Get a jump start on what you want do in college or test your interest before you get there by taking a class in engineering! Explore the different focus areas and opportunities. 

Take a class in engineering.

Becoming a certified professional engineer signals to clients that you are trustworthy and to employers that you are capable of higher responsibility. Take your engineering career to the next level and get certified!

Get certified as a professional engineer (PE). 

Search for conferences in your area or online that you could attend to learn more about green products and technologies. Network, discover career opportunities, and get inspired!

Attend a conference for green products and technologies.

Prepare to take on that leadership role by gaining valuable management tools and techniques that help improve processes within an organization.

Get Lean Six Sigma certified.

CAD (computer-aided design) technology is essential for a variety of engineering specialties. Download a free trial and watch some tutorials to start expanding your technical skill set!

Familiarize yourself with CAD technology.

Try your hand at making a microbial fuel cell by following this DIY experiment. While you work, think about any ideas that come up about the future of energy.

Build your own microbial fuel cell.

Technical drawing knowledge will help you in any career that involves projects that exist in three-dimensional space. Check out these tips to improve your skills. 

Stretch your technical drawing skills.

Check out these TED Talks on engineering. Choose one or two that interest you most to watch. Could you see yourself working on these kinds of projects and ideas?

Watch videos from the cutting edge of engineering.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Fuel Cell Engineers

Design, evaluate, modify, or construct fuel cell components or systems for transportation, stationary, or portable applications.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Mechanical Engineers

Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Engineers

Plan or conduct experiments to validate new materials, optimize startup protocols, reduce conditioning time, or examine contaminant tolerance.

Provide technical consultation or direction related to the development or production of fuel cell systems.

Characterize component or fuel cell performances by generating operating maps, defining operating conditions, identifying design refinements, or executing durability assessments.

Plan or implement fuel cell cost reduction or product improvement projects in collaboration with other engineers, suppliers, support personnel, or customers.

Conduct fuel cell testing projects, using fuel cell test stations, analytical instruments, or electrochemical diagnostics, such as cyclic voltammetry or impedance spectroscopy.

Analyze fuel cell or related test data, using statistical software.

Conduct post-service or failure analyses, using electromechanical diagnostic principles or procedures.

Define specifications for fuel cell materials.

Recommend or implement changes to fuel cell system designs.

Validate design of fuel cells, fuel cell components, or fuel cell systems.

Gaussian GaussView

GE Energy GateCycle

Minitab

The MathWorks MATLAB

Microsoft PowerPoint

National Instruments LabVIEW

Wind River Systems C/C++ Compiler Suite

IBM Cloud

Oracle Database

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Word

Autodesk AutoCAD

Digital sonifiers

Ultrasonic blenders

Fourier transfer infrared FTIR spectrometers

Infrared IR spectrophotometers

Load boxes

Power analyzers

Thermal gravimetric analyzers

Scanning electron microscopes SEM

Differential scanning calorimeters

X ray fluorescence XRF spectrometers

Gravity convection ovens

Laboratory ball mills

Molding presses

Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

Every day

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Once a week or more but not every day

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?

Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

Extremely important

Very important

How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Number of hours typically worked in one week.

More than 40 hours

40 hours

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Important

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

Contact with others about half the time

How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?

Fuel Cell Engineers

Overview

Career

What Fuel Cell Engineers Do

Other Job Titles Fuel Cell Engineers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Fuel Cell Engineers

Overview

Career

What Fuel Cell Engineers Do

Other Job Titles Fuel Cell Engineers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Fuel Cell Engineers

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers

Related Leaders