Being an engineer is one of the World’s most exciting jobs, being in the business of innovative design and creating new things is a career that many choose, in fact a recent UCLA research found that a third of freshmen want to major in science and engineering. Once you have decided that you have the skills and the intelligence to be an engineer, you must choose which field of engineering you wish to work or specialize in. You can of course still be successful if you switch between industries in your career like Anura Perera Raycom’s chairman did. The Sri Lankan engineer started his career in construction before he ventured into the aerospace field with Raycom. Before you start to cross-cross engineering disciplines, it is important that you focus on just one to start with, here are some of the most popular branches within engineering for you to choose from.
Civil Engineering
One of the oldest forms of engineering, the creation and maintenance of transport, buildings, structures, bridges and everything in between. Civil engineers play vital roles in large scale developments, tackling huge projects and working as part of a team to achieve great things. There is lots of job opportunities if you have the right qualifications and there are several management roles throughout the industry that you can aim for.
Aerospace Engineering
Arguably engineering’s most exciting discipline is aerospace, the focus of all vehicles and equipment that facilitates air and space travel. You will be working with the latest technology in the World in a high pressure environment that won’t give you a moment of rest. The rewards in this job are very high, financially as a result of the high acumen required and personally as you will be part of any successful projects.
Computer Engineering
Computer engineering involves the design and creation of both hardware and software, the depth and detail to which computer engineers delve into systems is incredible, analyzing each piece of code or equipment until it is perfect. You will need to have studied computer science along with high level maths in order to meet the requirements for most computer engineering jobs.
Chemical Engineering
For those with a very good grasp of the sciences, a chemical engineering job is perfect for you, using all 3 of the sciences you will be creating useful and valuable items using raw materials, this could be food, new chemicals, physical items or even medicines. Within chemical engineering there are some specializations that you could drill down in to if you wished, areas like molecular engineering for example take years to master due to the high level of detail involved. To succeed as a chemical engineer it is vital that you always remain a student, the high rate of technological and scientific advancements are something that you you need to stay on top of. Chemical engineers are required to be very intelligent and as such they are paid very well for their skills. If you love the sciences then this is the engineering role you should be looking at.