Which engineering concentration is more sought after?

[kate]

I am thinking about majoring in mechanical engineering and am choosing between 2 concentrations:
robotic or manufacturing.
Which concentration is more sought after and has more job opportunities?

[C7S]

Manufacturing. But they also look for people with experience. It is tough for new grads to get jobs.

[ASUGRAD]

I am a biomedical engineer working on another graduate degree in mechanical engineering. I also have over 12 years of work experience. The best thing to do is a statistical analysis on the job search sites. Try these two: (1) http://www.indeed.com

For each web site, type in the following terms:
* manufacturing
* robotics

Then try more specific terms for each category:
robotics category:
* haptic
* labview
* systems engineer
* controls engineer
* qnx
* embedded systems

manufacturing category:
* GMP
* iso
* assembly
* die
* industrial engineering
* supply chain management
* product management
* process engineering

Analzye the total number of jobs, locations, estimated 1st-year salaries, demand, etc and document your results. Then share them with a job counselor on campus or with an engineering representative from an alumni network or professional society. You can also post a note on facebook about your findings and ask opinions. The key is research. Robotics do overlap with manufacturing. Best wishes.

As for me, I work with robotics and medical devices. My opinion is that the region of the country is the key. There are many robotics jobs in high-tech areas like California, Texas, the Northeast (Boston, NY, etc). Manufacturing jobs depend on the industry. The Detroit automakers have been suffering. But pharmacy and medical device manufacturing can be strong in the midwest or east coast. Texas is great for manufacturing petroleum - the demand is high.

Just know that regulations often apply to robotics for medical devices (e.g. Part 820) or manufacturing (GMP/ISO9001, etc).