If you are choosing a career that brings many rewards beyond just a good salary, helps you participate in nation-building, and forces you to be innovative, then look no further than engineering.
There is a wide choice in engineering from computer science, electronics, electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering disciplines to specialized multi-disciplinary branches based on current industry needs.
In an engineering career, you can put science and mathematics to use and solve simple to complex real-life problems to arrive at the best, cost-effective solutions. This is essentially what makes a company’s products saleable. As you deal with distinct problems and solve them, you find that an engineering job is not repetitive – meaning that every day can be refreshingly different.
An engineer needs to use both sides of the brain – the creative “right” and the logical “left.” This means one’s brain is used to capacity. Engineering is inherently creative, as engineers have to take ideas and make them real. This is true whether someone is building a car, a bridge, or creating a space rocket.
In today’s world, being right-brained is important to become a good innovative engineer. At the same time, an engineer’s left brain needs to be equally active to make precise calculations to create perfect, practical devices for our use.
Creating optimal solutions to complex real-life problems requires close collaboration with colleagues, peers, customers, and suppliers. Teamwork and clear communication are vital ingredients for a successful engineering career. Many engineering fields are multi-disciplinary. Since one cannot be an expert in every field, one is forced to cooperate, collaborate, and co-create.
Consider a country like India, where there is a need to build everything from highways, buildings, power plants, and factories to digital solutions, space travel, and genetic engineering. The ultimate goal of engineering is to solve world hunger, eradicate diseases, slow global warming, etc., making the world a more equitable and sustainable place to live. In this sense, a good engineer will never be out of work as many of these goals are still far from being achieved.
On the flip side, out of a million engineers who graduate every year in India, only 50-60% are employable. Even the engineers who get proper engineering jobs are restless and often move into areas like management by studying for an MBA. Many engineers complain that their work is boring and that their companies do not offer opportunities that challenge their skills. However, there is a set of 10% of engineers who can make a difference despite all odds and shine through.
Essentially, it is what one makes out of being an engineer. There has to be a “passion to be an engineer” to begin with, and then the rest can fall into place. If you find your workplace unsuitable and believe you are cut out for more, you can start your own startup.
If someone has a good workable idea today, there is a large ecosystem in the country willing to pitch in and help. Many government programs are also present to help bright startups. So, an engineer has a bigger opportunity horizon than ever before.
In India, the most coveted engineering positions go to graduates of premier engineering institutions like IIT, BITS, regional engineering colleges, and reputed city-based engineering colleges. This is why preparing effectively and entering a premier engineering institution should be a student’s priority. All things being equal, a reputed degree provides an early boost in one’s career and a head start.
At Testbee, we strongly believe that asking the right questions shapes one’s mind and fires up the quest to find answers. So, we emphasize “Learning Thru Questions” and provide a complete framework for students to prepare for any top engineering exam in the country.
All you need is practice, practice, and more practice. We hope to see you in a premier engineering institute soon. All the very best!
