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Chosen by the online business group Focus.com as the "best job in the United States," systems engineers are certainly one of the most elite categories of engineers or technology professionals. These smart, knowledgeable experts provide technical consulting and project management that considers entire systems and their logistics--truly a career of the future, as companies and projects become even larger and more complicated to organize.

What Is a Systems Engineer?

Systems engineering is a multidisciplinary field that includes aspects of industrial engineering, organizational consulting, project management, and more. A systems engineer combines all of these disciplines and more in order to provide companies and manufacturers with the tools and information they need to improve efficiency and manage the largest projects without scheduling conflicts, manpower, or infrastructure problems.

Systems engineers can be found working in such divergent fields as business, IT and computing, industrial manufacturing, and virtually any industry where large projects require cross-disciplinary thinking and management. These highly competent, creative, and flexible thinkers are skilled at observing, integrating, and adapting the circumstances of any project to improve efficiency, reduce risks and waste, and meet deadlines while boosting the bottom line.

Systems Engineer Salary and Career Outlook

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) does not individually itemize systems engineers or provide a figure for the average systems engineer salary in 2009, they do provide the mean annual salary in a variety of related fields, including:

• Electronics engineers, $86,370
• Industrial engineers, $73,820
• Environmental engineers, $74,020
• Materials engineers, $81,820
• Solar energy systems engineers $89,560
• Computer hardware engineers, $97,400

Systems engineers with background in any of these fields can earn well above the mean salary level due to their additional expertise and training.

Salary.com reports that systems engineering managers can earn an average salary of $94,928, while systems engineering directors earn $153,573. The highest paid 10 percent of systems engineering directors earn over $182,186.

Some of the top-paying states for systems engineer salaries in 2009 included Alaska, California, and the District of Columbia. Professionals with training in systems management and organization should continue to be in high demand in Columbus, Indiana; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Dayton, OH. Systems engineers can anticipate widespread work opportunities as this career path becomes better known and respected in the next few years.

Systems Engineer Education and Training Online

Systems engineer training is available online or in classes, usually as an adjunct or additional program after completing a more conventional engineering degree. Most schools believe that a foundation in mechanical, industrial, computer, or electrical engineering is necessary to provide the practical basis for expertise in systems engineering. Undergraduate programs in systems engineering do exist, but they are rare.

As a result, most system engineers first complete a bachelor's or master's degree in another engineering specialization before pursuing graduate studies in systems engineering. Continuing education programs are a popular choice for practicing engineers already in the workforce, and can be completed through schools that offer systems engineer training online.