Employers

There are approximately 190,100 industrial production managers, a group that includes quality control engineers, working in the United States. The majority of quality control engineers are employed in the manufacturing sector of the economy. Because engineers work in all areas of industry, their employers vary widely in size, product, location, and prestige.

Starting Out

Quality control engineers may learn of job openings through their schools' career services office, recruiters, and job fairs. In many cases, employers prefer to hire engineers who have some work experience in their particular industry. For this reason, applicants who have had summer or part-time employment or participated in a work-study or internship program have greater job opportunities.

Students may also learn about openings through employment Web sites or by using the services of state and private employment services. They may also apply directly to companies that employ quality control engineers. Students can identify and research such companies by using job resource guides and other reference materials available on the Internet and at most public libraries.

Quality control engineers may have limited opportunities to advance within their companies. However, because quality control engineers work in all areas of industry, they have the opportunity to change jobs or companies to pursue more challenging or higher paying positions. Quality control engineers who work in companies with large staffs of quality personnel can become quality control directors or advance to operations management positions. Some quality control engineers become college professors or researchers.

Read publications such as Quality Progress (https://asq.org/quality-progress) and Standardization News (https://www.astm.org/MAGS_NEWSLETTERS) to learn more about the field.

Participate in the National Society of Professional Engineers’ mentoring program (https://www.nspe.org/resources/career-center/mentoring-resources).

Join professional associations such as the American Society for Quality and the ASTM International to access training and networking resources, industry publications, and employment opportunities.

Visit https://careers.asq.org/jobs for job listings.

Become certified by the American Society for Quality in order to show employers that you have met the highest standards established by your industry.