Also called: Product Engineer, Appliance Design Engineer
Engineers everyday products like blenders, power tools, toys and sneakers so they work, last and can be built cheaply.
You drop-test a new cordless drill from a table 50 times, then take it apart to see what cracked. You meet with the industrial designer who wants it thinner and the factory engineer who wants it simpler, and you find a design that keeps both of them happy.
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 engineering or product design engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Product Design.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Rolled into mechanical engineers.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI renders and generates design concepts fast and squeezes entry roles; physical testing, factory trade-offs and user insight stay human.
Classes: Physics, Art or industrial design, CAD class, Geometry.
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.