of course that would be the perfect career for me, decent pay, easy job, and for me it would be an enjoyable job.
Besides designing cars a Mechanical Engineer can do many different jobs. Their takes may include researching, developing, designing, manufacturing, and testing mechanical devices, such as engines, machines, and other mechanical devices. Many times Engineers of this field will use computer programs like CAM and CAD to help them design many of their projects. There are several Engineers working in agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, and government positions.
For a person to get into this field it is usually required to go to college for four years or more depending on the exact position you would like. People going into this career path need to have skills in math, science, and be able to work well with you your mind. People in this field need to be able to solve complex problems as well being able to apply math equations.
The job outlook from now "til 2010 is to grow as machinery becomes more complex and harder to understand. In 2000 Mechanical Engineering held about 221,000 jobs. Most of the positions held were in the manufacturing industry.
As far as salary goes it depends on experience and education. It is usually necessary for you to have 5 years experience making it hard to get into this career field. Bachelor's degree 48,426, master's degree 55,994, and Ph.D. 72,096. The average salary however was 58,710.
