What Do Mechanical Engineers Do? A Content Analysis of Mechanical Engineers' Job Descriptions

The engineering curriculum is intended to prepare students for their careers; however, academic literature lacks information regarding the specific activities engineers typically undertake once they enter the workforce. The field of mechanical engineering is often referred to as a "general concentration" of engineering. This can be seen within the typical mechanical engineering curriculum, which covers topics such as fluids, heat transfer, solid mechanics, dynamics, electronics, and design. Students are taught general theory and application throughout their undergraduate education in preparation for a career in mechanical engineering. This career may vary drastically from their peers in terms of industry, specialization, project scope, or expectations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the breadth of job responsibilities within a wide range of mechanical engineering positions in order to gain an understanding of the typical activities a mechanical engineer is expected to complete in the field. This study analyzed 923 job postings collected through the job search and posting site "Indeed.com", during a one-week period in the summer of 2020. The jobs represent various industries, geographic locations, and position titles. Design activities were used as a guiding framework to develop an ontology of engineering activities. This study developed an increased understanding of the overlap of Mechanical Engineering and Design. Communication was found to be the most prominent activity within engineering job postings. The second and third most prominent activities were Management and Decision making. The resulting collection of engineering activities is intended to be a resource for engineering educators as they build informed pedagogy that better prepares students for their careers as mechanical engineers.