Studying engineering has many benefits. The more obvious benefits relate to your career options, but they can also improve your everyday life and the lives of people in your local community and beyond. Here is a more in-depth look at the benefits of taking a course in engineering.
Improving your career prospects
A qualification in engineering can open up more career options for you. Engineering covers a wide variety of industries and job roles. Here are just five of the most popular roles and industries you could choose to pursue. Knowing what they will involve will help you understand the benefits you can gain from choosing these career paths and how your qualification will help you.
- Automotive
If you’ve always been interested in cars and other vehicles and everything that goes into creating and improving them, being an automotive engineer could be right for you.
Your role will vary and include using what you have learned to create components for vehicles, measure performance, adapt designs, and, most importantly, continue to make improvements. In today’s fast-moving industry, automotive engineering allows you to be part of some significant advancements in our everyday travel.
An ece Master’s degree from Kettering University Online could be the first step in your pursuit of an automotive career or one of the many other engineering careers available. Studying the course 100% online makes it easier to switch careers and keep your current job until you graduate.
- Environmental
With the rising concern about climate change and the increased cost and supply issues of water and energy supplies, not just in Third World countries but also in Western nations, environmental engineers are in great demand.
Your role would be to find solutions to problems related to the environment or the supply of utilities. This could include looking at new ways to supply water to the public in Third World countries, but also to deliver a cleaner water supply to homes and businesses within the US, where contaminated water has become a local concern.
With the rising prices of energy in the home and the increased concerns over potential blackouts, environmental engineers are needed to look at solutions that are not only sustainable but also affordable to the average US worker.
Being able to analyze data and carry out quality control checks is an important part of many engineering roles. It’s particularly crucial when working on ways to improve the environment, as this affects everyone alive today and future generations.
- Systems
Becoming a systems engineer is also another great way to put your master’s degree to good use. You will rely on the skills learned while studying your qualification. These skills include monitoring data and designing solutions to common problems. You will be required to assess security procedures and install software based on your research into increasing output. You must also ensure that safety measures are followed or adapted to fit in with the changes. Your role will also involve working with other professionals and brainstorming or troubleshooting to aid continuous improvements in the various systems and hardware.
Therefore, teamwork and strong communication skills are essential. As more companies are relying on technology, being a systems engineer is a great chance to place yourself at the center of technological advancements.
- Data
If you prefer to focus on data and are fascinated by analysis and what it means for different companies, then you might choose a career as a data engineer. This will enable you to pinpoint where the team is missing important skills and help the company avoid wasting time and resources in areas where it is getting very few results.
You will need to be up to date with different technologies and have a strong understanding of SQL and various tools such as Apache Crunch and Heron.
While your education will prepare you for working in data engineering, gaining experience in the real world will show you whether this is the right path for you. So, you should consider finding a work placement while you study to ensure that the role is everything that you expect it to be.
You will also have the advantage of being able to interpret data, and you can use this if you decide to start your own business. It’s an advantageous skill to have and can benefit the organization you work for, making you indispensable, and can help to grow the business.
- Computer hardware
You may be seeing a pattern here. Engineering is heavily linked to technology and advancements. Many of the core skills overlap.
As a hardware engineer, some of your responsibilities will include creating new computer hardware that can make significant changes to people’s personal lives and how businesses operate. You will also be expected to analyze and test designs, and then make changes based on the results.
You will rarely be the only person working on new advancements, particularly if these are likely to be significant, rather than just minor changes and improvements. So, like many other engineering careers, you will be expected to work in a team and have exceptional communication skills to avoid misunderstandings and errors.
It can be particularly rewarding to be part of meaningful advancements in technology, especially when these become household or common business tools or solutions.
Earning potential
Studying engineering can be personally rewarding to you because of the earning potential. This is not the type of career that people choose solely for the money, but rather because of a strong interest in engineering and making improvements. However, being financially rewarded is also important. If you have taken the time and paid for your further education, there has to be some financial motivation to repay you for the time and money you have invested.
WorldData.info states that the average salary in the US is just over $70,000 a year. Engineering will often provide an average salary above this, and you will have the potential to earn much more. For example, a mechanical engineer, as of 2020, was making an average of $90,160 a year.
With average salaries such as these, you can feel reassured that your hard work and determination, combined with your knowledge and qualifications, will be rewarded no matter which industry you choose to work in as an engineer.
Career security
Working in engineering can help to protect you from today’s uncertain job market. It’s helpful to grow your skills and qualifications to meet the increasing demand. The higher demand makes it unlikely that there will be a decrease in the need for engineers in all industries.
If you look at some of the careers mentioned earlier, you will see that these are all focused on the future and continuing to make advancements.
For example, when working in the automotive industry, you could be looking at new ways to make vehicles that are safer, more affordable for the public, and less harmful to the environment. These are all popular demands, particularly when people are struggling with the cost of living and becoming more concerned with their carbon footprint.
Alternatively, you may be fortunate enough that your engineering role involves working on transport for space travel. While this is an important role and it is unlikely that you will be the only one working on a specific project, it will be extremely rewarding to be part of a team responsible for the design.
Industries such as the environment can also be personally rewarding. Not only will you benefit from the way that utilities are delivered and any positive changes that this makes to the environment or the affordability of water and energy bills, but you can also feel proud of your work, knowing that everyone else will experience the benefits.
Whichever industry you choose to work in, you can experience the benefits along with the general public. For example, systems engineers and data engineers will contribute to technological advancements that can change the way that people live their lives, manage their health, or run their businesses and keep track of important information.
So, if you want a career that has a positive impact on people and businesses, an engineering career will be perfect for you, and you will have a more secure career.
The chance to work abroad
The basics of engineering are the same no matter where in the world you work. So, unlike some other careers where you would have to retrain, you have more chance of working abroad if you choose to study engineering.
Depending on the country you decide to work in, you may earn more than in the US. Alternatively, even if the salary is a little less, it can be worth it because you get to live and work in a different country.
This means that you improve your job prospects if there are fewer roles where you currently live. You also get to see more of the world. Even if you have a family, it can be possible for them to move with you or at least visit regularly. This enables them to experience a different location, culture, and possibly education if they enroll in a local school.
It also allows you to build up contacts, which can be useful if you ever decide to start your own business, or if you need their help in the future. Working abroad will look impressive on your resume and provide lots of experiences that you wouldn’t have working in your native country. It broadens your knowledge of different cultures and provides a more in-depth experience than simply traveling to other locations for a short vacation.
One country you might consider is Canada. It’s not too far from home and has a great economy, which means plenty of opportunities for engineers. Don’t be put off if the average salary in Canada for engineers is a little lower than it is in the US. One important thing to remember is that it can be cheaper to live in Canada than in the US, so the lower salary takes this into account.
Other countries you could consider include Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the UK. Of course, it’s worth checking the rules for working in each of these countries, but it’s an affordable way to see more of the world. Your skills as an engineer may be in demand, and this means that you could qualify for different schemes that allow you to work in that particular country.
Making a difference
If you want a career where you can make a difference, engineering is perfect. Studying for a master’s can be the first step to a long and rewarding career where you can be part of a positive change. We have already discussed some of the ways that you can change the world around you, from improving technology to solving universal problems. Here are a couple of examples of how engineering has contributed to advancements.
Another career path in engineering is bioengineering. In the past, bioengineers have helped to contribute to life-altering technologies. These include prosthetics, MRI scanners, and dialysis machines.
Prosthetics, which have replaced limbs for people who were either born without them or lost them later in life, has been life-changing. People missing one or both legs have been able to walk using prosthetic legs. Some have even gone on to become athletes. The Paralympics is a great example of this. Some of these athletes have used prosthetic legs or high-tech blades to take part in races, win medals, and become household names. They have led the way for people with disabilities to exceed the expectations placed on them. This in itself is a rewarding aspect of being part of a bioengineering team. The benefits go beyond the achievements of the athlete, serving as an inspiration to thousands of people.
Space travel is also a great example of how engineers have contributed to the world. The role may have been overlooked in favor of the astronauts who first walked on the moon. However, without engineering, this wouldn’t be possible. The advancements in technology helped to create the rockets that took the first Americans to the moon. Without their understanding of aerodynamics, motion, and propulsion, space travel would not have been possible. In fact, Neil Armstrong was an aeronautical engineer, in addition to being the first person to walk on the moon.
Engineers have also helped to get technology into space or to monitor the Earth and other planets by working on satellites and space stations. This has contributed to our wider understanding of the Earth and the universe in general.
Applying your knowledge to everyday life
Many of the skills that you learn while studying and working in engineering can benefit you in your personal life. These include problem-solving, tech skills, being able to work under pressure, using your creativity, and working in a team of other professionals.
Aside from being able to use skills to look after yourself and your family, such as engineering your home to protect it against storms and floods, the core skills can help you in other ways.
We all face problems in our daily life, but as this is part of your role in being an engineer, you might be able to use this. One common trait of successful engineers is a growth mindset. This means that they believe that with hard work and determination, they can learn and overcome obstacles. So, if you face problems outside of work, you’re more likely to be able to find solutions that don’t result in you giving up.
Advanced knowledge of technology can also help as it has now become a daily part of life. We rely on computers, mobile phones, and software that helps to improve our lives and keep things running efficiently. You might also be a parent, and this knowledge can be helpful to keep up with your children, or to help them if they struggle to learn new technology.
Creativity can be used outside of work to find ways to be more productive so that you can spend quality time with family and less time working. You can also come up with ways to help your children learn everyday skills and to assist them if they are struggling in certain subjects. Your creative mindset can have lots of benefits outside of work, including finding solutions to home and family problems, even if these are unrelated to engineering.
As you can see, the benefits of studying engineering are greater than just finding a new career. You can make positive changes to the world around you and closer to home. It’s worth the time and commitment that you will put into obtaining your qualification.
