The engineering world has many branches which all serve a common purpose: to solve the world’s problems. Whether it’s for computers, cars, chemistry, or construction, there is an engineering field for each of these and more. Engineering can be properly defined as the application of science and technology to design, build, and use machinery or structures. New engineering fields emerge regularly as technology advances, but the base engineering fields remain the same.
Here are different types of engineering and what they’re used for.
If you have any cell phones, radios, or other electronic devices in your home or on your person, chances are a computer engineer may have worked on it. This is because computer engineering combines software and hardware to give life to electrical devices. In other words, it uses physical components and programming to make something work. For example, integrated circuits, or chips, are in almost every electronic device you use nowadays. These chips are basically the brains of devices and can be used in an infinite number of ways. Moreover, as the world continues to move onto automation, computer engineers will be in high demand for an undetermined amount of time.
Civil engineering revolves around the construction of structures such as buildings and bridges. Engineers in this field will solve infrastructure issues through planning, designing, and construction. These issues could include soil erosion, new roads, groundwater, and improving energy efficiency. Civil engineering also works a lot with risk mitigation on all projects, meaning their projects will be planned and built so they’re safe enough for people to use. This will include conducting many inspections as well as employing quality management to ensure a high level of safety for the structure.
Mechanical engineering aims to analyze and solve mechanical and thermal issues. Engineers in this field may work on designing different parts of a whole component, as well as fixing faulty equipment and operations. Mechanical engineers can be a part of a team working towards a common goal. For example, they can work in different teams to design multiple parts of an airplane like an engine or a propeller blade. They can also work on designing lift truck fork replacement parts as well as repair the truck itself.
Network engineering focuses on designing and repairing network-related products. Their work is more centered on maintaining firewalls, routers, and VPNs, as well as finding vulnerabilities or malware in an organization’s internet connection. In order to become a network engineer, people usually get a bachelor’s degree in computer science and proceed to get networking certifications from institutions like CompTIA, Cisco, and Microsoft. Others decide to take a Cisco test and start gaining experience and applying the best practices in the field right after high school.
Chemical engineering combines sciences like chemistry, biology, and physics to solve problems in the food, drug, fuel, and chemical industries. Chemical engineers can work in laboratories to improve or perfect chemical processes as well as industrial plants, refineries, or offices overseeing manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical or biotech companies. They also work on improving the energy efficiency of processes and products in addition to removing as much waste as they can from them. Moreover, chemical engineering is used to create new medicines and treatments as well as synthetic versions of pre-existing ones.
Lastly, electrical engineering encompasses everything regarding electricity and electrical components. It applies physics, chemistry, and mathematics to the designing and manufacturing of motors, communication systems, navigation structures, and power generation. Electrical engineers can wear many hats wherever they work—just as they can work on designing a particular sensor for a vehicle or security camera, they can also work on biomedical engineering as managers.
There is a field of engineering for every aspect of life, and as the years go by, even more branches will sprout for the benefit of mankind.