Engineering @ Career

Engineering as a Career:

Engineering as a career option has to be finalized at an age when the student opting for is not very mature. Most of the time it’s the parents choice, who undoubtedly think in the best interest of their ward or the students imitating the seniors. Not necessary, those furnishing the advice are engineers or have the complete idea of engineering as a profession. It’s seldom that the one opting for the career is completely aware of Engineering as a profession. When it comes to making career decisions, understanding that knowledge is power will save a lot of potential anguish because you have researched different options and found some career paths that suit you, your strengths and goals.

People generally have a reasonable idea of what a dentist, a lawyer or a teacher does. However, the scope of the activities covered by the term ‘engineer’ is more difficult to summarise. In today’s world, engineers are mainly concerned with maintaining and improving living standards and quality of life in a society. Almost every aspect in our lives has somehow been influenced by engineers – the water we drink; the buildings we live in, learn in and work in; the products created in factories; the computers we surf the net on; medical services and technologies we rely on; the appliances and vehicles that make our lives more efficient and comfortable.

 Why choose engineering – how about the diversity, the income, the lifestyle and people working in engineering get to do cool stuff?

To ‘engineer’ literally means to “make things happen”. Engineering is about the design and production of useful products and services. Engineering tells how to converts scientific knowledge into technology and then technology into successful innovation. Many seemingly simple aspects of our daily lives have been conceptualised, designed and developed by an engineer.

Why Engineering as a career option?

How to be an Engineer

The Governing Body

Important Engineering Institutes

Engineering-related Career Options

Test your Engineering Aptitude

Engineering Entrance Exams
 

Engineering related Career Options

 The ethos of Engineering is not new to the Indian subcontinent. The Rustless Wonder- the Iron Pillar at Delhi, in the memory of Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya, is testimony to the advances made in metallurgy some 2000 years back. But yes the study of engineering was confined to few and the scope of engineering was certainly limited.

But with the onset of development fuelled by science and technology and the growth of service sector Engineering as a career has attracted the student fraternity of the country in a big way. Number of aspirants taking the engineering exams are testimony to the fact.

A large number of students take the Engineering Entrance Examination but few are aware of the various career options that engineering as a profession offers.

› Agricultural Engineering

› Aeronautical Engineering

› Architecture

› Automobile Engineering

› Biomedical Engineering

› Biotechnology

› Ceramic Technology

› Chemical Engineers

› Civil Engineering

› Computer Engineering

› Environmental Engineering

› Electrical Engineering

› Electronics Engineering

› Genetic Engineering

› Industrial & Production Engineering

› Instrumentation Engineering

› Marine Engineering

› Mechanical Engineering

› Metallurgical Engineering

› Mining Engineering

› Petroleum Engineering

› Plastic Technology

› Polymer Engineering

› Rubber Technology

› Space Technology

› Textile Industry

WHY Engineering as a stream ?

 Any act of yours, bringing tangible change in the society, would undoubtedly bring a sense of satisfaction and feeling of pride. What if, besides the quotient of satisfaction and feeling of pride you also earn a handsome amount and reputation in the society?

A career in the field of engineering provides just that.

Engineering is amongst the few professions where creativity and ingenuity knows no bounds. Moreover if you are the one among those who look for challenging opportunities than probably, engineering is the most ideal profession to opt for. As an aerospace engineer you have the chance of developing cryogenics technology badly needed for the country to make advances in the space research, as a Civil Engineer you have the opportunity of developing earth quake resistant houses and as an electrical engineer the challenge lies in developing superconductors. The list is endless.

In a similar fashion every stream of engineering has lots of such opportunities and challenges. And if you are the one looking for opportunities where creativity and imagination are the tools to mitigate the challenges then you ought to be an Engineer.

Rewards and Opportunities

Job Satisfaction

Studies show that, by far, the most important cause of dissatisfaction among the working people is the job dissatisfaction. Thus, it is important to find a career that provides job satisfaction. After all, one has to spend good part of his/her life at work station and if the place you work delivers content and satisfaction you are bound to grow in a better way with each passing day.

Variety of Career Opportunities

Neil Armstrong, Jimmy Carter, and Alfred Hitchcock, an astronaut, a president, and one a filmmaker – from different streams of occupation all together but a commonality, they all started with an engineering education.
 

Engineering as a profession offers a wide range of career possibilities. From the design of fighter planes to that of pacemakers for hearts from boring holes deep in the earth for the petrochemicals to steeping at mars, engineers play the pivotal role.

Challenging Work

Engineering is all about fixing things so as to make the object serve its purpose in the best possible and efficient way. From the flying machine of the Wright brothers to the stealth bombers the range of improvement and development is enormous. Here lies the challenge. Challenge is not only about visualizing the development and improvement but also in performing it.

Intellectual Development

Engineering as a profession is function of creativity and ingenuity. Its more about developing the best possible option. This in turn involves great utilization of your mental faculties as compared to the professions where practice and pattern aid a lot in performing the job.

Contribute to Society

No one can deny the contribution of society in one’s own development but few bother to contribute for the same. Engineering as a carrier provides lots of opportunity to this end too. A civil engineer can design models for easing out traffic congestion. A software engineer can develop cheap and user friendly software for the disabled, an electrical engineer can devise ways and means for optimum utilization of electricity. All in the interest of the society and ones own career.

Financial Security

While financial security should not be the only reason for choosing a career in engineering, if you decide to become an engineer you will be well paid. Engineering graduates receive one of the highest starting salaries of any discipline.

Prestige

Engineers play an important role in the development of the nation and add to its international stature in a big way. And in this pursuit, one also earns a reputed place in the society.

Professional Environment

As an engineer, you will work in a professional environment where creativity and intellect are on the top priority. Working in such an environment with creative and intellectual colleagues is rewarding in itself.

HOW to be an Engineer?

If you are not a "genius” hard-work can help you attain your goal. To be an Engineer One should excel in problem solving and if one does not, should try to do so. Because  Engineers spend much of their time in solving problems. Enrich your problem solving know-how by practicing Math, Physics and Chemistry numerical as much as possible.

Admission to the Engineering course in India demands 10+2 qualification. One is supposed to write entrance examination conducted at all India level to get entry to the premier institutes of India.

There are sixteen Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) viz, Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur Madras,Roorkee,Patna,Ropar,Jodhpur,Mandi,Varanasi,Bhubnaeshwar,Ghandinagar,Hyderabad & Indore. 30 National Institute of Technologies (NITs), couple of IIITs and several private institutes are engaged in the task of grooming engineers.

The Joint Engineering Examination (JEE) and the All India Entrance examination (AIEEE) are the gateways to IITs and the NITs and the IIITs respectively.

Going by the ratio of number of aspirants and the total number of seats offered by the premier institutes across the country one has to put in lots of hard work since class eleventh onwards. The aspirant should have thorough understanding of the syllabus and the nature of the questions asked in the entrance examination to have a right approach to the preparation of the examination coaching institutes also come handy for the students who don’t have access to the resources.

Besides, this section provides all the vital information in the making of an engineer. The Website informs you all about the IITs, NITs and IIITs besides providing a thorough insight in to the entrance examination for such institutes. One can have an idea about the following from the website
 

Model paper, previous years solved question papers and the syllabi for the entrance exams
Course offered by these premier institutes
The process of admission, the fee and the fellowships at the Institutes
The accommodation available besides the information about reaching to the institute along with the city map and the campus map for the convenience of the information seeker.

Governing Body - AICTE

All India Council for Technical Education is an Apex statutory body established by the Act of Parliament (Act 52 of 1987). The council is in to monitoring the National institutes of technologies, the state engineering colleges, regional engineering colleges and other private institutes imparting technical and management education.

 Important Engineering Institutes

 The traditional system of imparting knowledge was organized for the first time in the year 1847 AD, with the establishment of Roorkee College. A hundred years later, after India’s independence, engineering institutes of national importance-the IITs were established to produce technical experts, who could steer the developmental process of the nascent India. IIT Kharagpur was the first of the 16 IITs we have today. Many Regional and State Engineering colleges were also established to provide impetus to an all-round development of the country.

The advent of globalization and liberalization in the early 90s brought revolution in field of Information Technology. To keep pace with the process of globalization it became imperative to boost up the IT sector of the country that was still in the process of development. Thus Institutes of Information Technologies were established to produce manpower, trained to expedite the IT sector of the country.

I want to end my words with a note that Engineering is an exciting career. Engineers achieve great things. Throughout history, people working in engineering have contributed to their communities, countries, colleagues and civilisations by making tools, machines and countless other things to help people improve their lives and progress onto better things.

The diversity of engineering means that whatever your interest, there is probably a place for you working in engineering. From information technology to medical science and mining, from building roads to space travel, engineers are working to make things happen.

Proud to be an Engineer.....