Many people wonder what does a general engineer do. It seems that when one says they are an engineer, it really doesn't explain what their actual job is.  It can be rather difficult to explain what an engineer of any type does as there are many types of fields that an engineer can work in and each has different types of responsibilities and duties.  In general, most engineers are involved in the application of science principles and math to solve problems and design new applications.  

For most engineers they are in the process of developing new products and applications.  They must come up with the design, then implement the design into a product and then test and adjust the product until it works as it is needed to do.  Once they have a product, then other engineers will become involved in making sure that the product continues to work and will repair it if it does not work correctly or breaks down.  In addition to the design and creation of a product, they also must make sure they stay within budget.  They need to make sure the item is safe and reliable as well.  This may not be what most would expect a general engineer to do, but these are just some of their job responsibilities.

Other tasks that a general engineer must do include using computers to create and analyze their designs.  They also can use computers to run simulations to test the effectiveness of their design.  General engineers must also worry with the types of products and parts that are used in the creation of their products.  They must make sure that they are not only reliable but that they meet safety standards.   It is very crucial that they make sure that the materials that are used are quality parts otherwise their entire design may suffer.

Most general engineers do a lot of paperwork.  There are various reports and calculations that they must do to coincide with every product or design they create.  There are many meetings and discussions that they must have with management and others within the companies they work for.  It is not enough for them to simply have an idea, but they must know how to present it so that others can understand what they are proposing and see how it can be effective for their company.  In most organizations this requires an engineer to do a great deal of research and writing to create a proposal or presentation that others can understand.

In addition, most general engineers do a great deal of training and supervision of others in their department.  When a design is created it takes time and effort for an engineer to train people to use the design, to build it and also to maintain it.  Since it is their creation, they generally have to spend a good part of their time training others about how to use the product.  Many times this may require that they speak with the end customer and train them on its use and also how to keep it running.