Automotive Engineer

Engineers around the world are well known for two things: designing new products and solving problems. For Automotive Engineers, their skills in these two tasks will be challenged in a big way every day, as they work to develop, improve, and advance anything that has to do with automobiles.

While cars stand out as your predominant focus as an Automotive Engineer, you might also work with construction vehicles, tanks, trucks, or anything else that serves as a vehicle on land. Even that definition is becoming a gray area, as Automotive Engineers have designed cars that move from land to water.

Think back to the first car bumping along on hard-rimmed wheels, with an engine that requires a crank to start, and you can visualize how far cars have come. Air conditioning, cruise control, compact disc players, four-wheel drive, trunk releases, and air bags are just a few of the design changes for which we can thank the Automotive Engineer.

Cars that are quieter, safer, more comfortable, sportier, and more fuel-efficient are on your radar for the future. With these goals in mind, you work with a team of Designers and other Engineers to create new systems, new vehicles, or new production techniques. With a good plan and a vote of confidence, you build a prototype and put it through a gauntlet of tests. If your creation gets a passing grade, you just might find a braking system or a model of car with your last name stamped on it (Henry Ford anyone?).