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Types of Engineers

Every moment of every day, you are seeing the work of engineers. Your phone, your computer, the building you go to school in, your clothes. Absolutely everything was the work of engineers!

Don't believe it? Keep reading to find out exactly what engineers are doing every day and see for yourself!


Aerospace engineers design, analyze, and model all things that fly. So every time you get on an airplane, you are experiencing the handiwork of an aerospace engineer.


Biological engineers use engineering tools and approaches to solve problems in the life sciences. When you eat food or take medicine, it is likely that a biological engineer has been working to find ways to make that food or medicine even better for you!


Chemical engineers use their understanding of chemistry and math to design useful products and processes. Your make-up, the shampoo you use, the medicine you take when you're sick. It was all designed by a chemical engineer!


Civil engineers design, construct, and maintain buildings, roads, bridges, and other structures. So every building you see, from your school to your doctor's office was designed by a civil engineer!


Computer engineers create computer programs that allow technology you use to help you complete every day tasks. That means every time you play Angry Birds on your phone or look at Facebook on your computer, you are seeing the work of a computer engineer!


Electrical engineers design objects and systems that are electronic, or involve electricity and power. When you turn your lights on in the morning, or play Super Mario Smash Brothers, you are interacting with the work of an electrical engineer!


Environmental engineers work to maintain the natural environment as our world becomes more and more developed. This can be anything from improving air or water quality to waste treatment or study of how animals are affected by man-made things!


Materials engineers develop creative solutions to manufacture materials that are new and innovative. This could be anything from the titanium alloys used in outer space to the new fabrics designed to keep the body temperature of rescue workers steady, or even your new ski boots, and the next big thing could be designed by you!


Mechanical engineering is the analysis, design, and manufacturing of mechanical systems. In other words, if something moves or uses energy, a mechanical engineer probably helped to make it!

And these aren't the only types of engineers! To learn more about more engineering fields, check out this description of various fields of engineering!


Last Updated: November 3, 2013