Hot Spots in Engineering

InTech, May 2006 by Policastro, Ellen Fussell

Dear Career Coach:

What are the hot jobs to pursue this year for engineers?

Answer: If your interest and talents lie in the electrical, chemical, civil, or environmental engineering fields, you're in luck. A Collegiate Employment Research Institute study at Michigan State University revealed a bright outlook this year for engineers in the electrical, civil, and environmental fields. And a National Association of Colleges & Employers report said chemical and electrical engineers top the highest paid list for 2006. Electrical engineers and computer scientists with skills in analog and mixed signal design, testing, and applications are in high demand by companies in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries said the Semiconductor Industry Association. The Association compiled a list of hard-to-find skills for companies in the industry. Topping the list are analog/mixed signal design, testing, and application. Skills in applications engineering, memory controller, signal integrity, test engineering, and product engineering were also in demand.

Considering how engineering downsizing seems to be all the rage in many companies, where is the surge coming from? One explanation could be the great engineering downsizing, which began in the early 1990s when "chemical and electrical engineering jobs were not seen as that attractive (although they still paid relatively well)," said Peter Martin, vice president of performance management at Invensys in Foxboro, Mass. "There also seems to have been a reduction in the number of students who entered those fields," and these two factors combined created "a bit of a deficit in these disciplines that is creating some current demand. I believe today they are actually quite attractive fields once again," Martin said. He contends the future for engineering is promising and still recommends engineering as a lucrative field. "But I believe, to be most successful, these engineers will also need to develop strong business skills to supplement their engineering skills," he said. "This combined skill set will be of great value into the future."

Factors influencing the demand for electrical, environmental, chemical, and control automation are essentially market driven, said Dr. Gerald W. Cockrell, professor and director for the Center for Automation and Systems Integration at Indiana State University College of Technology in Terre Haute, lnd. In fact, the U.S. Labor Department identifies technology and computer-related fields as the fastest growing occupations, he said. The data shows electrical and electronics engineers and computer engineers among the highest paying occupations usually requiring at least a bachelor's degree.

"Industries such as power generation, pharmaceuticals, food, and electronics are seeing needs for educated people in all of these areas," Cockrell said. "The short supply of qualified candidates will bode well for those in the field and those just entering the field," he said. U.S. companies' increased focus on the global market will give existing chemical, environmental, and electrical engineers a bright future as well, Cockrell said. "Of course, it will be necessary for these people to be willing to work or travel internationally."

Meeting environmental standards

One big surge will come from the environmental field, as EPA and state environmental regulations continue to tighten. Air pollution control for stationary sources is one example, said Chad Whiteman, deputy director at ICAC in Washington, D.C. ICAC is a national nonprofit association representing manufacturers of emissions control technologies for stationary sources, such as companies that install equipment for power plants and refineries, cement manufacturers, and bakeries, as opposed to mobile sources like automobiles and boats, cruise ships and trains, and construction equipment.

Surges in stationary sources depend on the equipment and the size of the industry, Whiteman said, " but you can have these surges in jobs due to environmental regulations because the equipment you're installing is large and requires a lot of engineering and construction management, so these affected plants and industries can meet the environmental requirements."

Whiteman's company projected the electric power sector would see 300,000 jobs created from the Clean Air Interstate Rule, which regulates emissions from coal-fired power plants in the East. "So most of these states east of the Mississippi, as well as Texas, are affected," he said. "By 2010, they're expecting to reduce their emissions by 50% overall for SO^sub 2^, and the same for NOx."

Some of the jobs springing up from these huge construction projects might require as many as 700-800 workers on one project. "Not all of them will be engineers, but quite a few will be construction or process design or environmental engineers. Or they'll have structural steel design engineers," Whiteman said. "There are some mechanical engineers, but the majority will be chemical and civil. Over the next five years, there'll be big demand to design this equipment."