What do engineers do?
The answer to that question is really, "We do just about anything and everything." The scope of engineering is vast. An engineering education can prepare you for many varied careers.
Let's start with the specific branches of engineering offered here at the University of Denver.
Computer engineers design software and hardware, computer architecture, and software-hardware interfaces, for example. They have much in common with electrical engineers, but are more specialized.
Electrical engineers design communications systems and all kinds of electrical equipment. They also do signal processing of all kinds.
Mechanical engineers design machines, mechanical components, thermal systems and devices of all sorts. They also often work in closely related fields, such as materials science and biomedical engineering. Some are also involved in environmental concerns or aerospace.
General engineers frequently act as coordinators when teams of engineers need expertise from several different branches to design a highly integrated system. They have enough expertise in several areas to be able to understand and explain all aspects of the system.
Engineers work in industrial settings, in research and development, systems, management, and customer relations, to name just a few. Others pursue an academic career after graduate school. They teach and conduct research for the expansion of knowledge. Some eventually set up their own consulting firms, or join one of the established consulting firms working on projects around the world. Occasionally students use their engineering backgrounds to pursue careers in law, medicine, and other fields where a scientific and mathematical background, accompanied by an ability to think clearly and logically, is desirable.
At DU, we have had graduates who have done everything described above. All in all, engineering is an exciting, challenging, and worthwhile profession. Those of us who are in the field are proud to be trained as engineers.