They work in industry, consulting practice, government, and universities. They may work in classrooms, factories, offices, laboratories, or testing facilities as teachers, managers, designers, or researchers. Some mechanical engineers work in sales and product quality control or equipment maintenance. Many hold managerial positions in their companies. Whether working on an oil rig or in corporate headquarters, mechanical engineers are solving the technical problems of today and tomorrow.
Mechanical engineers touch almost every aspect of our lives.
While civil engineers build bridges and tunnels, it is the mechanical engineer who provides the mechanisms and systems for drawbridges and ventilation systems for tunnels. Similarly, the chemical engineer develops new plastics, coatings, and adhesives, while the mechanical engineer uses these in the design of new equipment. Electrical engineers build computers and develop software while the mechanical engineer incorporates these into control systems or designs of computer printers and other accessories. Some mechanical engineers work in areas not usually considered the domain of the engineer. Biomechanical engineers, for example, form a specific sub-discipline of mechanical engineering.