Is Engineering for me? Part I: Career Advice

It’s that day when I took my Protestant girlfriend to a Catholic Youth Group event at our church. I wanted to leave her a great impression, needless to say. We then overheard a conversation.

Youth Group Leader: Hey, I haven’t seen you in a long time. How’s school?
Some Guy: Oh yeah, it’s been going well!
Youth Group Leader: Engineering, right?
Some Guy: Engineering.
Youth Group Leader: That’s great. How about your sis?
Sister: Yeah I’m taking Engineering as well.
Youth Group Leader: Cool, cool

Enter another sister.

Youth Group Leader: How about you? Eng?
Sister 2: I’m still in high school, but I’ll probably take Engineering next year.
My girlfriend (aside): Is Engineering a Catholic thing???

Exeunt Some Guy, Sister, and Sister 2.

Youth Group Leader: How about you Elvin, Engineering?
Me: Umm I’m not too sure about it at this moment.
Youth Group Leader: Well, is your dad an Engineer?
Me: Yup, he is.
Youth Group Leader: You should consider then. And broke you’ll never be again.

Okay he didn’t actually say that. 😛 It’s just a tad too tempting to end with a rhyming couplet.

Engineering 

Engineering is one of a kind, being arguably the most prestigious undergraduate degree. It’s challenging and sought after by problem solving minds aiming to design and invent the pathway to their dreams, seeking to impact their world in one way or another.

And it also pays well.

I have also been attracted by the prospect of being an engineer, seeing the sheer course load as a big challenge.

Before I get into it, let me just clarify the format I will be using for Career Advice articles:

[Degree or Major]

Employment Prospects: [A, B, C, or D] [Years to spend in school before employable]

The most in demand degrees will be rated A. Degrees lower down might be for niche jobs or would need a lot of networking. While Bachelor Degrees often require only 4-5 years, some industries might expect a Masters Degree or other additional education.

Course load: [/10]

Course load isn’t about how easy or hard your course is. Personality, effort, and support systems are just some of the many factors that could make a degree easy or hard. 10/10 represents a “full course load” of 5 full courses one year including a laboratory component for each course. Some degrees exceed a full course load.

[Short Description]

Just a short description

Let’s get started.

Chemical

Employment Prospects: C+in 4 years, specialized positions might require 2 more years of education

Course load: 11/10

With the work chemical in its name, chemical engineering is frequently sought after for its science component. Chemical engineers don’t necessarily work with chemicals, however. Chemical Engineering is about processing materials and energy, and so is useful in the oil and gas industry. It twins the cyclical nature of oil and gas, making it very high risk-high reward. Students usually complete their degree and become ready for the workforce after 4 years. Make sure to be involved in activities that would build yourself a network if you plan to pursue Chemical Engineering, during those 4 years.

Civil

Employment Prospects: B in 4 years

Course load: 10/10

Civil’s course load is a bit lighter than other Engineering disciplines, and that either attracts people or turns them off. The reason for the lighter course load is the Civil Engineering deals with structures that do not move, and so you only get to do with static physics. While as I mentioned, only the Petroleum industry has demand for Chemical Engineers, there is a lot more industries that need Civil. The main driving force for employment is construction, and so there will be demand for Civil Engineers in any growing city. The environmental sector also employs civil engineers, as well as the government for community/urban planning. If you’re into Engineering large scale projects as opposed to tinier machines, Civil might be for you.

Mechanical

Employment Prospects: B in 4 years

Course load: 10.5/10

Mechanical Engineering deals with machines of varying complexity and functions: airplanes, oil rigs, elevators, computers, robots, and more. Mechanical Engineering is the broadest Engineering discipline. They are employed almost any industry that does not require a specialist Engineer. Some universities offer specializations of Mechanical as minors, such as Aerospace, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, etc. In terms of difficulty, Mechanical is also smack in the middle. This makes it perfect for those creative minds who want to keep their options open or are unsure about their target industry.

These three are popular branches of Engineering. Stay tuned for Part II where I go over other branches 🙂

Here‘s the featured image.