For any type of engineer, how would you characterize an average day at your job?   How much of your day do you spend solving technical engineering problems?

Hello Jillian, awesome to hear that you are interested in engineering, the best decision I had ever made was to drop all stereotypes around the word engineer and immerse myself into an engineering school.
I graduated Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Industrial Engineering. Industrial engineering focuses on streamlining processes, we study in a field of business but also take engineering courses. The one thing I love about my major was how versatile it was and how anywhere I work I would be constantly challenged to solve day-to-day and big picture problems. Many Industrial engineers work in the field of manufacturing - not developing the product, but overseeing the process in which it is built and developing solutions for quicker more efficient solutions.
Since you are interested in some of the aerospace aspects you should ask yourself what you like about it, would you enjoy creating new products?
I would suggest looking into mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace, aerospace engineering, or even industrial engineering with a minor in aerospace.
There are so many ways to manipulate your major/minor depending on what you enjoy more (technical/business)

• but to mainly answer your question I am currently a business analyst that works with clients in the healthcare field. Everyday we help the clients in the healthcare world merge with the IT world, I am creating custom designs or solutions to solve their problems. Even though my title isn't engineering I am using my education of streamlining and problem solving and applying it to the field of healthcare!

Feel free to ask anything else, I hope this was helpful!
- Devan Beaulac

A lot depends on just how closely you are involved in the design issues of a project. Solving technical problems are always a part of engineering and are often the most satisfying because they usually lead to a specific and demonstrable solution.But I have found that process and organizational problems are often as important to project success as the technical solutions. The closer you are to the final use/application of a project the less time you will spend in direct technical work. So, if you want lots of hardcore technology go for R&D; if you want to see the end use of your project expect to to spend more time in process and organizational problems. You'll use your technical skills in each case but your relational skills will become more important the closer you get to the end user.

In my case I started out in R&D and spent 80% of my time solving technical problems. Bit over time my interests and responsibilities expanded and I found my process and organizational skills became more and more important. And, solving these problems were was as satisfying as writing an equation or conducting an experiment.

In short, yes, every single day. Engineering is all about problem solving and creating technical solutions. I am a qualified Highway Engineer, trained in Civil Engineering. So I design roads schemes, drainage schemes, major maintenance, flood risk, etc and also see them through from design to managing the work on-site. I absolutely love it. And as I work alongside other engineers of varying disciplines and strengths, I am also inspired daily and learn daily.
However, if you think about going down the highway engineering route and you end up working for an authority, you may also have to deal a lot with the public and be a bit of an all round problem solver. You also need to be a people person. But the problem solving side of the job far out weighs anything else.

In general, engineering is all about resolving problems which might be technical or not. I advise you to find a career in R&D. This fields are technically oriented and you would enjoy them. Regarding your questions, I can't really answer them because they are too broad. The technical intensity of a position is extremely position dependent. For example, a sales engineer work won't be as technically intense as component design engineer. That statement could be reversed in some situations. Also, the technical intensity of component design engineer work would vary from position to another. Again, a career in R&D is what you are looking for.

The beauty of a job in engineering is that there is no such thing as a typical day. You will be working on one or more multiple projects with breaks at any time to handle emergencies. You have to be very organized and ready to switch focus at any point and then return to your projects to see them to completion. You will be held accountable for the results. An expertise in problem solving coupled with general knowledge of your chosen engineering field plus intricate knowledge of the systems used by your company are essential for success. You must use diplomacy and data driven proposals to convince management to reach your goals. I have worked as an industrial engineer, but have interacted with engineers in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, materials, chemical processing and others. I have observed that all who succeed share these traits.