South Carolina’s Economy Benefits from Engineering

The state of South Carolina depends on engineers to help with waterways, ports, and infrastructure. The state itself offers many chances for an engineer to do the work that they are most passionate about. Plus, the engineers of the state are helping to modernize parts of the state that have been supported by agricultural for as long as the state has been a part of the union. Plus, the state is growing in certain areas where engineers can go to work. Continue reading to learn how you could become an engineer and get the education you need. Plus, you can learn about how much money you will make.

What is The Economy Like in South Carolina?

The GDP of South Carolina is about $206 billion. This makes the state the 26th-largest economy in the country, and it is growing at a rate of about 10% every five years. The state is growing by leaps and bounds because metropolitan areas are growing as fast as engineers can create solutions for the population. Plus, the state has ports, the Savannah River running along the border, tourist locations, and proximity to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Because the economy is growing so much, the state needs more engineers who can help the population live a comfortable and modern life. Moreover, there are several ways that engineers can work in the state from chemical and mechanical engineering to environment and agricultural engineering.

Engineers in South Carolina provide the technical knowledge and expertise that the state’s manufacturing base depends on.

How Many Engineering Jobs Are in South Carolina?

There are about 36,000 engineering jobs in South Carolina, and the range of jobs is very large. This is because the state has large cities, ports, tourist areas, and rural locations. You may be interested in engineering because you want to help farmers thrive, or you may want to work in the medical field because there are many rural hospitals in the state.

Engineering jobs in South Carolina can help people become ranchers if they want to teach in the university programs around the state. Plus, engineers can work in consulting if they want to have a diverse number of clients that they help every year. The number of engineering jobs is going to grow every year, and all engineers simply need to consider what it would be like to work in rural areas, coastal areas, tourist areas, and city centers.

What Are the Average Salaries of Engineers in South Carolina?

The average salary of an engineer in South Carolina is around $70,000. However, pay for engineers changes depending on the type of work that they do. Because there is a massive coastline in South Carolina, the Army Corps of Engineers employs engineers every year to help with the harbors, waterways, and ports. Plus, they have installed levies to help protect towns like Charleston and Hilton Head.

Also, the government manages Fort Sumter just off the coast of Charleston, and they want to ensure that the fort can be protected from erosion and weather patterns. Companies that work along the coast must hire industrial and environmental engineers, and the park service needs to hire environmental engineers to help maintain the nation’s parks.

Moreover, there are farmers throughout the state who need help from agricultural engineers. Some companies need structural engineers to help them with their building plans, and some cities/counties need help with roads, public building projects, and a variety of other plans that the community has made.

If you are working in the public sector, you will make less than you could in the private sector. However, the private sector may not offer a pension plan like the one you will get in the public sector.

What Type of Work Can Engineers Do in South Carolina?

Engineers can work in medical engineering because many rural hospitals need help growing, expanding, and offering services to their patients. This is especially important because hospitals are complex buildings with tubes of water and gas that flow throughout the building.

Plus, rural areas need agricultural engineers to help farms plant and grow properly. This is also helpful if the farms want to raise cattle, harvest dairy milk every year, or hatch eggs from their chickens. An engineer can help the farmer calculate their environmental impact, and the engineer can help large companies pick the right land to start a new farm on.

Plus, environmental engineers can help farms protect the water supply, and they can help these farms plant trees that will help to decrease their carbon footprint. Also, this is a good thing for the parks in the state because they need to be maintained as part of the national trust that has been placed in these parks.

Cities and counties hire engineers every day to help with projects, and the state has many jobs along the coast because there are so many ports, businesses, refineries, factories, and levies to deal with.

Where Can Students Get an Engineering Education in South Carolina?

Students can go to schools like South Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the Military College of South Carolina (also known as The Citadel,) and Trident Technical College. Plus, various smaller community colleges offer engineering classes.

Sadly, schools like Converse College, Wofford College, and Furman University do not offer full engineering degrees. You would need to go to school there and get a Master’s degree somewhere else. In some cases, you will need to transfer to another school to take your actual engineering classes.

However, engineers could teach at some of these schools to help supplement their income. This is a good way to try out teaching before you decide what you want to do full-time.

Conclusion

Engineering is a big part of the economy of South Carolina, and the state relies on these engineers to make sure that all the parts of the state are functioning properly. A big city needs help with all the roads and buildings it wants to build, and the state has miles of coastline that need to be maintained by professional engineers. There is a job in this growing state for an engineer with the proper education.

Are You a South Carolina Professional Engineer

Professional engineers in South Carolina will be interested in this. We put together a comprehensive list of the PE license renewal requirements for SC. This list includes everything you need to know to renew your license – renewal forms, deadlines for submitting your renewal package, fees, and a lot more.

Continuing Education Packages for SC Engineers

We developed complete continuing education packages for South Carolina engineers that are guaranteed to meet the board requirements.