Nine Reasons to Choose an Engineering Career

Choosing a career to pursue is always an exciting period of your life. Perhaps you have already made up your mind that you would like to go into a career in a STEM industry, or maybe you are open to ideas as long as you get to work in a career that’s exciting, allows you to develop your skills and make a difference in the world. Whatever position you are in, there are many reasons to consider engineering. 

Engineering is both a fun and rewarding profession, offering you the opportunity to work on various different projects, do something new daily, and put your creative ideas and innovative mindset to the test. And, since many engineers take on managerial and supervisory roles as they progress up the career ladder, getting your degree in engineering doesn’t just teach you all the technical know-how and skills, but also several business skills that you can use to become a great manager or even an engineering entrepreneur. 

And, getting your degree in engineering has never been easier than it is right now. Today, engineering degree programs are easily accessible by students in all kinds of situations. You can easily work full-time while studying for an engineering degree online until you are ready for your career change. Or, if you’re a busy parent, online engineering programs make it possible for you to improve life for you and your family by studying to enter this field and fit it around your daily commitments. 

Along with the fact that they are now more accessible, here are some of the other many reasons to select a degree in engineering. 

You Get to Be Creative

Often, you might not link creativity to STEM subjects as much as you would topics like English or the Arts. But, being an engineer means that you get paid to get your creative juices flowing. Every day, you’re going to be working on innovative ideas and projects and your contributions will hold weight. During their careers, engineers are tasked with tackling various projects, regardless of the engineering discipline that they choose to join, the level of education that they have attained, or their work experience. Right from the get-go, you’ll have plenty of chances to get creative, plus the necessary tools and skills to develop your own projects too. 

You Can Travel

Engineering degrees are a highly respected qualification the world over. As an engineering graduate, this means that you’re not limited to your own state when looking for work, or even the U.S itself. You can always find work as an engineer no matter where you choose to dwell, or you can travel as much as you like and find engineering positions in each destination. Some ideal options for engineering students who want to travel as much as possible after graduation include:

• Joining the military as an engineer
• Starting an engineering company with clients all around the world
• Finding a global engineering company to work for, with projects in various countries that you may have the opportunity to go and work on

Enjoy a Great Salary

As if the chance to get creative and travel around the world wasn’t appealing enough, engineers are also paid very handsomely. In fact, engineering is one of the most highly paid sectors across the globe, only outranked by other respected career fields like doctors. 

Everywhere that they are needed, engineering careers consistently pay a good income. Even as a graduate, you are likely to find that when you first enter the sector in an entry-level position, you will be earning more than your friends who majored in another subject. And, as you move up through the ranks and into engineering management, there’s the opportunity to learn even more.

Have an Impact on the World Around You

When you think of professions that make an impact on the world, nurses and doctors are probably the first to come to mind. But, it’s not just healthcare professionals that make a difference in the world of work. In fact, most engineering professions provide excellent opportunities for helping others and doing something good with your career. Engineers are often needed to help people all over the world, including:

• Designing and building community projects
• Providing underdeveloped areas with access to clean water
• Creating personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals
• Creating life-saving medical equipment
• Creating temporary medical facilities during times of disaster or crisis 

You’ll Always Have a Job

As mentioned above, engineers are always needed, all around the world. So, you never have to worry about being out of a job when you have an engineering degree, especially once you have some experience behind you. If you lose one job or decide to leave for any reason, you will not have to spend much time looking for a new one as there are bound to be a string of other companies with vacancies that you can fill. 

In fact, students who have just completed an engineering program at university can often expect to be hired at a much faster rate than those graduating from many other programs. Engineers are in high demand, and the rate at which they are needed around the world is not set to slow down any time soon. 

Work is Fun and Hands-On

If the idea of working in an office from nine until five every day sends you to sleep, then engineering could be the ideal choice of career for you. Almost every engineering profession involves some office-based work if that is more your thing, but there are also plenty of opportunities for work that is hands-on and will keep you involved with working on something throughout the day. 

While you can spend your time in an air-conditioned office working at a computer if you like, many engineers say that being able to get out there and get stuck right into the work is one of the most fun and interesting parts of the job. 

You Can Explore Different Disciplines

While there are several different disciplines in engineering, the main principles behind them are fairly similar, and mastering one engineering discipline will make it easier for you to go and learn about another. Just because you get your degree in electrical engineering, for example, doesn’t mean that you can’t go on to study further and pursue a career in mechanical or civil engineering. In fact, engineering graduates can often get jobs in any discipline regardless of their area of study. 

This is just one of the reasons why successful engineers should be people who are highly flexible and able to adapt the skills that they learn and develop both from university study and through gaining work experience, to the various jobs and projects that they may work on throughout the course of their career. 

You’re Well-Respected

A lot of work and effort goes into qualifying as an engineer, so you can expect widespread respect from around the world once you have earned this title. As soon as you tell somebody that you are an engineer, you will notice that their attitude towards you might change; they will hold you in higher regard than they did before they were aware of what you do for a living. After all; engineering is a highly ethical career with a strict code of ethics to adhere to. Click this link to find out how a career in engineering management can give you an edge. 

If being respected in your line of work is important for you, engineering is a great field to get into. As an engineer, people know that they can trust you to get the job done since the industry has very high requirements and continuous developments. 

You Can Build Awesome Things

Finally, being an engineer doesn’t always have to be about work. In fact, many engineers can use the skills and expertise that they have learned in the process of qualifying and work in the industry for fun, too. You will certainly be the envy of all your friends when you’re able to invent your own unique products or build a huge range of awesome things using your engineering know-how and skills, like:

• Technology items
• Toys and games
• Furniture
• Home improvements
• …and many more!

Along with providing you with fun ways to spend your free time, developing engineering skills also means that you’ll be able to do more than most when it comes to DIY, home improvements, and other jobs that the majority of the population would hire a professional for. In this case, you are the professional! Jobs like fixing electrical wires or fixtures at home would be no problem to you when you have engineering skills and know-how, but at the same time, you’ll be paid enough to hire a professional to do it for you if you want to as well. What could be better than that?

If you’ve come to a point in your life where you are deciding what to do for your future career, and want something that is exciting, respected, interesting, fun, hands-on and fast-paced, engineering could be the ideal choice for you. If you’re interested in STEM, creative, and have a great eye for detail, you’re already a good fit.