To become a package engineer, you will need a broad skill set in marketing, industrial design, and materials science. Package engineering is the study of which design best suits a particular item or marketable product. The products you will be called upon to design packages for may range from perishable foodstuffs to computer equipment. As someone who wishes to become a package engineer, it is your responsibility to learn the bast practices in this field by obtaining a bachelor's degree in certain science and engineering disciplines.
Package engineer training can take on a variety of modes depending on the type of package engineer you would like to become. If you are more interested in the soft skills of packaging and learning what sorts of colors and images appeal to consumers, concentrating on marketing during your undergraduate years would be most useful. As a marketing major, you will learn all about the consumer market and how companies present packaging in order to attract the most buyers. Having an eye for attractive and effective packaging is most useful if you want to become a package engineer.
If you are more skilled in mathematics and engineering, you may want to major in materials science or industrial engineering. Materials science is the study of how materials are constructed, their properties, and how they can be optimized for maximum performance. Packaging not only includes packaging consumer products but also packaging industrial machinery and computer hardware for use in extreme temperatures and rough terrain. It takes specialized training in the chemical and physical properties of materials, such as metals, wood, silicon, to determine what sort of packaging would be best for products in various conditions. A bachelor's degree from an institution with a strong materials science or industrial engineering program will give you the skills you need to make these important decisions in your career as a package engineer.
This discipline is not only about marketing or the hard sciences. You can become a package engineer by getting a bachelor's degree in industrial design, the study of the usability and aesthetics of products. Industrial design combines the creative and the scientific natures of package engineering. It is particularly useful in the technology industry where attractive yet ergonomically designed packaging is the key to increased sales and word-of-mouth popularity. If you are creatively inclined, majoring in industrial design could be an exciting way to secure a future position as a package engineer.
