Engineers will need to continue their education to stay up with the latest technologies to offer their clients the best solutions. Most of the State Licensing Boards require Professional Engineers to renew their professional licenses periodically with a minimum number of continuing education units. These units are usually Professional Development Hours (PDH) or Continuing Education Units (CEU). One PDH is equivalent to one hour of course education, and one CEU is equivalent to ten PDH or ten hours of course education. Some may find that their profession is not growing or trailing behind may need to change careers or strength their technical knowledge.

One of the best indicators of upcoming markets is to know what the baby boomer generation needs and wants. The baby boomers, the individuals born between 1945 and 1964, are now approaching retirement age. Many will be retiring and will require some medical and health assistance. They will also want medication to appear young as long as possible. Obviously fields that support this industry will do very well. The most likely profession to benefit is Biomedical Engineers. They are necessary to improve new medical devices and equipment. In addition, new facilities will be required for the aging population. Independent Living Facilities and senior communities will rise in demand. This will definitely improve prospects for Civil and Mechanical Engineers.

Another field that will continue to have a high demand for engineers is the environmental fields, which includes new green products, renewable energy, water resources, and waste-water management. The United States will continue to encourage renewable energy including wind and solar power with government grants and other types of funding. These projects will generate numerous jobs for many different professions. As the population continues to expand a greater demand will be placed on housing and our water resources and waste-water management. These increased demands will increase jobs for Electrical, Mechanical, Civil and Environmental Engineers.

Due to the increasing population and aging facilities, the government will also need to expand and improve the country’s infrastructure. Roads, bridges, dams, railways, airports, and utilities throughout the country will need greater attention. These improvements will also increase the demand for Civil Engineers.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Outlook Handbook”, 2010-11 Edition, over the next decade, 2008 to 2018, the engineering field should grow by 11%. In 2008 engineers held 1.6 million jobs in the United States. A little more than 45% were employed by the three leading professions; Civil, Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering. As expected the three smallest engineering professions are highly specialized; Agricultural, Mining and Safety, and Marine and Naval Engineers.

Another surprise was that about 3 percent in 2008 were self-employed, many as consultants. This means that 97% of engineers are employed by the government or private firms.

One would think that most engineers are employed by the government, but according to the report about 12 percent in 2008 were employed by the Federal, State, and local governments, and about half of them were in the Federal Government, mainly in the U.S. Departments of Defense, Transportation, Agriculture, Interior, and Energy, and in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Many engineers in State and local government agencies worked in highway and public works departments. Approximately 45% are employed in three professions; Civil, Mechanical, and Industrial engineering.

Three leading employed professions

* Civil Engineers- 278,400
* Mechanical Engineers – 238,700
* Industrial Engineers – 214,800

Three lowest employed professions

* Agricultural Engineers 2,700
* Mining and Geological Engineers, including mining safety engineers 7,100
* Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 8,500

The three engineering professions expecting the highest growth rate over the decade are Biomedical, Environmental, and Civil. These professions provide professional services in the industries which are expected to have the most significant growth. These fields include Health and Medical, Environmental Technologies, Infrastructure including transportation and utilities, and Water Resources and Waste Management. These industries also require the engineers to be local to provide the necessary services.

In addition to openings from job growth, many openings will be created by the need to replace current engineers who retire; transfer to management, sales, or other occupations; or leave engineering for other reasons.

The three slowest growing engineering professions are Chemical, Electrical and Electronics, and Computer Hardware engineers. These particular professions are receiving extreme competition from outside of the United States. Also note that these professions are not required for the most part to hold a Professional Engineering license. Companies are finding that engineers in other countries in electrical, computer, and chemical industries can provide the same service for a far lower salary or fee.

Three leading Job Growth rate professions

* Biomedical Engineers – 72%
* Environmental Engineers – 31%
* Civil Engineers – 24%

Three laggards in Job Growth rate

* Chemical Engineers – (-2)%
* Electrical and Electronics Engineers – 1%
* Computer Hardware Engineers – 4%

The three engineering professions with highest initial salary are in petroleum, chemical, and mining industries. Petroleum and Mining Engineers are expected to have a growth rate of 18% and 15% respectively over the decade, while Chemical Engineering is expected to decline by 2%.

The three engineering professions with the lowest starting salaries are Civil Biomedical, and Agricultural. Civil, Biomedical and Agricultural Engineers are expected to have a growth rate of 24%, 72% and 12% respectively over the decade.

Three leading Starting Median Salaries professions

* Petroleum Engineers – $83,121
* Chemical Engineers – $64,902
* Mining and Mineral Engineers – $64,404

Three laggards Starting Salaries

* Civil Engineers – $52,048
* Biomedical Engineers – $54,158
* Agricultural Engineers – $54,352

So what is the lesson? The engineering professions that require a local engineer usually with a Professional Engineer license will remain in high demand; especially Civil Engineers. Engineering fields that can be replaced by foreign engineers and do not require a Professional Engineering license will suffer. Engineers who have not kept current in their field may find themselves at a disadvantage when seeking promotions or during layoffs. The best way to stay current is through continuing education courses.

In this article we have discussed the future of engineering. Although for some the future looks bleak right now, the number of new engineering jobs is projected to grow. Many of the new industries will require engineers. The main way to ensure employment is to be aware of the demand for your profession and to stay current with the latest engineering skills; technical, ethical, and managerial. Acquiring the necessary skills can be the difference between an employed and an unemployed engineer.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Haun

Undergraduate degree training is available to you at several levels. This can allow you to select the educational path that meets your individual needs while preparing for a successful career. Training can be completed at the associate or bachelor levels which will require different amounts of time to complete.

* Associate degrees typically take two years of accredited career study to earn.
* Bachelor degree programs can require four years of training in order to complete.

When looking to receive an accredited undergraduate degree in engineering you will have the chance to learn a variety of subjects. Coursework will vary but can include topics like physical chemistry, hydrogeology, communication systems, engineering principles, and other courses. Training in these areas can help you to prepare for a career working as a professional materials scientist, environmental planner, nuclear engineer, and other related professions. You can enter the career you desire by completing an accredited undergraduate degree training program in engineering, o r furthering education at the graduate level.

Graduate degree programs can be completed at the master and doctoral degree levels. You can choose to earn a degree at the graduate level to gain a more advanced education in the field. Training length will vary based on the level of degree that you decide to pursue, and the career desired.

* Master degree programs will take an additional two years of study to complete.
* Doctoral degrees require an additional four years of accredited training to obtain.

You can obtain knowledge and skills in various subjects at the graduate degree level of education. Coursework may include studies like drafting, information technology, thermodynamics, computer science, and much more. With an accredited education you can expect to enter the workforce prepared for careers as a biomedical engineer, testing specialist, mechanical engineer, and many other professions. By learning more about the opportunities available to you, you can find the school or college that is right for you and enroll in a graduate degree training program today.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Renata_McGee

Training is challenging but students walk away with the skills to apply mathematics and science to solving a variety of technical problems. Curriculums are dedicated to teaching students the processes required to create, design, and produce products and structures. Education is offered at all degree levels and students can choose from various specializations that prepare them for their professional goals.

Students that enter degree programs learn specific implementation procedures that have been used in realistic situations. Procedures will look different according to the concentration chosen but all programs focus on teaching students design practices and cost management, which work together to solve monetary issues. For example, a biomedical engineer uses a particular system and research-based approach to design new prosthetic limbs. Available concentration areas include:

* Civil Engineering
* Environmental Engineering
* Mechanical Engineering
* Electrical Engineering

These options only show a limited selection of the possible career field’s students can enter after completing degree programs. Students typically begin their education at the bachelor’s degree level because most entry-level careers require employees to have obtained a four-year degree in their specialty.

Civil engineering is seen everyday in bridges, public infrastructures, roads, and more. Education covers multiple practices in order to accomplish the engineering aspects that go into designing and constructing products. Programs provide students with the skills to calculate the stress on buildings, monitor hazardous wastes, evaluate structural designs, and estimate the composition of soils. Engineering physics, economics, hydraulics, and technical communications are some main courses that are completed within a program.

Students interested in working to protect the Earth may want to consider working through degree programs in environmental engineering. All areas of hazardous waste disposal are explored. Training is based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations, which include producing systems that correctly and safely store hazardous materials. Courses teach students disposal practices, Earth science standards, and engineering principles that prepare them to become professionals. Subjects include hazardous materials such as acid rain, polluted water, and gas. Students become vital members of firms that act on a company’s behalf to correct problems associated with these different components.

Mechanical engineering is another popular educational training option. Training teaches students to design mechanical systems and machines. The practices used to analyze and create mechanical aspects of numerous machines are heavily studied inside a degree program. Electric circuits, differential equations, planning systems, and computer graphics are all course subjects that train students for several careers. Upon graduation students can enter careers in agriculture, tool design, and machine design.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Renata_McGee

Garnering a master qualification to embellish one’s present degree in electrical engineering is a logical step towards advancing one’s career. This can be done right after one’s basic degree or years later with sufficient experience tucked under one’s belt. Either way, this mark of distinction certainly gives one a heads up as two supposedly is better than one qualification.

By relying on a strong foundation built during one’s early years, principles and theories are then put to the test as one focuses on specific areas of interest. Whether it lies in telecommunications or robotics, one is encouraged to form assumptions and test them by utilizing base theorems in the field. Whatever results achieved, one is therefore to contemplate whether they are incorrect based on previously proven methods or perhaps a new idea is being put forth. By staying on the oft trodden path, one will not be presented with an opportunity for a new discovery in the modernization of society. It is only by boldly going where no man has gone before, can one be the first to get there. Due credit is given to this infamous excerpt taken from a captain’s log.

Coming back to solid ground, there are various facilities offering extended degrees in electrical engineering. It is advisable to be associated with a reputed one to ensure a good investment of one’s time and money for the future. Upon completion, one may need to seek accreditation in terms of licensure as some local or regional authorities instill such a requirement prior to one’s practice in the commercial sense.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Cornell

Here are five of electrical engineering’s more interesting sub-disciplines:

Signal Processing. An electrical engineer specializing in signal processing analyzes any digital or analog signal. She might develop voice-recognition software or design the display for a new digital camera.

Mechatronics. OK, so this isn’t technically a sub-discipline of electrical engineering, but a combination of several disciplines. It combines mechanical and electrical engineering with computer programming and software design, and is responsible for the creating of complex systems. Mechatronics experts built the Mars rovers; they also designed the anti-lock brakes on your car.

Instrumentation Engineering. An electrical engineer who works on measuring devices like thermometers, flow meters, and scales is an instrumentation engineer. These tools are often a single component in a greater system, so instrumentation engineers must be well-versed in a variety of engineering disciplines.

Telecommunications. All communications signals must go from one place to another, no matter what the medium. And whether those signals are going through fiber-optic cables, satellites or cellular towers, a telecommunications engineer is charged with the maintenance of those media.

Microelectronics. Electrical engineers working in this field develop, maintenance and manufacture of capacitors, diodes, resistors, transistors and other small components. Microelectronics engineers must be schooled in semiconductor technology, as well as materials science and chemistry.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Michael_Kirby