today's best engineering jobs.

Long gone are the days of pencil and paper. CAD and AutoCAD (a proprietary brand of CAD software) are computer-aided design softwares used by engineers to illustrate their visions and bring them to life in both 2D and 3D. With the ability to save designs automatically to the cloud and functionality that allows for quicker edits and faster feedback, projects can be completed in a fraction of the time — and with greater accuracy.

In engineering, drafting is the process by which abstract ideas are transformed into functional designs. Drafting requires a high degree of creativity and artistic ability, along with a high degree of computer prowess, to be able to effectively bring concepts to live through CAD software.

The complex inner workings of electrical products are designed by electrical designers wielding this particular skill set. Electrical design requires not only the knowledge of electrical components and how they interact, but also the ability to use computer design software to bring them all together.

Mastery of electrical systems is needed for occupations like electrical engineering, which involve the design, development and testing of electrical equipment. Proficiency with electrical systems requires a high attention to detail and a deep understanding of how electrical components work together to achieve desired end functions.

The engineering skill set is a unique mix of both hard and soft skills, requiring just as much art as it does computer science. As the architects of all things from computers and machines to our cities’ streets and sidewalks, engineers must be able to back up their big dreams with realistic — and cost-effective — designs.

FANUC is a Japanese maker of robot software products. With the ability to simplify and standardize the robot-manufacturing process through their use, competency and experience with FANUC products is a valuable skill for aspiring robotics engineers to learn.

The final important step on electricity’s journey from the initial transmission system to a consumer’s property, power distribution involves the development and maintenance of power distribution systems to ensure the proper flow of electricity. Roles like electrical engineering commonly require this skill set.

Common programming languages like C, C++ and Python are used by robotics engineers to bring their creations to life, but the study of programming languages doesn’t end there. Many robots are programmed with proprietary languages, meaning a knowledge of how to learn a variety of programming languages is just as important as knowing the languages themselves.

Project engineering is project management for engineering or technical projects, with all of the typical managerial responsibilities the role entails. Everything from initial planning to budgeting and personnel management falls within the project engineers’ purview to ensure projects get completed accurately, on time and under budget.

Solidworks is a solid modeling computer-aided design and computer-aided engineering program popular with engineers everywhere. However, it’s project management functionalities make it a favorite tool of project engineers and managers, too, with capabilities that aid in data analysis and automation.

Toolsmiths work in tandem with testers to understand their processes and see what new solutions they can devise to facilitate their work. Knowledge of high-level programming languages is generally required, as is an in-depth understanding of the testing process.

Generally used to denote the back-end aspect of web development, web programming is an essential skill for engineers working in the robotics space. Web programmers use programming and markup languages to create fully functioning web applications.