If you asked every mother and father to name what jobs they want their children to get into, you will probably find that among doctors, lawyers and police officers, engineers would also rank near the top. Engineering is one of the most well-respected professions in the entire country, due to not only the skill and knowledge involved in being merely competent at engineering, but also how engineering can impact the world and the way we all live.
Obtaining the skills and qualifications necessary to get into the engineering industry and to work on electrical or computer projects for a living is extremely difficult and demanding. Sometimes, students who are studying relevant degrees and qualifications to help them obtain these types of roles are left wondering why they’re putting themselves through this tough process.
To combat that feeling, here’s a list of some of the biggest benefits people can expect to enjoy when they become an engineer, which should encourage struggling students to push through and perhaps inspire individuals to start the journey and seek out a career in the exciting career that is engineering. Not only that, as well as the many benefits engineers reap, society also benefits greatly from the work of engineers. It truly is a win-win career.
Job Satisfaction
Due to the very nature of the work involved in engineering, such as designing devices or components, as well as building and manufacturing products, it’s a role that’s very varied and much more engaging than basic office work. This can make it far more enjoyable, as engineers usually enjoy really varied and interesting workdays and projects. Of course, with any job, it’s dramatically enhanced if you have a passion for what you’re doing, and that’s why many people who find themselves in this line of work are fanatics about electronics, mechanics or the many types of engineering.
It can sometimes be a pretty difficult role, especially if you’re working with equations and formulas and just can’t seem to figure something out that can push the project forward. However, there are not many better feelings than making a breakthrough and figuring out a way to achieve your goal, and that’s something that potentially happens on a regular basis when working in engineering.
Huge Variety
Engineering is a vibrant field of work and boasts a lot of quite different yet exciting domains and specialties. This means that engineering is sure to offer an attractive career for most individuals and thus also creates the opportunity for workers within the industry to change roles and work on new things, keeping the job interesting. Some of the different roles within engineering include electrical and computer engineering, environmental and biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering as well as rocket science. The list goes on: chemical engineers, civil engineers, geotechnical engineers etc.
With so many niche branches, engineering also provides great opportunities to specialize. And the more specialized you are, the higher the wages and control you have of over how you work. That’s because there’s a high barrier to entry for the profession.
Obtaining an engineering degree opens up so many different possibilities and that sense of choice and freedom is a great benefit of studying and pursuing engineering. As well as active roles in the industry, there are also more positions focused on business and management. To be eligible for these positions and potentially find yourself managing a production company or an IT solutions service, an MBA degree is a useful qualification for engineers to get as it can help them learn some of the key and most vital business skills. Click here for more information on an MBA degree.
You’re Constantly Learning
You need to have learned a lot before starting a career in engineering, but to be good at it and to continue growing in your position, you need to continue to learn new skills. Engineering will seriously challenge your mind at times and some challenges will only be over come if you learn new solutions and skills from your peers and co-workers.
This makes a career in engineering endlessly interesting for people who are curious and for those that are committed to learning. To ensure that you have a fruitful and rewarding career in this field, pick up some tips on how to learn effectively, as mastering these methods, such as teaching others, taking notes by hand and utilizing the power of mental spacing – which are just three useful learning techniques of many others – can supercharge your ability to learn.
It’s Beneficial to Society
Engineering significantly benefits society. As a computer engineer or IT specialist, you can use your skills to repair and upgrade individuals’ and businesses’ equipment to keep them operational and profitable, which benefits the national economy. On a larger scale, people working in this field can also be building numerous devices and structures that can really impact life in multiple ways. For example, transportation systems such as bridges, tunnels and even roads are all designed and constructed by engineers, but they also have their hands on other important areas of life, too.
Engineers are heavily involved in the fight to clean up and protect the environment. Relatively new areas engineers work on include harnessing energy from renewable sources and improving the energy-efficiency of appliances.
They’re also making advancements in medical treatments, particularly in prosthetic limbs, which can give people living with disabilities a new lease on life through improved quality of life.
Financial Security
Engineering is an extremely lucrative career, with many disciplines within it boasting more than comfortable salaries as well as strong financial stability. This means that engineers can find pretty competitive wages all over the country, with hotspots including California for electronical engineering as well as New York. This financial security makes the hard work and struggle of obtaining engineering qualifications really worth the grind. So, remember the possibilities if you ever start to struggle.
Innovative Technology
What’s really exciting about working within engineering is that many businesses will have access to some of the most exciting and high-tech equipment on the planet for staff members to use and get comfortable with. Not only does this make the work more efficient and far more effective, it can also be a lot of fun as well as a confidence boost knowing that you’re trusted with some of the most sought-after tech out there.
However, with the vast amount of software and machinery to master, to have a successful career in engineering you need to build up thorough knowledge of a lot of different tools, mechanics and operations. It’s not enough being an expert in one device, as to become a good engineer you need to have mastery, or at least passable competence, in CAD, drills, coding, circuitry and so much more. Plus, you need to be adaptive so that you can quickly pick up new updates to software to make sure you’re up to date with the constantly developing practices. Thus, engineering will likely not be a good fit for people who have trouble adapting to constantly advancing technology. Engineering is best suited to those who are excited by the new and who are not afraid to explore the latest equipment and technology.
It’s Creative
One thing that puts a lot of people off embarking in a career in engineering is that it’s considered to be a boring role that’s focused on mathematics. It’s no lie that math and science are the very bedrock of engineering, however, not many people realize that creativity and artistic thinking are also crucial for the role of engineer. The need for engineers to think creatively is greater now than ever before, due to the increased rate of technological and social changes, not to mention the never-before encountered challenges that are emerging. This creativity enables engineers to come up with new and exciting ways to adapt and improve products, as well as create solutions to entirely new challenges.
Some of the most creative activities that engineers get up to include building working replicas of fantasy and television items and weaponry. Some engineers are also involved in prop design and cinematic animatronics, such as the late great Grant Imahara who worked within the special effects company for Star Wars as well as being the engineer for The Discovery Channel’s popular show MythBusters.
It’s Prestigious
We’ve seen how engineering is a well-respected discipline in America, and that means that you’re likely to be well respected when in a role like this. This is because engineering is a key part of the American identity. Engineers help keep the United States economically competitive, if not dominant, as well as help maintain the high standard of living many citizens enjoy in the country when compared to the rest of the world. Engineers also help improve public safety, with many protective devices and safety measures having been invented by an engineer. It’s a role that ranks as one of the best to be in, and now with these benefits in mind you should have a better understanding as to why.