Engineer is a good option to go down if you love maths, science, and creating things. Engineers can get competitive pay packages as well. The average starting salary for all engineers is $58,000 and the average mid-career salary for engineers is $98,000. All the salary data comes from PayScale.
Engineering is a broad term and there are way too many fields in which you can major in. Today, we will be discussing the 10 most lucrative engineering majors, because, let’s face it, no matter how much you love to create things, you complete a degree in engineering and you want to be creating things for money and lots of it.
Starting from the bottom and going up to the top.
10. Computer Engineering:
With the current digitization of all systems, the worth of computer engineers is increasing. They earn an average early career salary of $60,775. The number goes up to $104,749 once your career progresses and you have a few years of experience in the bag.
9. Electrical Engineering:
Electrical Engineering is the second most popular among the engineering majors and the high salaries certainly help. At the beginning of their careers, electrical engineers bring home an average salary of $61,608. By mid-career, that average goes up to $105,789.
8. Ocean Engineering:
There are only 200 ocean engineering graduates every year. This means that they are high in demand and their average early-career and mid-career salaries are $63,333 and $105,050, respectively.
7. Chemical Engineering:
Over 10,000 students graduate with a degree in chemical engineering every year and it is one of the most popular engineering majors. These students have an early career average salary of $64,325 and the number goes higher to $109,904 in the middle of the career.
6. Nuclear Engineering:
This is another engineering major that is not very common and only 500 students graduate with this degree. However, it does not provide a lot of employment opportunities and options are limited. But, the jobs that are there do pay well. New nuclear engineers make an average salary of $65,155. Over time, that average increases to $107,700.
5. Metallurgical Engineering:
Another rare and lucrative field with only 170 graduates per year. New metallurgical engineers make an average of $65,400, and that average rises to $97,500 by mid-career.
4. Systems Engineering:
There are less than a thousand systems engineering graduates every year and they have some of the toughest jobs designing complex systems like those of spacecraft. They are rewarded for their hard work by making $66,357 in the early parts of their career and the number rising to $120,000 later on.
3. Marine Engineering:
Another less common and highly paid among the engineering majors with only 500 graduates per year. Marine engineers make an average salary of $68,750 when first entering the workforce. That average climbs to $106,267 by mid-career.
2. Mining Engineering:
Almost 340 students graduate with this degree and are in charge of constructing mines capable of extracting minerals and being safe at the time as well. During the early career, the average salary is $71,083, and the mid-career average is $108,083.
1. Petroleum Engineering:
The one you have all been waiting for. This is undoubtedly the most lucrative field and has a starting salary around $30,000 more than other fields at $90,827. The number almost doubles later on and goes to $170,782.
Next time you are thinking about engineering majors, make sure you know what the payday will look like.