Mechanical Engineers

What Mechanical Engineers Do

Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

1.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Designimportance 4.5/5
• Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.5/5
• Production and Processingimportance 4.3/5
• Mechanicalimportance 4.2/5
• English Languageimportance 4.1/5
• Mathematicsimportance 3.9/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.7/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Contact With Others4.7/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.6/5
• Telephone Conversations4.4/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.4/5

Related Careers

• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Electrical Engineers
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Engineers, All Other
• Industrial Engineers
• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
• Calibration Technologists and Technicians
• Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Nuclear Engineers93% skill match
• Aerospace Engineers93% skill match
• Materials Scientists91% skill match
• Chemical Engineers91% skill match
• Materials Engineers89% skill match
• Software Developers87% skill match
• Soil and Plant Scientists87% skill match
• Food Scientists and Technologists86% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.8/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
• Operations Analysisimportance 3.5/5
• Systems Analysisimportance 3.4/5
• Systems Evaluationimportance 3.4/5
• Technology Designimportance 3.1/5
• Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
• Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Innovation
• Cautiousness
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Achievement Orientation
• Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• InvestigativeHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• ArtisticLow
• EnterprisingLow
• SocialLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where mechanical engineers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Columbus, IN10.52× national avg
2. 2Peoria, IL6.70× national avg
3. 3Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI6.19× national avg
4. 4Ann Arbor, MI5.43× national avg
5. 5Lexington Park, MD4.97× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Aerospace EngineersLateral Move
• Nuclear EngineersLateral Move
• Software DevelopersCareer Change
• Chemical EngineersLateral Move

See the full career path from Mechanical Engineers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.