Everything we use, from cars to computers and toys to telephones, has to be designed before it can be manufactured. Design engineers are responsible for making sure products work safely and efficiently and can be made economically, whether they are new products or improvements of existing ones.

Aerospace engineers research, design and manufacture aircraft, satellites, missiles and space vehicles. They may be specialist mechanical, electrical or electronics engineers who apply their knowledge to sophisticated products, and may specialise in airframes, hydraulics, piston, gas turbine or rocket engines, fuel, avionics or materials and structures. Aerospace engineers can be involved in research, design, manufacturing, experimenting with new materials, undertaking flight test programmes or maintaining and improving fleets of aircraft throughout the world.

Mechanical engineering is concerned with the design, development, installation, operation and maintenance of a wide range of products that contain movable parts. Mechanical engineers may be involved in design, turning plans into new products or revising existing ones. They may work in research and development, trying to find solutions to engineering problems, using new technologies when they become available, or in production where they plan and design new production processes.

Electronics is the use of low-power electricity, electronic circuits and systems to control, communicate and process information. Electronics engineers may work on the development, installation and maintenance of equipment for the transport industry, the aerospace industry, heavy and light industry, hospitals and commerce. Electronic systems are also used in fields of science such as biology, physics and acoustics, and there is an increasing need for electronics engineers to be familiar with them.

Electrical engineers work on the production of all types of electrical equipment and machinery, making and testing new equipment, solving operating problems, and remaking or redesigning parts to ensure high quality. Teams of electrical engineers operate and maintain the machinery that supplies electricity from power stations to industries, working premises and private homes. The manufacturing industry depends on electrical engineers, as does the transport industry (railways, ships, aircraft and road vehicles).

Civil engineering is an interesting and rewarding career, offering the chance to work on all manner of projects all over the world, using your expertise and skills to help people and improve society. Without civil engineering society could not function. Civil engineers build the infrastructure which supports daily life – hospitals, schools, sports stadiums, roads and harbours, railways and airports. They provide us with clean drinking water and protection from the elements. Civil engineering is all about creating, improving and protecting the environment in which we live.

An auto mechanic repairs all parts of any make of car although some may specialize either in a specific area or in a specific make of car. 

Mechanics also have to do regular maintenance tasks such as MOT checks which ensure that vehicles are still safe and legal to drive on public roads and servicing cars which involves making routine checks according to a list, finding faults or problems, overhauling or replacing worn or faulty parts, and using special equipment and road tests to make sure the vehicle performs as it should.

An acoustician is someone who specializes in the study of sound. Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. Someone working in the field of acoustics technology may also be called an audio engineer or an acoustical. The application of acoustics can be seen in almost all aspects of modern society with the most obvious being the audio and noise control industries.

Engineering can be divided into a number of major sectors such as electrical, electronic, mechanical, civil & structural, chemical, manufacturing and software engineering. People working in each of those sectors have formed professional engineering societies and these organisations are one of the main sources of information if you want to find out more about engineering. Overseeing all the professional engineering bodies is the Engineering Council which ensures that all institutions work to the same high standard.