If you’re interested in getting one of the best paying jobs in capital goods, you’ll want to consider this list of 10 highest-paying positions in capital goods manufacturing.
All of these positions require an Associate’s degree or more education, with some even requiring a bachelor’s degree and years of experience on the job. These jobs can pay anywhere from $50,000 to $90,000, depending on experience and whether or not additional certification is required.
1. Civil Engineer
Civil engineers work to design, plan, and manage various construction projects from start to finish.
Civil engineers typically earn $67,000 each year working for manufacturing companies in capital goods sectors.
2. Electrical Engineer
Electrical engineers design products that involve electricity, such as instruments, machines, appliances, vehicles, and other items.
To be successful in an electrical engineering career, you must have an excellent understanding of mathematics, including calculus and physics. Electrical engineers make great candidates for several career paths, including quality control managers. Electrical engineers are paid very well, with salaries ranging from $63k to $80k per year on average, with some top earners making over $100k a year.
3. Manufacturing Engineer
The average salary is $93,000 a year. Working on a capital goods company’s manufacturing floor offers high stakes, long hours, and even an occasional danger to your safety.
If you’re up for these challenges, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best pay and benefits available to engineering professionals—including health insurance (even dental), stock options, and bonuses that average more than $100,000 per year.
4. Industrial Engineers
More commonly known as mechanical engineers or just mechanicals in industry, industrial engineers are responsible for designing and developing manufacturing processes.
From a technical standpoint, the design and manage industrial machineries such as heat exchangers and complex electrical systems. From a business standpoint, they often act as liaisons between workers and management; if a piece of equipment is not running at optimum capacity or causing problems like downtime, an industrial engineer will design a new process that can solve these issues.
5. Mechanical Engineer
The capital goods industry includes businesses that produce equipment, tools, and instruments used to create or deliver other goods.
Mechanical engineers play a role in designing much of this machinery. Other job titles include engineer, research and development manager, manufacturing engineer, business development manager, etc. Most of these professionals work for private companies—including major manufacturers like Boeing or Raytheon—and most hold bachelor’s degrees.
6. Chemical Engineer
Chemical engineers design chemical processing equipment or develop processes for chemical manufacturing.
They work with other engineers to help create a system, such as a power plant or water purification facility that converts raw materials into usable products. They also research to make sure their systems are safe and sustainable. A bachelor’s degree is required for most entry-level chemical engineering jobs.
7. Maintenance Engineer
Maintenance engineers usually need a bachelor’s degree and certification. They earn an average of $71,000 per year and have a median wage of $61,980.
This job requires work experience in engineering or technology; however, you can often become a maintenance engineer through an apprenticeship. Maintenance engineers are essential to a company’s success because they ensure that expensive manufacturing equipment functions properly. If something breaks, these individuals know how to identify and fix it so operations can continue smoothly.
8. Sales Representative – Industrial Equipment & Components
A sales representative for industrial equipment and components focuses on selling a wide range of goods and services to firms involved in manufacturing, transportation, and utility companies. Sales reps work to find new clients, build relationships, and close deals.
They may also seek to grow existing client relationships by identifying additional products that clients need or seeking new markets for existing products.
9. Materials Engineer
Materials engineers design, test, and supervise the production of materials used to make products.
They study different types of material, determine if they’re safe for use in a particular product, test how consumers will use them, and calculate how much material is needed to make a product that meets customer needs. Industries hire materials engineers to design new products or redesign existing ones—a good career path for those who want a long-term career with lots of opportunities for advancement.
10. Sales Representative – Computer Software
The Sales Representative position has a mean base salary of $101,779 and a median base salary of $97,000. On average, engineering managers can make $172,931, marketing managers can make around $150,709, and sales engineers can make approximately $124,210 per year.
Capital goods make up a large part of any economy, so many great careers to pursue in capital goods. Of course, knowing about these careers doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy time getting one; companies aren’t exactly lining up to hire fresh grads. That’s why education is critical. You should always try to keep learning; there’s plenty of valuable information out there, and if you can combine that with good work experience, you’ll be set up for success. Start your career as soon as possible with one of these top ten best-paying jobs!