How much schooling is required for an engineering career?

Sean:
To answer your question succinctly, a Professional Engineer typically obtains a 4-year college degree in a specific engineering discipline, such as civil, mechanical or electrical. He/she then works from 3-5 years (depending upon the licensing requirements of his/her state of residence) under the direction of one or more licensed engineers, The place of employment may typically be a government agency, a manufacturing facility or an engineering consulting firm. After the minimum years of work experience is obtained, the young engineer is then eligible to take the state engineering license exam, an 8-hour test to determine the person's understanding and application of engineering principles. If the test is passed, the Engineer receives a professional engineering license from that state. This license allows the engineer to stamp design drawings and to open his/her own engineering firm if so desired (although most licensed engineers continue to work for a firm or public agency). This professional license is the recognition of the qualifications of that particular engineer and is his/her "ticket" to a long and fulfilling career....and, of course, the best prospects for a good salary.

Good luck, Pete Sturtevant

Hi Sean!

You are asking about a very interesting and broad field with many facets. The amount of schooling really depends on what you want to do with engineering and in what area you specialize.

Here is a helpful link to an organization for students like you who are interested in engineering:
http://www.futureengineers.org/

Let me know if and how this is of help. Keep me posted. I would like to follow your progress.

The previous answers have given you good understanding of the years required to become an engineer. Note however that there are many majors within the Engineering field. You should do some research and see which one interests you the most.

Understanding the average salary can be a good motivator as to which field you pick, aside from your core aptitudes. I found the link below for you that might be helpful. It gives you the average engineer salary across majors. Once you decide on a particular field, like computer engineer, electrical, etc. Research salaries for that field, you will note some differences. Try to see the difference in salary by state as well.

https://www.indeed.com/salaries/Engineer-Salaries