Some of the toughest engineering jobs on the planet today are those that need to repair reputations of past engineering jobs such as the failed levees in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Beyond this perspective, “tough” can be seen as challenges when new technologies are developed — such as genetically engineering foods — and as other engineering jobs are placed under scrutiny, such as petroleum engineering after the Gulf oil disaster this year. These top 10 tough engineering jobs face all these challenges…but, perhaps you would not want to be an engineer if you did not enjoy those tests to your knowledge, skill and expertise.
Aerospace Engineers: These engineers design, test, and supervise the manufacture of aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles. Those who work with aircraft are called aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are astronautical engineers. The period through 2012 is projected to see a downfall in the demand for aerospace engineers. Competition from foreign firms and decrease in air travel are the major reasons for decrease in jobs related to designing and producing commercial aircraft.
Coastal and Marine Engineering: Past experience in hydraulic studies and knowledge of waves, currents, water levels, sediment transport, coastal morphology and water quality all contribute to a knowledge of future coastal engineering. Protection against the sea level rise in the 21st century will be especially important, as seawalls and breakwaters are generally expensive to construct, and the costs to build protection in the face of sea-level rise would be enormous. Coastal and marine engineering today often is known as coastal management.
Computer Software Engineer: While this career may seem tame, the competition is astounding. Additionally, job projections put this career in a decline by three percent in the U.S. through 2018. Finally, legal requirements for the licensing or certification of professional software engineers vary around the world. While some jobs do not require certification, Israeli engineering law says that a person calling themselves an engineer without the proper license / registration could be sentenced to up to 6 months in jail. Certification programs are generally offered by product vendors or software firms, which may require professionals who work with their products to be certified. Voluntary certification also is available through various other organizations, such as professional computing societies.
Engineer Diver: This professional can plan, manage and successfully execute an underwater operation concerning engineering practice. These engineers need to undergo dive training as well as have five years’ of experience in conducting underwater structural inspections. Many of these jobs are located in the Army, although any engineering firm that manages coastal or offshore construction would find the need for the engineer diver. These jobs also are valuable to companies or organizations conducting investigations of underwater structures.
Genetic Engineer: This field deals with genetically engineering and — ultimately — altering what people perceive to be “normal.” For instance, one of the best-known and controversial applications of genetic engineering is the creation of genetically modified foods, or GMOs. However, humans have altered the genomes of species for thousands of years through artificial selection and, more recently, through mutagenesis. Genetic engineering as the direct manipulation of DNA by humans outside breeding and mutations has existed only since the 1970s. It is a radically new technology for altering the traits of living organisms by inserting genetic material that has been manipulated by artificial means.
Geoengineering: This modern concept looks at controlling the earth’s climate to counteract the effects provided by climate change. Since this career is so new, to date, no large-scale geoengineering projects have been undertaken. Additionally, since the term is intended to describe proposals to counter the effects of human-induced climate change, jobs may be difficult to find as many individuals believe that climate change, if it is occurring, is not created by man. That said, many geoengineering projects have been proposed, from solar radiation management to heat transport and Arctic geoengineering.
Military Engineer: According to NATO, “Military Engineering is that engineer activity undertaken, regardless of component or service, to shape the physical operating environment.” If you follow the link to this engineering job, you’ll come to the Society of American Military Engineers, an organization designed to “promote and facilitate engineering support for national security by developing and enhancing relationships and competencies among uniformed services, public and private sector engineers, and related professionals.” On the whole, however, military engineers plan for many different constructions essential in combat, warfare and survival and have, lately, been used as part of the team effort to reduce further damage after natural disasters.
Mining Engineer: Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers, find, extract, and prepare coal, metals, and minerals for use by manufacturing industries and utilities. They design open-pit and underground mines, supervise the construction of mine shafts and tunnels in underground operations, and devise methods for transporting minerals to processing plants. Mining engineers are responsible for the safe, economical, and environmentally sound operation of mines. They inspect the surfaces of walls and roofs, monitor air quality, and examine mining equipment for compliance with safety practices. Often, mining engineers are held accountable for any flaws or accidents that occur in mining operations.
Ocean Engineer: Ocean, or offshore, engineering can deal with fixed bottom founded) structures, floating structures, subsea engineering and dredging engineering. Usually, a background in civil or mechanical engineering with a taste for marine technology and ocean engineering can find a foothold in this career or in a program specific to this engineering field. Offshore & dredging engineers make structures such as fixed and floating platforms for the oil and gas industry, undersea pipelines and other underwater equipment for this sector. But, another application of offshore engineering is the design of offshore wind farms. Offshore & Dredging Engineers are the people who design facilities for the 70 percent of the earth’s surface area that is not land.
Petroleum Engineers: The job within this field is to find and produce hydrocarbons, or gas and oil production. Petroleum engineering requires a good knowledge of many other related disciplines, such as geophysics, petroleum geology, formation evaluation (well logging), drilling, economics, reservoir simulation, well engineering, artificial lift systems, and oil and gas facilities engineering. This job has become more difficult because of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and the legal ramifications that may follow this incident, as well as the fact that petroleum engineering has become a technical profession that involves extracting oil in increasingly difficult situations as much of world’s oil fields already have been found and depleted.
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