• Question: What is the difference between different types of engineer

    Asked by Gstr to Helen, Hollie, Matt, Phil, Steve, Sylwia on 12 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Steve Williams

      Steve Williams answered on 12 Mar 2018:

      I think it is fair to say that there are as many types of engineers as there are types of man made things around us. Its a big question and a good one too. There is a crossover with some types of engineering like my own Software Engineering and Electronics but I think that is unusual. When you work with different types of engineers you do tend to pick up stuff but not an in-depth understand. So to answer your question the differences can be and very often are huge as each area is so specialized. At the extremes you could have a genetic engineer and a civic engineer. I hope this goes some way to answering your question.

    • Photo: Hollie Heard

      Hollie Heard answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      I don’t think I know or could even list all the different types of engineer! In general terms some of the differences may be in the types of materials or parts they are working with, it could be more practical or computer based, or it could vary from company to company even if you had the same job title. Just think of all the engineers taking part in this and how many different areas we work in and the different things that we do! I agree with Stephen in that there is a crossover in a lot of engineering with the skills engineers have and some of the tools they use. Whilst the jobs they do are all different, I think all engineers are similar in their desire to solve interesting problems and improve our understanding. Is there one ‘type’ of engineer that interests you more than others?

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