10 Highest Paying Engineering Jobs

An engineer applies mathematical and scientific concepts to generate cost-effective solutions for technical issues. They take into account the functional requirements given by management and safety regulations mandated by the government to produce a final product. The job also calls for engineers to be highly involved during the testing and development stages of products to maximise their efficiency for customers. In this article, we discuss 10 of the highest-paying engineering jobs.

What are the highest-paying engineering jobs?

Certain types of engineers can have higher earnings potential, especially if they work in industries like healthcare and technology. The highest-paying jobs in this field relate to those who handle large amounts of data for companies, as data storage is largely demanded by large companies and corporations.

Related: List of High-Paying Graduate Jobs (With Salaries and Duties)

Top 10 highest-paying engineering jobs

Consider these high-paying engineering jobs if you're planning to earn a higher salary for your career:

1. Petroleum engineer

National Average Salary: $129,906 per year

Primary Duties: A petroleum engineer strategises with other engineers on ways to extract oil and natural gas from the earth. They also can extract these resources from older well when possible, but document the amount they drill per day and log it into their records. They also find additional means to drill and see what tools can streamline the drilling process.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree is required to work in this position. A bachelor's degree in mechanical or civil engineering can make you stand out, along with relevant internship experience. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

2. Electrical engineer

National Average Salary: $99,653 per year

Primary Duties: An electrical engineer fuses math and electronic frameworks to design new equipment and systems that give electricity to the public. They also enhance telecommunications systems, so it can be connected to satellites and improve the functionality of smartphones and other devices. They mainly work with computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in how well devices can function on a telecommunications infrastructure.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree is required to work in this position. A bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or electronics engineering can make you stand out, along with relevant internship experience. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

3. Software engineer

National Average Salary: $93,696 per year

Primary Duties: A software engineer oversees the development of software for use in a range of industries. They're directly involved in the design, research, development and operational testing steps of the software development process. Some software engineers focus on developing software for operating systems, while others create specialised computer applications and programs.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree in software engineering is the basic qualification for anyone looking to work in this position. However, some companies also take candidates who have pursued other courses such as master's degree in software engineering and any relevant internship experience can be an added advantage.

4. Aeronautical engineer

National Average Salary: $101,521 per year

Primary Duties: An aeronautical engineer works on the physical components of aircraft, spacecraft and satellites. They develop systems to improve the safety of the aircraft while in the air, undertake research to increase fuel efficiency and improve its environmental impact. They ensure the items they work on align with the requests from their client and manager, along with ensuring they're working within the guidelines of assigned procedures.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering is the basic requirement for anyone looking to work in this position. It's important to have an internship to gain hands-on experience and improve your chances of getting an entry-level position. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

5. Chemical engineer

National Average Salary: $84,803 per year

Primary Duties: A chemical engineer works with a variety of products and makes sure that food processing techniques meet guidelines set by the federal government. They also ensure that there is enough fertiliser being produced to create quality food products and if what's being produced is environmentally friendly. They do not produce food, but they examine chemical properties associated with them.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree in chemical engineering is required to work in this position. Some programmes may have internship programmes that can help you gain a competitive advantage for applying to jobs. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

Related: How to Become a Chemical Engineer (With Duties and Skills)

6. Materials engineer

National Average Salary: $109,641 per year

Primary Duties: A materials engineer works with existing parts such as metal and plastics to create other materials helpful for engineers to work with. The materials they create can produce medical equipment, propellers on an aircraft and a baseball bat. They can use a computer to mass-produce materials, estimate the cost of the new product and create reports about the impact it has on a relevant industry.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree is required to work in this position. A bachelor's degree in materials engineering can make you stand out, along with relevant internship experience. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

7. Biomedical engineer

National Average Salary: $94,026 per year

Primary Duties: A biomedical engineer spends time researching and developing materials that can be used to assist patients like artificial organs. They log information on behavioural patterns to find out reactions resulting from human behaviour, which can be shared in an academic setting or through consulting.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree is required to work in this position. A bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering or bioengineering can make you stand out, along with relevant internship experience. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

8. Data engineer

National Average Salary: $118,267 per year

Primary Duties: A data engineer is mainly tasked with converting data into a format that can be easily understood. They do this by testing, developing and maintaining systems for data generation. They work closely with data scientists and are mainly responsible for designing systems for data scientists that allow them to do their jobs.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree in applied math, information technology or computer science is required to work in this position. Larger organisations or companies with proprietary or unique development platforms may require candidates to complete a training programme or an on-the-job training. Some companies may prefer candidates who have a Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence.

9. Environmental engineer

National Average Salary: $90,535 per year

Primary Duties: An environmental engineer develops methods to enhance recycling processes, along with containing water and air pollution issues tied to public health. They generate reports on their research, establish permits to distribute to companies, cities and towns to enforce and inspect areas periodically to see if they comply with regulations.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree is required to work in this position. A bachelor's degree in environmental engineering, civil or chemical engineering can make you stand out, along with relevant internship experience. A Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence is required to work in higher-level positions.

10. Electronics engineer

National Average Salary: $81,988 per year

Primary Duties: An electronic engineer focuses on the manufacturing of a variety of electronic equipment, such as power generation equipment, motors and navigation and communications systems. To create these pieces of devices and equipment, an electronics engineer comes up with designs and create prototypes.

Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree in electronics engineering is the basic requirement if you are looking to work as an electronics engineer. Some employers may require a Registered Professional Engineer (RPEng) licence.

Related Careers

Here is a list of related engineering careers that you can also consider in your job search:

• Engineering manager: An engineering manager is in charge of creating plans to produce new products. They create a budget aligned with the demand for the manufactured equipment and training of staff to use. Once the budget is approved, they check with their staff to ensure the success of procedures being followed and executed.

• Civil engineer: A civil engineer is accountable for public projects like roads and bridges to be designed and built properly. They evaluate roads and maps to find out the most efficient way to complete manufacturing projects to the highest standard possible. It's also important for them to find out the costs of labour for the workflow of the project and the materials needed to finish it promptly. They also test the foundation of structures to see if additional improvements may be necessary.

• Cartographer: A cartographer draws maps that can help engineering teams find out the best way to complete the installation of structures for infrastructure projects. They work with different pieces of geographical data, past images of an area and weather patterns to provide a team with the most updated information before carrying out their tasks. A cartographer must be able to communicate how they drew up the map and the findings they found that could be of use to a business or government.

• Mechanical engineering: A mechanical engineering makes repairs and produces new designs for parts on vehicles, turbines, engines and other power mechanisms noteworthy for a building to operate efficiently. They perform analysis on components that can transfer energy and render ventilation for systems like refrigerators and air conditioners.

Related: What Does a Telecommunication Engineer Do? Plus Skills