Why Choose Engineering and What Can You Get Out of It?
In the United Kingdom, there has been a severe lack of engineering graduates and those going into jobs relating to engineering and it is one of the reasons why the United Kingdom’s manufacturing sector has been struggling so badly during recent years. There are 100’s of under-subscribedEngineering courses available for prospective students, which means that the entry requirements are often seriously deflated.
Courses on offer include, mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering etc. that will set you up for a job in a certain industry. At GCSE level Engineers should have taken Maths, Physics and preferably a subject like Design or Engineering and at A-Level, mathematics and physics are now highly recommended but not necessary for some courses. Most engineering degrees are BSc due to their mathematical content and hence you should not consider applying for this degree if you will not enjoy or tolerate doing some sort of mathematics in your job.
Where can Engineering take you?
Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering lead into certain jobs and don’t think Mechanic, as Engineers are sought after professionals and can charge premium rates in a variety of industries. The key reason why engineers are so sought after is because of the way they can optimize certain processes. In industry, they are always trying to do things faster and hence cut down on the costs of production for a certain product.
They will therefore give an engineer a problem and he will engineer a solution (pardon the pun). There are so many different types of engineering that you will be sure to find a field that you are passionate in.
Materials Engineer
A materials engineer will research, design and manufacture products using a variety of different materials in order to do so. They have an expert knowledge in the properties that different materials will exhibit under different conditions and can therefore select certain materials in combination for different purposes.
They are highly sought after and have done excellent work in the production of polymers (plastics) making them cheap in today’s market. Salaries start at £20000 and after 10 years can increase to around £50000.
Consulting Civil Engineer
There are plenty of jobs for civil engineers in the modern day society and they are responsible for the design and subsequent construction of infrastructure such as roads, bridges or schools. Often they will work with clients as an adviser or otherwise project manager, who has a depth of knowledge to help the project run smoothly. Salaries start at £23000 and can rise to around £100000 if you become a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
There are so many different branches of engineering and I have barely scratched the surface. To really see whether engineering will suit you, have a look at some of the different courses and subsequent jobs for different engineers that are available.