Engineering fields that work outdoors

[Ghostblade]

Hi, I'm Tyler I'm 17 years old and am currently taking a physics and a pre-calc course in HS (Senior year). I'm interested in engineering but I don't think I could stand to be trapped in a cubicle/desk job for the rest of my life, so I was interested in what fields of engineering are mostly outdoors or go outside occasionaly for whatever reason. I know mining engineering is very outdoorsy as is petroleum engineering but what besides those two fields. I am a big fan of nature, all things fast, robots (all things sci-fi for that matter), electricity, explosions (hence mining seems interesting), among other things. Material engineering seemed interesting from a video I saw bout it but I don't know how often you'd leave the workplace. So from that list I'm mostly considering mechanical, mining, material, and possibly electrical (I'm pretty good at math for the most part A's and B's). So if all of you out there wouldn't mind helping me in this this little conundrum of which engineering field might fit me the best or be outside occasionally that would be greatly appreciated. P.S. I'm not great in Chem but I could work on it some.

 

[Ascetic Anchorite]

It is odd you say you like nature, yet at the same time confess to wanting to blow it all up.

How about wind turbine design (alternative energy)? You will have to find suitable sites (the best ones are off-shore) and then design for them, so both inside and outside working is involved.

 

[Ghostblade]

Well by nature I'm more meaning animals, but I dono it just depends, I like natural settings but I can also look at it as man needs minerals or whatever to survive, also what field of engineering would that fall under the wind turbine's i mean.

 

[Ascetic Anchorite]

Multidiscipline. Electronics, electrical, mechanical, civil (for large ones), chemical (composite blades, etc.). Generally known as alternative energy, which is a growing field.

I am not sure why I am promoting wind turbines. I hear many birds are killed and injured by flying into their blades. But there are other types of alternative energy devices.

 

[Ghostblade]

I dono I've always had my head in the clouds of the future I'd say. I'm big on all things mecha, power armour, hovercraft, electro-mag vehicles, advanced weapons tech (railguns, particle accelerator). Yes I realize all not very practical but engineering would be on the cutting edge of all of that for sure, designing things etc.

 

[Danger]

There are also engineering disciplines involved in mining, petroleum, forestry, waterway maintenance... it's pretty much an endless list.

 

[brewnog]

Most Civil and structural engineers I've ever worked with have been out of the office on site at least one or two days a week. As a mechanical engineer on engine development I got to work outside a fair amount too.

 

[civil_dude]

Don't forget about surveying and construction field engineering.

 

[Dagenais]

Take Forestry, with a concentration in Wood Product Engineering or Natural Resources management: http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/

It is odd you say you like nature, yet at the same time confess to wanting to blow it all up.

People who study Forestry love the forest but learn to chop trees. Weyehauser helped build the new Forestry building at UBC, so just because you love it doesn't mean you don't abuse it.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Don't forget about surveying and construction field engineering.

Construction field, my favorite :tongue2:

Yeah and Geotechnical engineering, lots of soil tests :!)

 

[Danger]

Hydraulic (?) engineering, along with dozens of others, is involved in the construction of dams, canal locks, etc.. There's probably a lot of on-site work.

 

[jmf322]

Tyler,

If you get a chance check out extreme engineering on discovery channel(airtime schedule on there website). All those engineers are working outside in interesting places. They all have different specialities too.