Maybe you’ve heard of the “ice cream class” at Cornell where students design signature ice cream flavors, and thought, “I want to do that!” Perhaps you’ve built your own computer or experimented with customized cyberdecks. Or maybe you want to design and develop goods commonly found in homes and medicine cabinets. Manufactured products touch nearly every aspect of modern life— food, electronics, cleaning products, medicines, transportation, and more!
Manufacturing is where raw materials and big ideas come together to form the products we use every day. In the same way that everything is made of something (see this post on careers in materials science), nearly every physical product we use has been manufactured in one way or another.
Dive into Vault Guides
Below are Vault Guides featuring career paths and industries that may match your interests.
Vault’s Job Guides explore specific roles in detail, including employment trends, educational requirements, and day-to-day responsibilities.
Log in with your Cornell credentials for full access, free.
- Automotive Manufacturing Jobs
- Chemical Industry Jobs
- Electronics Manufacturing Jobs
- Food and Beverage Production Jobs
- General Consumer Goods Jobs
- Manufacturing Jobs
- Medical Equipment Manufacturing Jobs
- Packaging Industry Jobs
- Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Jobs
For additional manufacturing career possibilities, check out these posts, “So You Want to Build Big Things that Move” and “What If You Designed the Infrastructure Millions Depend On?”
In addition, Vault offers an Intern Resource Center, a career advice blog, interviews with professionals, and company and internship rankings.
Keep a Pulse on Real Time Trends
Want even more info about employment trends, earnings, common job titles, and career outlook? Use real time Labor Market Insights (LMI) by Lightcast to learn more. Lightcast integrates official government labor statistics with real time data from job postings and other sources to generate up-to-date employment reports.
- Select your industry of interest- check the STEM, Manufacturing, or Architecture & Construction categories
- Select the occupation.
- Pick “Nationwide” for U.S.-wide data or choose a particular state for regional labor market insights.
Curious who the top New York state employers are for your dream job? Use LMI to find out.
Check Out Cornellians’ Next Moves
Each year, the Cornell Career Network surveys students about their post-graduation plans. You can see where new grads are working and studying in the Student Career Outcomes Dashboard.
Manufacturing is the exciting intersection of science, design, and technology. If you enjoy problem-solving, working in teams, and seeing your ideas transform into real products, you may find a career in manufacturing to be perfect for you. Explore these resources to find where you fit in, and talk with a career coach when you have questions or feel stuck. Make your career your own – get out there and build it.
