In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an annual median salary of $38,370 for medical and clinical laboratory technicians. The BLS also predicted 30% employment growth for these technicians from 2012-2022, which is much faster than average.
Software engineers design and guide the development of programs that computers use to make life a little easier for the rest of us. Although self-taught programming skills can land you a job, formal education is the best way to achieve a job with more design responsibilities and higher pay.
I'm not sure as to what type of classes, one should take but I can tell you what computing skills an engineer should have, especially if your interest lies in mechanical systems! Programming/Coding. An engineer should have at the very least, a basic understanding of the principles related to competent programming and computer science.