Career
Mechanical engineers
Design machines, engines and the moving parts of the world.
$104,110
Median pay
+11.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
17,800
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
- Investigate equipment failures or difficulties to diagnose faulty operation and recommend remedial actions.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $104,110 a year and 17,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Mechanical EngineeringSee the degree →
- Engineering MechanicsCIP 14.1101
- Mechanical EngineeringCIP 14.1901
- Electromechanical EngineeringCIP 14.4101
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians$74,510 · +1.3%
- Electrical Engineers$120,630 · +9.9%
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians$78,190 · +2.4%
- Mechatronics Engineers
- Industrial Engineers$102,440 · +12.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.