Careers in Engineering

By Willy Franzen

Looking for an entry level job or internship in engineering? Here's an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have entry level and internship opportunities that will interest you.

See companies with engineering careers or search the latest engineering jobs and internships.

I recently saw Lil Wayne live. While I’m sure he’d gladly accept all the credit for his tour being awesome, I think some credit is due to the engineers who built each theater he performed on, his stage set, and the acoustics. While not every engineer’s work supports the world’s self-acclaimed #1 rapper, engineers do solve real world problems and improve the lives of people, using their knowledge of math and science.

Photo Credit: Flickr user usacepublicaffairs

Engineering Career Guide Overview

What an Engineer Does
A Typical Day for an Engineer
Salary and Career Progression for an Engineer
Best Locations for Engineering
Pros and Cons of Being an Engineer
What You Need to Know for a Career in Engineering
Engineering Resources
Careers Related to Engineering
Companies with Jobs and Internships in Engineering

What an Engineer Does

Engineers use their knowledge of math, economics, and science to solve real world problems and improve the lives of people. To do that they design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials, and processes.

Engineering careers offer a range of more than 25 specific fields ranging from environmental engineering, which deals with the prevention and control of environmental health hazards, to civic engineering, which designs city building structures, road systems and facilities. A popular field for engineers now is “green”, an area of the job market that is on the rise.

Engineering has four main branches:

Chemical engineering – The exploitation of both engineering and chemical principles in order to carry out large scale chemical process.
Civil engineering – The design and construction of public and private works, like roads, bridges, dams, and buildings.
Electrical engineering – The design and study of various electrical and electronic systems, such as electrical circuits, generators, motors, and telecommunications.
Mechanical engineering – The design of physical or mechanical systems, such as power and energy systems, aerospace products, weapon systems, and powertrains.

A Typical Day for an Engineer

On a typical day an engineer may spend time:

Traveling to different locations
Communicating by email and phone
Reviewing any operational problems
Meeting to discuss problems
Working on designs for future projects
Mapping things out on a computer
Crunching numbers

Salary and Career Progression in Engineering

The median starting salary for applicants with a Bachelor’s Degree in this field is $53,400. It is one of the highest paid majors and on average you can expect to make between $56,000-$119,000 as an engineer. Maybe you’ll decide to go into Environmental Engineering ($63,000/yr), Chemical Engineering ($79,000/yr), Electrical Engineering ($70,000/yr), Computer Engineering ($79,000/yr) or Structural Engineering ($66,000/yr).

Best Locations for Engineers

These hot spots have the highest salaries for engineering:

Syracuse, New York
Houston, Texas
San Jose, California
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Jersey City, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Atlanta, Georgia
Boston, Massachusetts

Pros and Cons of Being an Engineer

Pros

Variety of work
Well-compensated right out of the gate
Real impact on the world around you

Cons

It can take years before you see the final product of your work
Many problems can arise that you will need to fix
You need to be constantly learning

What You Need to Know for a Career in Engineering

To be an engineer you’ll need a Bachelor’s Degree which will cover courses in math, computers, science, and engineering. And you’ll have to select a specific type of engineering to study. Beyond that you’ll need to become a certified professional engineer if you want to provide services to the public. To do this, you’ll need to pass an examination called the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. Then you will have to gain up to four years of work experience before taking a second examination, called the Principles and Practice of Engineering. And continued studying and learning credits are sometimes required on an ongoing basis for professionals.

Engineering Resources

If engineering still sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you should do to get started.

Required Reading

Stuff You Don’t Learn in Engineering School: Skills for Success in the Real World by Carl Selinger
The Existential Pleasures of Engineering by Samuel C. Florman
Engineering Formulas by Kurt and Reiner Gieck
Remaking the World: Adventures in Engineering by Henry Petroski

Blogs and Websites

Networking Opportunities

Careers Related to Engineering

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Engineering

Unified - Unified is an NYC, SF, and Chi based company that has developed a platform that helps brands "measure, engage and advertise across social media.”

See the complete Unified profile

Job Title	Location
Field Marketing Manager	Redwood Shores, CA
Sales Engineer- Eastern Region	Washington, DC
Sr. Mgr/Assoc. Director Global Pricing and Market Access	Cambridge, MA
Strategic Inbound Content Writer	Monrovia, CA
Development Team Operations (DevOps) Engineer	Seattle, WA

See all 11,334 job postings

Canary - Canary is an NYC based startup working on new ways to keep your home secure by merging "artificial intelligence, human relations, and design-centered thinking."

See the complete Canary profile

Job Title	Location
Physical Therapist - PT	Florence, OR
Physical Therapist - Home Health PT	Florence, OR
SQL- API Tracking Tool Builder	Redmond, WA
Startup Marketing Intern	New York, NY
Area People & Culture Coordinator	Santa Barbara, CA

See all 23 job postings

iRobot - iRobot is a Bedford, MA based company that makes robots that sweep floors, wash floors, clean gutters, clean pools, dispose of bombs, and lots more.

See the complete iRobot profile

Job Title	Location
Sales Operations Manager	Austin, TX
Home Appliance Article Writers Needed - Long Term Projects - Academic Writing Article Writing Business Writing Conten	Peterborough, NH
Marketing Manager, Global Marketing	Massachusetts
Sr. Service Desk Tech/Lead	Massachusetts
Product Manager, Accessories	Massachusetts

See all 25 job postings

SpotXchange - SpotXchange is a Westminster, CO based company that makes buying and selling video advertising easy and more efficient.

See the complete SpotXchange profile

Job Title	Location
Community Advocate - Part time	Westminster, CO
Community Advocate Intern	Westminster, CO
Publisher Relations Account Coordinator	Westminster, CO
Inventory Operations Account Coordinator	Westminster, CO
Product Manager	Westminster, CO

See all 11 job postings

Nitro - Nitro is a San Francisco, CA based company that builds “easy-to-use products that help people work smarter with digital documents.”

See the complete Nitro profile

Job Title	Location
EHS Specialist: Stormwater	Tempe, AZ
Category Manager Writing	Oak Brook, IL
TV Extras wanted in Nitro, WV	Nitro, WV
Movie extras wanted (flexible hours) in Nitro, WV	Nitro, WV
Movie Extra - part time work in Nitro, WV	Nitro, WV

See all 163 job postings

FIRST - FIRST is a Manchester, NH based non-profit that uses robotics to create "a world where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”

See the complete FIRST profile

Job Title	Location
Technical Editor	Houston, TX
Campus Safety Officer, Part-time	Cheyenne, WY
Sales Representative	Fredericksburg, VA
Technical Business Copywriter	Ann Arbor, MI
Medical Assisting - Instructor/Teaching	Des Moines, IA

See all 224,128 job postings

Trek - Trek is based in Waterloo, WI and has been pursuing a mission to “build the best bikes in the world” since they were founded in 1976.

See the complete Trek profile

Job Title	Location
Fast-paced tech company seeks Android Mobile developer	Provo, UT
Technical Analyst / Star Trek Advocate	Roseville, CA
Asst Dir Ind Relationships	Evanston, IL
Administrative Assistant	Waterloo, WI
Assistant Director, MS Programs Career Development, Programming and Outreach	Santa Clara, CA

See all 176 job postings

Bright Power - Bright Power is a New York, NY based company that “provides practical energy management and solar energy solutions that save building owners energy, money and time."

See the complete Bright Power profile

Job Title	Location
Advertising Sales -- Print & Digial	Phoenix, AZ
Technical Customer Support Specialist	Foster City, CA
Systems Operations Engineer	San Francisco, CA
Backend Software Engineer - Yield Optimizer	San Francisco, CA
Backend Software Engineer - Ad Server	San Francisco, CA

See all 476 job postings

Zazzle - Zazzle is a Redwood City, CA based company that allows you to “create amazing custom products with artwork you choose, and prices you’ll love.”

See the complete Zazzle profile

Job Title	Location
SEO Assistant	Redwood City, CA
Intern - Collegiate Social Media Coordinator	Redwood City, CA
Design Intern for Fall 2013	Campbell, CA
Design Lead	Campbell, CA
Marketing Intern for Fall 2013	Campbell, CA

See all 24 job postings

MyWebGrocer - MyWebGrocer is a Winooski, VT based company that provides “leading-edge eCommerce and eMarketing solutions to the grocery and consumer packaged goods industries.”

See the complete MyWebGrocer profile

Job Title	Location
Senior Account Director, Digital Advertising	New York, NY
Project Manager	Winooski, VT
Email Marketing Coordinator	Winooski, VT
Technical Operations Specialist	Winooski, VT
Internship, Advertising Operations	Winooski, VT

See all 22 job postings

4moms - 4moms is a Pittsburgh, PA based company “dedicated to finding innovative solutions that make parenting tasks easier and more enjoyable for families."

See the complete 4moms profile

Job Title	Location
Brand Ambassador - Los Angeles	Los Angeles, CA
Principal Engineer - Mechanical	Pittsburgh, PA
Principal Mechanical Engineer	Pittsburgh, PA
Mechanical Engineer	Pittsburgh, PA
Reliability/Test Engineer	Pittsburgh, PA

See all 11 job postings

GameChanger Media - GameChanger Media is a New York, NY based company that is bringing high end scorekeeping and stat keeping technology to amateur sports.

See the complete GameChanger Media profile

Job Title	Location
Graphic Designer	New York, NY
Vice President of Marketing	New York, NY
Lead Interaction Designer	New York, NY
Design Intern	New York, NY
Head of Customer Support	New York, NY

See all 13 job postings

CB Insights - CB Insights is based in NYC and “helps you track the world’s most promising private companies, their investors, their acquirers and the industries they compete in.”

See the complete CB Insights profile

Job Title	Location
Sr. Brand Manager	Seattle, WA
Cancer Cell Biologist (CB)	San Diego, CA
Kfc Marketing Brand Manager Job	Frederick, MD
Email Marketing Specialist	Chicago, IL
Sr. Customer Marketing Analyst - Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA

See all 104 job postings

Platinum Innovation Group - Platinum Innovation Group is a Detroit, MI based company that is bringing new ideas to a number of industries that have been historically resistant to innovation.

See the complete Platinum Innovation Group profile

Job Title	Location
Copywriter	Detroit, MI
Copywriter	Detroit, MI
Project Manager III	Menomonee Falls, WI
Research Assistant	Santa Clara, CA
Video Editor	Detroit, MI

See all 72 job postings

Paperless Post - Paperless Post is an NYC based company that “modernizes the tradition of correspondence and helps you create cards and invitations that reflect an individual aesthetic.”

See the complete Paperless Post profile

Job Title	Location
Vice President of Mortgage Funding and Post Closing	San Diego, CA
Accounts Payable Specialist	Indianapolis, IN
Settlement Coordinator	Manchester, NH
Senior Processor/Corporate Trainer	Irvine, CA
Physical Therapist - Onsite Therapy & Treatment	Spring House, PA

See all 127 job postings

Rue La La - Rue La La is a Boston, MA based e-commerce company that offers flash sales on "the best in women’s and men’s fashion, home, travel, kids, and more.”

See the complete Rue La La profile

Job Title	Location
Electrical/Pneumatic Technicians Energy Solutions Technolog	Lafayette, LA
Security and Loss Prevention Officer	Lafayette, LA

See all 2 job postings

Industry Weapon - Industry Weapon is a Pittsburgh, PA based company that offers a platform makes controlling digital media simple by centralizing and organizing it.

See the complete Industry Weapon profile

Job Title	Location
Senior Cost Estimator - CNC Machining - Relocation to Saginaw, MI Provided	Grand Rapids, MI
Operations and Plans Support Analysis	Rock Island Arsenal, IL
R & D Chemist	Port Byron, IL
Inside Sales Business to Business - Killer Instinct Required	Forest Park, IL
19K M1 Armor Crewman	Tamaqua, PA

See all 848 job postings

Demandware - Demandware is a Burlington, MA based company that offers an “enterprise-class cloud commerce platform” that powers “more than 150 retail brands across more than 575 sites."

See the complete Demandware profile

Job Title	Location
Education Content Development Specialist III	Burlington, MA
Sr. Software Engineer in Test - Java, Hadoop	Burlington, MA
Solution Architect	Burlington, MA
Principal Software Engineer- Java, Swing, GXT / GWT	Burlington, MA
Senior Software Engineer- Java, Spring, REST	Burlington, MA

See all 155 job postings

Smart Design - Smart Design is “an award-winning design and innovation consulting firm with offices in New York, San Francisco and Barcelona.”

See the complete Smart Design profile

Job Title	Location
Senior Designer UX/UI	Austin, TX
Senior Interaction Designer	Chicago, IL
User Experience (UX)/Interaction Designer - DC/Northern VA	Alexandria, VA
Production Artist	Seattle, WA
Webpage Design / Developer	Carbondale, IL

See all 7,919 job postings

Continuum - Continuum is a Boston based "innovation and design consultancy” that helps “organizations drive business innovation through design."

See the complete Continuum profile

Job Title	Location
Clinical Strategist - Oncology	Kansas City, MO
Medical Assistant - Certified	Marshall, MI
Physical Therapist	Wilmington, DE
Therapist – Licensed or Master Level	Cedar City, UT
Speech Therapist (Home Health)	Winter Haven, FL

See all 10,850 job postings

EnergySavvy - EnergySavvy is a Seattle, WA based company that provides utilities with software “to engage with customers, keep track of data and optimize operations.”

See the complete EnergySavvy profile

Job Title	Location
Marketing Intern	Cambridge, MA
Lead Designer	Seattle, WA
Client Engagement Manager	Boston, MA
Senior Technical Project Manager	Boston, MA
Senior Software Engineer	Seattle, WA

See all 8 job postings

Grouper - Grouper is a New York, NY based dating startup/social club “that sets up drinks between 2 groups of friends.”

See the complete Grouper profile

Job Title	Location
ICD-10 Coordinator (Hospital Coding Exp-Required)	Hartford, CT
Coder II - System Services (Telecommuter)	Vancouver, WA
Coder II - ICD 10 Implementation (Telecommuter)	Vancouver, WA
Coder II-Relief	Ketchikan, AK
Coder II-Temporary	Ketchikan, AK

See all 168 job postings

Visual Revenue - Visual Revenue is a New York, NY based company that helps editorial teams figure out what readers respond to and react to it in real time.

See the complete Visual Revenue profile

Job Title	Location
Director of Special Events	Boston, MA
Graphic Designer (Web Graphic Design Experience Required)	Minneapolis, MN
Content Marketing Manager	Redwood City, CA
Industrial Designer	Newton, MA
UI Front End Web developer	Denver, CO

See all 5,139 job postings

Practice Fusion - Practice Fusion is a San Francisco, CA based company that provides “a free, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) application to physicians.”

See the complete Practice Fusion profile

Job Title	Location
Hyperion Principal Architect Oracle Consulting	Washington, DC
Mobility UX/UI Designer	Milwaukee, WI
Speech Therapist (Home Health)	Winter Haven, FL
Contract WebCenter Imaging I/PM - Developer 10g	Atlanta, GA
Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA Home Health)	Clearwater, FL

See all 1,399 job postings

Watchfire - Watchfire is a Danville, IL based company that provides businesses with cost-effective, long lasting LED signage that can be updated easily.

See the complete Watchfire profile

Job Title	Location
Why Watchfire?: Careers at Watchfire	Danville, IL
Summer/Fall '13 Intern, Accounts Receivable, Accounting - New Grad Encouraged to Apply	Danville, IL
Inside Sales Representative	Danville, IL
Inside Sales Representative, Digital LED Signage and LED Billboards	Danville, IL
Manufacturing Production Labor 2nd shift	Danville, IL

See all 9 job postings

Factual - Factual is an LA based company that “provides access to definitive global data for powering web and mobile apps, mobile advertising, and enterprise solutions.”

See the complete Factual profile

Job Title	Location
Freelance Journalist	Seattle, WA
Senior Medical Editor - Promotional/Pharmaceutical	Raleigh, NC
Quality Assurance Labeling Associate	Salisbury, MD
Software Engineer	Phoenix, AZ
Paralegal	Chicago, IL

See all 1,931 job postings

Getaround - Getaround is a San Francisco, CA based company that changes the car ownership equation by offering a platform for peer-to-peer car sharing.

See the complete Getaround profile

Job Title	Location
Digital Marketing Manager	San Francisco, CA
Mobile Engineer	San Francisco, CA
Software Engineer	San Francisco, CA

See all 3 job postings

Postmates - Postmates is a San Francisco, CA based company that offers “a revolutionary same day urban logistics & delivery platform."

See the complete Postmates profile

Job Title	Location
NYC Operations Manager	New York, NY
Community Manager	San Francisco, CA
Software Engineer	San Francisco, CA
Logo for a delivery platform - Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Business Card Design Logo Design User Interface Design	United States
Customer Service/Dispatch	San Francisco, CA

See all 11 job postings

TransPerfect - TransPerfect is a New York, NY based company with 70 offices across 5 continents that provides “a full range of language and business services."

See the complete TransPerfect profile

Job Title	Location
Japanese Language Project Intern	New York, NY
French Language Project Intern	New York, NY
Entry Level Sales Account Manager	New York, NY
Remote Video / Over The Phone Interpreter	Oklahoma City, OK
In-Center Video / Over The Phone Interpreter	Mesa, AZ

See all 117 job postings

CrowdFlower - CrowdFlower is a San Francisco, CA based company that allows you to “instantly hire millions of people to collect, filter, and enhance your data.

See the complete CrowdFlower profile

Job Title	Location
Start-up concept testing - Marketing Strategy Web Analytics Word-of-Mouth Internet Marketing Market Research	New York, NY
Senior Marketing Communications Manager	San Francisco, CA
Alchemist - Entry Level	San Francisco, CA
Ruby Web Engineer	San Francisco, CA
Account Strategist	San Francisco, CA

See all 11 job postings

The Echo Nest - The Echo Nest is a Somerville, MA based company, and they “provide the largest repository of dynamic music data in the world" with 30 trillion data points.

See the complete The Echo Nest profile

Job Title	Location
Student Internship - Editorial/Research	Somerville, MA
Front End Developer and Designer - US	New York, NY
Fall - Student Internship - Audio / Music Analysis	Somerville, MA
Senior Product Manager	Somerville, MA
PHP Developer	New York, NY

See all 16 job postings

EnerNOC - EnerNOC is a Boston, MA based company that wants “to make energy management as integral as accounting to the operation of every organization.”

See the complete EnerNOC profile

Job Title	Location
Product Marketing Sr. Specialist	Boston, MA
Director of C&I Marketing	Boston, MA
Buisness Development Manager DemandSMART - Toledo - OH	Toledo, OH
Senior Revenue and COGS Accountant	Boston, MA
Business Development Manager DemandSMART	Columbus, OH

See all 35 job postings

Codecademy - Codecademy is a New York, NY based company that is building “a better way for anyone to teach, and learn, how to code.”

See the complete Codecademy profile

Job Title	Location
Community Manager	Brooklyn, NY
Product Designer	New York, NY
Mobile Product Developer	New York, NY
Backend Engineer	New York, NY
Frontend Engineer	New York, NY

See all 5 job postings

Belvedere Trading - Belvedere Trading is a Chicago, IL based proprietary trading firm that has been specializing “in equity index and commodity derivatives” since 2002

See the complete Belvedere Trading profile

Job Title	Location
Jr. Linux Administrator	Chicago, IL
Software Test Engineer	Chicago, IL
Business Analyst	Chicago, IL
Database Administrator	Chicago, IL
Jr. Software Engineer	Chicago, IL

See all 7 job postings

OrderGroove - OrderGroove is a New York, NY based company that helps other businesses sell their products on a subscription basis.

See the complete OrderGroove profile

Job Title	Location
Market Development Associate	New York, NY
Client Solutions Specialist	New York, NY
Client Success Specialist	New York, NY
Client Success Manager	New York, NY
Software QA Lead	New York, NY

See all 12 job postings

Rent The Runway - Rent The Runway is a New York, NY based “community designed to fill the needs of women who know and love high fashion" but may only want to wear something once.

See the complete Rent The Runway profile

Job Title	Location
Dress Buyer	New York, NY
Social Media Coordinator	New York, NY
UX Designer	New York, NY
PR Manager/Senior PR Manager	New York, NY
Online Marketing Manager	New York, NY

See all 19 job postings

Ampush - San Francisco based Ampush helps “advertisers leverage the scale and precision of the Facebook media platform to develop and engage their customer graph.”

See the complete Ampush profile

Job Title	Location
Business Analyst	San Francisco, CA
Media Analyst	New York, NY
Client Strategist - Social - San Francisco	San Francisco, CA
Media Analyst, Actions - SF	San Francisco, CA
Media Analyst - NYC	New York, NY

See all 19 job postings

adMarketplace - adMarketplace is a New York, NY based company that “delivers data-driven performance to the Internet’s leading marketers through" their search syndication platform.

See the complete adMarketplace profile

Job Title	Location
Business Development Account Executive	New York, NY
Account Manager	New York, NY
Creative Services Manager	New York, NY
Interactive Designer	New York, NY
Senior Designer	New York, NY

See all 23 job postings

The Nerdery - The Nerdery is a Bloomington, MN based company that partners “with creative minds and big thinkers to engineer and build award-winning interactive projects.”

See the complete The Nerdery profile

Job Title	Location
Production Assistant Intern	United States
Jr. Graphic & Web Designer	Chicago, IL
Strategy Intern	United States
User Experience Designer	United States
SEM Search Planner - NY	New York, NY

See all 18 job postings

Braintree - Braintree is a Chicago, IL based company that is simplifying payments for online businesses.

See the complete Braintree profile

Job Title	Location
Sports Sales Representative	Braintree, MA
Behavior Specialist	New Bedford, MA
Spanish/Haitian-Creole Behavior Specialist	Quincy, MA
Spanish/Haitian-Creole Behavior Therapist	Quincy, MA
Behavior Therapist	New Bedford, MA

See all 320 job postings

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Careers in Engineering

Engineering Career Guide Overview

What an Engineer Does

A Typical Day for an Engineer

Salary and Career Progression in Engineering

Best Locations for Engineers

Pros and Cons of Being an Engineer

Pros

Cons

What You Need to Know for a Career in Engineering

Engineering Resources

Required Reading

Blogs and Websites

Networking Opportunities

Careers Related to Engineering

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Engineering

See more companies with entry level jobs and internships in engineering: