Engineers are seen as the building blocks of an economy’s development. So, you’d naturally wonder how much they make! Well, they can have it pretty sweet, depending on the position they are working on.
Engineers lay down the foundation and the raw materials for the rest of the economy to work with. Think of the civil engineer who builds the offices that people work in. Think of the software engineer who develops software applications that the world uses. Think of the electronics engineer who develops and troubleshoots electronic products. Any engineer, for that matter, lays down the basic foundation on which the rest of the economy can run.
Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical engineering, by far, is the broadest field of engineering which encompasses development, testing, and troubleshooting all mechanical devices. Unless specified, mechanical engineers work on all products that are not electronic or related to computing. They may be employed in pretty much any field, with a job description which will include research, design, production, testing, and troubleshooting products, which may be used by individuals or businesses. For their effort, the median salary is pegged at around US$ 75,000.
Software Engineer
Software engineering is again a pretty big field of work, encompassing design, development, testing, and research of software applications. What makes the field so vast is the number of different types of software applications available, right from gaming applications, design applications, database management applications, to web applications. These professionals may be employed to work on them all. For their effort, they can take home an average salary anywhere between US$ 55,000 – US$ 85,000.
Civil Engineer
Civil engineer oversees the design and construction of various buildings across the country, such as office buildings, roads, airports, sewage lines, bridges, tunnels, dams etc. The skill of the civil engineer’s job lies in correctly estimating the amount of pressure exerted by the various natural forces on the structures he creates, and ensuring that the structures work well enough under that pressure. Civil engineering is one of the oldest professions in the world, and the median salary is around US$ 75,000.
Electrical Engineer
Electrical engineers are in charge of developing various equipment which are run by electricity. They therefore work in close association with mechanical and software engineers, as a lot of their products are run on electricity, and hence, they need the specialized knowledge of the electrical engineer to run their stuff. An electrical engineer’s median salary is around US$ 80,000.
Electronics Engineer
An electronics engineer is in charge of developing, designing, and troubleshooting different electronic products. Electronics engineering is often clubbed with a different specialization, like communication, control systems, aviation electronics, etc. Just like software engineering, there are several different facets to the job of the electronics engineer, and hence, a specialization in one of these fields is beneficial. The median salary is around US$ 85,000.
Disclaimer: Salaries are approximate, and will vary according to location, experience, and type of employment.