Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Materials Engineer
What materials engineers actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a materials engineer?
Review test results. From there, the day usually includes select materials, test properties, and investigate failures. Full-time business hours.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a materials engineer working full time.
- Review test results.
- Run a tensile test.
- Look at a fracture under SEM.
- Meet design engineers.
- Write a failure report.
- Plan heat treat trials.
- Update specs.
Where materials engineers work
Materials engineers work in labs, plants and offices.
Hours and schedule
Full-time business hours.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Select materials
- Test properties
- Investigate failures
- Develop new materials
- Improve processes
- Write specs
- Support production
Tools you’ll use every day
- SEM
- Tensile testers
- Hardness testers
- XRD
- DSC
- Statistical software
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Faster-than-average growth
- High pay
- Cutting-edge materials
- Many industries
What’s hard
- Lab-heavy work
- Slow testing cycles
- Pressure on failures
- Specialized jobs
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I like chemistry and physics
- I like lab testing
- I like solving failures
- I’m curious
- I want high pay
- I like new materials
Not sure? Take the free Materials Engineer fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Follow lab safety
- Wear PPE
- Handle chemicals safely
- Follow radiation safety for XRD