Career Choices – Is An Engineering Degree Worthwhile?

All over the world engineering as a career option is held in high regard for a variety of reasons. Even in an age where one can pursue a limitless selection of careers in agriculture to cosmetology, careers in engineering have held on to their attraction for being fulfilling, both intellectually and financially.

Career Choices - Is An Engineering Degree Worthwhile?

Some of the typical advantages of studying engineering are:

You Learn Structured and Analytical Thinking

One of the greatest advantages of studying for an engineering degree is that the multi-semester course teaches students analytical thinking and the process of applying structure and quantitative analysis to solve practical and real life situations. As a result of this skill acquisition, engineering students find themselves easily fitting into careers that may not even require any direct engineering knowledge. The combination of the ability to solve logic-based problems by applying structured thinking and the knowledge of the technical aspects of engineering makes engineering graduates among the most preferred with potential employers engaged in diverse sectors.

You Get an Understanding of How Industry Works

All engineering courses are structured to have very strong focus on industrial projects. The course of study requires the student to also spend some time in an industrial organisation understanding how things work in real life and what issues are faced on an operational level on a day to day basis. The essence of the engineering degree is to impart to the student the objectivity required to solve engineering problems in the real world. This practical exposure makes engineering students highly employable and usually industries are ready to make offers for employment on the campus itself. Most often students are able to get job offers long before the course has even ended and the engineering degree formally acquired.

High Employability Even In the Non-Engineering Sector

The skills that an engineering student acquires while studying for an engineering degree increases his appeal exponentially even with employers in the non-engineering sector as the core skills are portable across sectors. In the course of their studies apart from acquiring competence in the application of engineering techniques and tools, students are taught soft skills such as how to present their ideas confidently, convincingly and professionally. When such skills are acquired these are obviously not limited to concepts of engineering but extend to the entire universe of the student’s interaction with his environment. The students are also exposed to the techniques of working cohesively in formal and informal groups. Team management, conflict resolution and leadership skills are also, some of the soft skills that are taught during an engineering course from all leading institutions.

Cerebrally Stimulating and Monetarily Rewarding

Engineering graduates find ready employment when compared to students from other streams due to their highly developed skill sets in both technical and non-technical domains. Across the world employers believe that engineering graduates possess a significantly greater grounding in analytical skills, as well as, an ability to relate to and solve real life problems. No wonder, employers in domains such as banking and finance have shown a great propensity to hiring engineering graduates to work in completely non-engineering environments. A quick scan of the qualifications of the top managers across various business concerns, even those in non-engineering domains will invariably reveal the presence of engineering degrees. As a rule most of the top-dollar employment opportunities are offered by recruiters across the globe to engineering graduates due to their multi-faceted skill sets.

Author Bio: The author is a leading career counsellor working with a prominent career website. He regularly conducts career counselling for students of undergraduate courses. Also he runs JEE Main 2016 batches.