Mechanical Engineer (General)
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Mechanical Engineer researches, designs, develops, constructs, and tests mechanical devices including machines, engines and tools. Works on devices ranging from power generators to household dishwashers to surgical equipment. May specialize in a particular type of machine or tool. May develop new devices or improve existing ones to run more efficiently.
Job Outlook
There were 1716 Mechanical Engineer (General) job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 60135 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Mechanical Engineer industry, which includes the Mechanical Engineer (General) career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Mechanical Engineer (General) jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $92,107.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $86,063.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Mechanical Engineer (General) postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $80,110.
Education and Experience
Posted Mechanical Engineer (General) jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 5.24% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 71.29% |
| Master's Degree | 21.77% |
| Doctoral Degree | 6.55% |
| Other | 4.19% |
Posted Mechanical Engineer (General) jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 20.65% |
| 3 to 5 years | 46.82% |
| 6 to 8 years | 15.09% |
| 9+ years | 17.44% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Mechanical Engineer (General) positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (33.44%)
- Management (18.09%)
- Problem Solving (18.06%)
- Operations (17.21%)
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (15.58%)
- Leadership (15.38%)
- Planning (15.08%)
- Research (13.14%)
- Writing (13.01%)
- Microsoft Office (12.62%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Project Management (24.42%)
- Mechanical Engineering (77.13%)
- Mechanical Design (17.72%)
- SolidWorks (CAD) (17.52%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Manufacturing Processes (8.93%)
- Computer-Aided Design (17.04%)
- Procurement (7.66%)
- Machinery (5.89%)
- Engineering Design Process (12.9%)
- AutoCAD (18.67%)
- Construction (11.86%)
- Electrical Engineering (10.75%)
- HVAC (12.89%)
- Mechanical Systems (13.85%)
- Autodesk Revit (9.44%)
- New Product Development (12.87%)
- Plumbing (5.99%)
- 3D Modeling (10.67%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- PTC Creo (CAD Suite) (5.69%)
- Finite Element Methods (5.22%)
- Engineering Calculations (3.04%)
- Pressure Vessel (2.46%)
- Equipment Engineering (4.34%)
- Rotating Equipment (2.48%)
- Machinery Design (3.44%)
- Ansys Simulation Software (4.15%)
- Thermal Management (4.56%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Ansys Simulation Software (38.88%)
- Finite Element Methods (48.89%)
- Thermal Management (42.75%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Mechanical Engineer (General) skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Mechanical Engineer
- Mechanical Engineering Intern
- Equipment Engineer
- Principal Mechanical Engineer
- Component Engineer
- Lead Mechanical Engineer
- Transmission Engineer
- Mechanical Engineering Co-Op/Intern
- Rotating Equipment Engineer
- Mechanical Process Engineer
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Mechanical Systems Engineer
- Mechanical Design Engineer
- Manufacturing Process Engineer
- Electro-Mechanical Engineer
- Mechanical Product Design Engineer
- Automotive Engineer
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Mechanical Engineer (General) jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Actalent (2819)
- GPAC (775)
- Jacobs Engineering Group (671)
- Northrop Grumman (640)
- Randstad (610)
- Raytheon Technologies (596)
- Siemens (531)
- Lockheed Martin (484)
- Black & Veatch (477)
- Intel (349)
North Carolina
- Actalent (205)
- Volvo (60)
- Black & Veatch (45)
- Wolfspeed (36)
- Siemens (26)
- Grail (22)
- Stefanini (22)
- Duke Energy (21)
- Randstad (21)
- Jacobs Engineering Group (19)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.