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

inDinero - inDinero is a San Francisco, CA based company that will "take care of your accounting, file your corporate tax returns, and manage your payroll.”

See the complete inDinero profile

Job Title	Location
Client Relationships Manager	San Francisco, CA
Account Executive -- No Cold Calling!	San Francisco, CA
Sales Consultant *Superstar	San Francisco, CA
Client Services Consultant	San Francisco, CA
Sales Assistant Intern	San Francisco, CA

See all 4 job postings

Callaway - Callaway is a Carlsbad, CA based golf company that aims to "deliver the best performing products the game has ever known."

See the complete Callaway profile

Job Title	Location
User Experience Designer	Burlington, MA
Paralegal	Burlington, MA
R&D Intern (Product Testing)	Carlsbad, CA
Intern - Accounts Receivable & Credit	Carlsbad, CA
Document Systems Intern	Carlsbad, CA

See all 131 job postings

Liferay - Liferay is a Diamond Bar, CA based company that helps clients “build modern websites and portals to engage customers, partners, and employees.”

See the complete Liferay profile

Job Title	Location
Online Marketing Manager	Washington, DC
Contract Developer-Liferay Content Management	Red Bank, NJ
Liferay Solutions / Technical Architect	Atlanta, GA
Java Developer (3 Plus Yrs. Experience)	Westport, CT
Software Developer (208819)	Frederick, MD

See all 356 job postings

K2M - K2M is based in Leesburg, VA and develops “technological innovations which enable surgeons to more effectively treat the world’s most complex spinal disorders.”

See the complete K2M profile

Job Title	Location
Summer Intern	Leesburg, VA
Engineering Summer Intern	Leesburg, VA
Product Manager - Spine	Southeastern, PA
Product Manager - Orthopedics	Dallas, TX

See all 2 job postings

Clever - Clever is a San Francisco, CA whose software syncs "with your school’s student information system to provide an amazing experience for teachers and students.”

See the complete Clever profile

Job Title	Location
Sales Representative	Fredericksburg, VA
Claims Representative	Honolulu, HI
Customer Service Representative	Fredericksburg, VA
Software Engineer - Web Applications	Denver, CO
Research Assistant	Fresno, CA

See all 829 job postings

Houzz - Houzz is a Palo Alto, CA based company that offers “a collaborative platform for home remodeling and design."

See the complete Houzz profile

Job Title	Location
Intern, Social Media / Channel Marketing	Eagan, MN
Intern, Social Media / Channel Marketing	Eagan, MN
Web Developer Intern	Sebring, FL
Marketing Manager	Connelly Springs, NC
Showroom sales associate	Lindon, UT

See all 35 job postings

Clover - Clover is a Mountain View, CA based company that replaces the “cash register, payment terminal, receipt printer, and barcode scanner with an all-in-one solution.”

See the complete Clover profile

Job Title	Location
Securities Associate/Licensed Specialist	Charlotte, NC
Business Consultant - Visalia	Work from Home
Business Consultant- Madison, WI	Work from Home
Business Consultant - Honolulu, HI	Work from Home
Business Consultant- Asheville, NC	Work from Home

See all 335 job postings

$Motion Math Logo$

Motion Math - Motion Math is a San Francisco, CA based company that creates “awesomely fun, rigorously educational learning games."

See the complete Motion Math profile

Job Title	Location
Designer - User Interface	Elizabeth, NJ
Restaurant Management	Barboursville, WV
Teller	Odessa, TX
Science/Technology Camp Instructor	Danbury, CT
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)	Stamford, NY

See all 1,714 job postings

Flipboard - Flipboard is a Palo Alto, CA based company that offers a “single place to discover, collect and share the news you care about.”

See the complete Flipboard profile

Job Title	Location
Summer Internship	Rockleigh, NJ
Summer Internship - Online Marketing	Rockleigh, NJ
Social Media Manager	Boston, MA
Summer Internship - Online Marketing	Rockleigh, NJ
Product Manager, Social Media	Washington, DC

See all 25 job postings

LogRhythm - Boulder, CO based LogRhythm is “the largest and fastest growing independent security intelligence company in the world.”

See the complete LogRhythm profile

Job Title	Location
Controller	Boulder, CO
Software Quality Assurance Engineer	Boulder, CO
Director, Professional Services	Boulder, CO
Security Compliance Engineer	Boulder, CO
Software Engineering Intern	Boulder, CO

See all 53 job postings

REVOLVE - REVOLVE is based in Cerritos, CA and is the “virtual home for an unrivaled collection of the world’s most coveted brands.”

See the complete REVOLVE profile

Job Title	Location
Ballet Partnerships Director	Albany, NY
Sales Manager	Modesto, CA
Buyer	Round Rock, TX
Tax Professional - Global Transfer Pricing	Armonk, NY
ERP Inside Sales Representatives - All Experience Levels	Chicago, IL

See all 1,030 job postings

GoPro - GoPro is a San Mateo, CA based company that has built a huge business by offering “the world’s most versatile camera.”

See the complete GoPro profile

Job Title	Location
Business Leader - New Product & Market Development	Charlotte, NC
Camera Team Brand Specialist	Seattle, WA
Camera Team Brand Specialist	Seattle, WA
Data/Cost and Analyst Intern	San Mateo, CA
Computer Science Tutor/Teacher	Oaklyn, NJ

See all 97 job postings

Extole - Extole is a San Francisco, CA based company that specializes in helping “brands acquire new customers at scale by rewarding existing customers.”

See the complete Extole profile

Job Title	Location
Enterprise Sales Representative	New York, NY
Financial Analyst / Accountant	San Francisco, CA
Product Designer	San Francisco, CA
Account Executive (SF)	San Francisco, CA
Account Management	San Francisco, CA

See all 9 job postings

AllTrails - AllTrails is a San Francisco, CA based startup that provides outdoor enthusiast "with the information and tools to discover top destinations near them.”

See the complete AllTrails profile

No current job openings.

Invoca - Invoca is a Santa Barbara, CA based company whose "marketing tools empower you to generate better leads, higher conversions, smarter spends and greater revenue.”

See the complete Invoca profile

Job Title	Location
Software Development Intern	Santa Barbara, CA
User Experience Data Researcher	Santa Barbara, CA
Account Executive	Santa Barbara, CA
Business Analyst	Santa Barbara, CA
Financial Analyst	Santa Barbara, CA

See all 21 job postings

MINDBODY - MINDBODY is a San Luis Obispo, CA based company that believes that “small business owners deserve the time to do what they love.”

See the complete MINDBODY profile

Job Title	Location
Implementation Coach	East Hampton, NY
Revenue Analyst	San Luis Obispo, CA
General Counsel	San Luis Obispo, CA
Customer Support Specialist	East Hampton, NY
Fitness Trainer Internship	Milford, CT

See all 87 job postings

IFTTT - IFTTT is a San Francisco, CA based company that lets you “put the Internet to work for you.”

See the complete IFTTT profile

Job Title	Location
Need social media marketing	Reno, NV
Need social media marketing	Reno, NV
COMMUNICATION COORDINATOR	Seattle, WA
Art Director: Graphic Design & Branding	Los Angeles, CA
IFTTT and Hootsuite project	United States

See all 5 job postings

Loverly - Loverly is a New York, NY based "one-stop-shop for wedding planning where brides and grooms find ideas, people to hire and things to buy.”

See the complete Loverly profile

Job Title	Location
Product Manager	New York, NY
Front End Engineer	New York, NY
Software Engineer	New York, NY
Senior UI/UX Designer	New York, NY

See all 3 job postings

Animoto - Animoto is a New York, NY based company that helps regular people make and share extraordinary videos of anything imaginable.

See the complete Animoto profile

Job Title	Location
Test Lead	New York, NY
Web Analytics Specialist (East Village Startup)	New York, NY
Engineering Intern	New York, NY
Director of Product Marketing	New York, NY
Engineering	New York, NY

See all 9 job postings

Mass Relevance - Mass Relevance is an Austin, TX based company that aims “to inspire brands to involve their audience.”

See the complete Mass Relevance profile

Job Title	Location
Sr. Manager of Global Communications	New York, NY
Sr. Manager, Global Communications, Social Media	New York, NY
Design Intern	Austin, TX
Communications Intern	Westborough, MA
Marketing Events Coordinator	Texas

See all 48 job postings

kCura - kCura is a Chicago based company that offers "web-based e-discovery applications for managing large volumes of electronic evidence during litigation or investigations.”

See the complete kCura profile

Job Title	Location
Business Analyst	Portland, OR
Hosting Team Leader	Chicago, IL
Sales Engineer	Downers Grove, IL
Hosting Team Leader	Chicago, IL
Case Manager	Washington, DC

See all 102 job postings

Lyft - Lyft is a San Francisco, CA based company that offers “on-demand ridesharing” in nearly 20 cities across the country.

See the complete Lyft profile

Job Title	Location
UberX Driving Partner	Trenton, NJ
Strength and Conditioning Coach	San Francisco, CA
Personal Trainer	San Francisco, CA
Bootcamp Trainer	San Francisco, CA
Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor	San Francisco, CA

See all 64 job postings

FaithStreet - FaithStreet is a New York, NY based company that helps people find a place to worship and helps religious communities find new members and gather donations.

See the complete FaithStreet profile

No current job openings.

Sonos - Sonos is a Santa Barbara, CA and Cambridge, MA based company that set out in 2002 “to reinvent home audio for the digital age.”

See the complete Sonos profile

Job Title	Location
Business Leader - New Product & Market Development	Charlotte, NC
Lead AV Installer / Project Manager	New York, NY
Technical Recruiter - San Francisco (Contract)	San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Business Systems Analyst Intern	Santa Barbara, CA
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Kansas City	Kansas City, MO

See all 175 job postings

EasyPost - EasyPost is a San Francisco, CA based startup that “is changing the way shipping works and helping a lot of people” at the same time.

See the complete EasyPost profile

No current job openings.

Causes - Causes is an SF based company that wants to be the place that people go to when they want to “discover, support and organize campaigns, fundraisers, and petitions."

See the complete Causes profile

Job Title	Location
Assistant Conroller	Alexandria, VA
Coordinator, Geriatric Integrated Health Care-Bilingual, P05877	Brooklyn, NY
2014 Customer Care Representative - Brick and Mortar- Rapid City, SD	Rapid City, SD
Mechanical Maintenance Technician	Memphis, TN
Summer Intern, Business Development & Design	New York, NY

See all 11,684 job postings

Instacart - Instacart is a San Francisco, CA based startup that offers personal grocery shopping/delivery in a growing number of markets (Chicago and the Bay Area now).

See the complete Instacart profile

Job Title	Location
City Launcher	United States
City Manager (Seattle)	Seattle, WA
General Manager (Multiple Cities)	Chicago, IL
Data Scientist	San Francisco, CA
UI/UX & Visual Designer	San Francisco, CA

See all 20 job postings

Noodle - Noodle, based in NYC and founded by John Katzman (Princeton Review), is “the first and only life-long education related search company in the world.”

See the complete Noodle profile

Job Title	Location
Prep Cook (Preparation Cook)	Honolulu, HI
Maintenance Mechanic - Electromechanical - 2ND SHIFT	Ayer, MA
Specialty Asian Restaurant Lead Cook (III)	Hanover, MD
Manager of Marketing/Sales & Catering for Noodles & Co. North/Central NJ	Hillside, NJ
NEW RESTAURANT OPEN INTERVIEW DAY SHOPHOUSE 7TH THURSDAY APRIL 17TH	Washington, DC

See all 145 job postings

Jockey International - Jockey International is a Kenosha, WI based company that aims “to satisfy the human need for comfort” by offering more than 600 styles of underwear and t-shirts.

See the complete Jockey International profile

Job Title	Location
Part Time Sales Associate - Retail or Customer Service Experience Required	Edinburgh, IN
Retail Merchandising Intern	Kenosha, WI
Sales Associate	Foley, AL
Jockey Valet	Cleveland, OH
Merchandising Intern (P2P)	Kenosha, WI

See all 84 job postings

GiveGab - GiveGab is an Ithaca, NY based company that has built a “social network for volunteers and volunteer managers.”

See the complete GiveGab profile

Job Title	Location
Software Development Internship	Ithaca, NY
iOS Developer	Ithaca, NY
Junior iOS Developer	Ithaca, NY
Front-End Web Developer	Ithaca, NY
Junior Rails Engineer	Ithaca, NY

See all 2 job postings

Minted - Minted is a San Francisco, CA based company that aims “to find exceptional artists and designers all over the world and bring their work to consumers."

See the complete Minted profile

Job Title	Location
Junior Business Analyst (Entry Level Finance)	Purchase, NY
(New!) Junior Business Analyst (Entry Level Finance)	Purchase, NY
Project Manager	San Francisco, CA
Investment Performance Associate (Entry Level Finance)	New York, NY
Merchandising Assistant	San Francisco, CA

See all 42 job postings

BidPal - BidPal is an Indianapolis, IN based company that uses technology to “improve charitable fundraising events from start to finish."

See the complete BidPal profile

Job Title	Location
Sales Area Director - Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
BidPal Assistant - Louisville, KY	Louisville, KY
Sales & Events Area Director - Central Florida	Tampa, FL
SECRETARY III	Neptune City, NJ
Event Manager - Raleigh, NC	Raleigh, NC

See all 22 job postings

Tinypass - Tinypass is an NYC based company that believes "that bloggers, magazines, newspapers, and all creators shouldn’t have so much trouble making money online.”

See the complete Tinypass profile

Job Title	Location
Sales & Business Development Intern	New York, NY
FrontEnd developer - Junior	New York, NY
Web Software Engineer	New York, NY
Senior Web Software Engineer	New York, NY
Urgent: Tinypass API integration	United States

See all 3 job postings

Pocket Gems - Pocket Gems is a San Francisco, CA based company that “develops free-to-play mobile games that are ridiculously fun.”

See the complete Pocket Gems profile

Job Title	Location
Product Manager: New Games	Redwood City, CA
Software Engineering Intern	San Francisco, CA
Software Engineer, Intern	San Francisco, CA
Lead 3D Artist	San Francisco, CA
Product Manager	San Francisco, CA

See all 30 job postings

Nest - Nest is a Palo Alto, CA based company that “takes the unloved products in your home and makes simple, beautiful, thoughtful things.”

See the complete Nest profile

Job Title	Location
Nursing Emergency Services Technician - NEST	Spartanburg, SC
Creative Director	Raleigh, NC
Dev Operations Engineer	Somerville, MA
Vail Mountain Dining Intermediate Cook, Game Creek - Summer Seasonal 2014 - Full Time	Vail, CO
Vail Mountain Dining Pastry Chef, Game Creek - Summer Seasonal 2014, Full Time	Vail, CO

See all 792 job postings

Upworthy - Upworthy curates online content that is both awesome and meaningful. They call themselves “a mission-driven media company.”

See the complete Upworthy profile

Job Title	Location
Politically-minded writers to create engaging, socially shareable content.	United States
ASSET COORDINATOR	New York, NY
Content Marketing Manager & Outreach Hacker	Austin, TX
Social Content Editor - Freelance	New York, NY
Thesis design and programming for a Wordpress Blog	Arkansas

See all 9 job postings

Zendesk - Zendesk is a San Francisco, CA based company that offers “beautifully simple customer service software.”

See the complete Zendesk profile

Job Title	Location
Salesforce.com Administrator	Prairie Village, KS
Customer Support Representative	Redmond, WA
Lead or Manager of Client Care / E-Commerce Fashion	Burlingame, CA
Support Intern	New York, NY
Software Engineer Intern-Frontend	San Francisco, CA

See all 430 job postings

Harry’s - Harry’s is a New York, NY based company that was started "for guys who know they shouldn’t have to overpay for a great shave.”

See the complete Harry’s profile

Job Title	Location
Sales & Operations Planning Associate	New York, NY
Barber	New York, NY
Designer - Fashion Industry Opportunity	New York, NY
Designer	New York, NY
Customer Experience Associate	New York, NY

See all 26 job postings

Tecture - Tecture is a Chicago, IL based firm that "designs and builds custom web and mobile applications, ecommerce websites, and custom content-managed websites”

See the complete Tecture profile

Job Title	Location
Web Designer and Front-End Developer Intern	Chicago, IL
Computer Science Web Developer Intern	Chicago, IL
Entry-level Web Designer and Front-end Developer	Chicago, IL
Advanced Services Architect	Paris, TX
Advanced Services Architect	Paris, TX

See all 8 job postings

dotloop - dotloop is a Cincinnati, OH based company that has “completely streamlined the buying and selling process for real estate."

See the complete dotloop profile

Job Title	Location
Media & Content Intern	Cincinnati, OH
Content & Media Intern	Cincinnati, OH
Real Estate Firm seeks P-T Marketing Assistant-InDesign!	Baltimore, MD
Marketing Intern - E-mail Marketing, Social Media & Event Planning	Cincinnati, OH
Marketing Assistant	Baltimore, MD

See all 12 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: