Also called: Mechanical Building Engineer, MEP Engineer
Designs the heating, cooling and air systems that keep buildings, hospitals and data centers comfortable and safe.
You get floor plans for a new hospital and calculate how much cold air the operating rooms need to stay sterile. You lay out ducts that snake above the ceilings without hitting pipes. Then you visit a construction site in a hard hat to check that the giant rooftop units went in right.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical or architectural engineering; PE license expected for senior roles.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Architectural Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Data-center cooling is creating strong demand.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Software and AI now auto-size ducts and run load calculations; coordinating with builders, site visits and PE-stamped designs stay human.
Classes: Physics, Algebra II, Drafting or architecture class, Environmental science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.