Benefits of being a mechanical engineer (2024)

Build your world - mechanical engineers get the best of both worlds.

• A career in mechanical engineering allows you to build a better future for you, and for the world.
• This explains why 89% of engineers have high levels of job satisfaction, and would choose the same career path again.

Secure your future

Mechanical engineering is a secure career with a bright, long-term future:

• In the UK alone, there will be 1.86m new job openings for engineers by 2020.
• There is already a shortage of qualified engineers, meaning higher salaries and more options for those who are qualified.

Reap the rewards

Mechanical engineers earn good salaries - well above the national average:

• The average starting salary for an engineering graduate is £26,536 (the second highest of all graduates after medicine and dentistry).
• Apprentices who become Engineering Technicians earn on average £40,000.
• With experience and professional qualifications, you could earn a basic salary of around £70,000 as a Chartered Engineer.

Get to the top

Mechanical engineers have lots of options for career progression:

• 85% of engineering graduates go on to further study.
• More experience and qualifications lead to more responsibility and higher salaries.
• 33% of the world’s most successful companies have a leader with a background in engineering (e.g. Microsoft, Amazon and General Motors). Engineers are valued for their transferable skills.

Make your mark

Mechanical engineers make a real difference:

• You could help solve some of the biggest global challenges facing humanity, like climate change, cyber security, ageing populations, food, clean water and energy.
• Or you could create an invention that changes the world.

Do anything, anywhere

Mechanical engineers work all over the world, in countless industries:

• Becoming a mechanical engineer could take you to some interesting places – oil rigs, deserts, the Antarctic, the deep sea.
• Mechanical engineering qualifications and experience are like having a passport to work in many different industries and countries.