Also called: Facilities Engineer, Reliability & Maintenance Engineer
Keeps a factory's machines, utilities and buildings running safely and efficiently.
Your morning starts on the factory floor checking why a compressor keeps tripping. Later you plan a weekend shutdown to install a new boiler and figure out how to cut the plant's energy bill.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical or electrical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Mechanical engineers overall.
Low risk for 10 years. AI predictive maintenance flags failing machines earlier; fixing real equipment, planning shutdowns and keeping people safe on the floor stay human.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Shop class, Electronics or industrial maintenance.
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.