If your brain were a person, it would look like this, rippling and strong. (Source)

Ever wondered how to turn your love of Legos and Kinex into a bona fide adult job? Perhaps you should consider a career in mechanical engineering. This job requires you to use that big beautiful head of yours to solve real-world problems. It combines your creative instincts with some technical know-how to create, design, and test mechanical and thermal devices such as tools, engines, machines...everything we use on a daily basis.

For the ability to flex that beautiful brain muscle of yours, you'll be paid handsomely. The average salary is $66,000 a year, a number that still goes pretty far in today's economy. Entry-level positions hover around $50,000 (source). 

That's a better entry-level salary than, well, almost any job in America. What's more, depending on where you live and how long you've been working, you can rake in $120,000 or more a year. And yes, it gets better: you typically have a pretty flexible schedule.

You'll work hard for that big ol' pile of money, however, as your work weeks won't ever dip below forty hours―about a third of all mechanical engineers will work even more than that (source). Despite your job description sounding like someone who would work with their hands a lot, you'll actually spend most of your time in a fairly typical office environment. 

You'll go on site every once in a while to check out your designs and how they're working out, but it won't be that often. Most of the problem analysis and design development will happen right at your desk (source). You'll usually be at a computer, working with programs to create new designs or revamp new ones (source). 

 

Engineers not only designed the battery, but the balloon as well. (Source)

You could be creating designs for almost every industry you can think of: architecture, medical, transportation, and various types of manufacturing. You could be employed making generators and gas turbines, medical devices, air-conditioning systems, even the batteries that power the newest electric car (source). 

For starters, you'll at least need a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. That means you'll be an expert in math, science, computers, and design―a quadruple threat. If you want research of new methods, materials, and design ideas to eventually be a part of your duties as a mechanical engineer, you should definitely get a master's on top of that bachelor's―you can even find some five- or six-year programs that get you both in one shot. As with most careers in America, the more education you receive, the easier it will be to move upward (source).

Additionally, you'll need a Professional Engineer License, which requires a bachelor's degree as well as four years of experience in an engineering environment. It may sound daunting, but it's broken up into two steps. First, you take an exam after your four-year education and get an Engineer in Training license. 

That makes it a little easier to find work in order to complete that four years of experience requirement. Then, you take a second exam to get your full license. Easy peasey (source). 

But that's where the easiness ends. The competition will be steep, you'll need to be an expert at every notoriously difficult subject known to humanity, and you'll need to stay updated on the latest technologies as they develop if you want to remain relevant. 

And that doesn't guarantee anything nowadays, because the mechanical engineering field isn't growing as fast as most other occupations in the U.S. You'll need to work really hard for limited job openings (source). 

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