Career Opportunities Mechanical engineers design power plants, airplanes, spacecraft, automobiles, heating and air-conditioning systems, conveyors, recreation equipment and elevators. They are employed as environmental engineers, nuclear engineers, and railway engineers. Mechanical engineers are involved in development of technologies for solar and wind energy and exciting new areas like micro-machines. 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.