Are you thinking about becoming a materials engineer?

In this article, I’m going to help you understand what a career in material engineering would be like.

Preparation

Before you can become a material engineer, you need to go through specialized training. Employers often look for a bachelors degree in materials engineering. This is often composed of in-class and laboratory learning which teaches you how to identify and understand different materials and their uses. In order to become a licensed engineer, you must obtain your degree from an ABET accredited institution, and will have to pass your FE (fundamentals of engineering) and PE (professional engineering) exam.

Day to Day Life

The day to day life of a materials engineer can differ depending on where he or she works. In a lab, a materials engineer will spend his or her time testing different materials, trying to understand their properties and how to improve them. As a consultant, a material engineer would help companies decide which material would best suit a certain product. For example, a materials engineer working for a car company might decide which type of carbon fiber material is best suited for the hood of a race car.

Useful Skills

The day to day life of a materials engineer requires teamwork, problem-solving, math, writing and analysis. If those sound like skills you have or would be willing to learn, then this might just be the right career path for you.

Salary

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for, the salary of a materials engineer. The average starting salary of a materials engineer is about $55k, and the median annual wage of a materials engineer was $83k in 2010.