Five things you didn’t know about engineering careers

Gerald Kelly, director of Professional Services at Sony UK TEC in Pencoed, Wales, on why engineering careers are far more enriching and rewarding than many realise.

Diversity

This should go without saying, but engineering roles are not simply confined to traditional factory settings. Jobs in the engineering sector are incredibly diverse and offer scope to work across wide-spread industries globally. Construction projects, theme park development, activewear, interactive technology and virtual reality are just some of the varied areas driven by engineering.

Those with an interest in enhancing infrastructure can play a pivotal role in building projects worldwide, while an interest in marine engineering could lead to designing, building and maintaining more robust vessels for the navy or commercial businesses. Whether engineers are transforming the face of smartphone technology, or attempting to transform the world we live in, it is evident that engineering careers are anything but uninteresting.

International travel

Many engineers are afforded the opportunity to travel thanks to the international demand for skilled workers in the sector. Engineering is global – and its skills transferable - and workers may frequently be required to travel to share their expertise with various clients, businesses, and government departments.

Thanks to this, an engineering role is not only constantly enriching from a professional perspective, it also offers greater job security and the opportunity to constantly diversify and progress within challenging fields. Frequent travel may be required to carry out vital investigative work or research to advance a project.

Life-changing innovation

As examples of how the sector is changing lives with emerging technology, we see today’s bioengineers utilising VR technology to reconstruct facial birth defects and creating life-changing mobile diabetes management systems. Alongside this, engineers are also making vital advances in helping to reduce the impact of climate change and moving towards incorporating greater sustainability into their projects.

Many are working with experts in the agricultural, construction, and manufacturing industries to find eco-friendly solutions to modern climate change issues. Design engineers may be exploring methods to reduce energy or water consumption in modern buildings, while manufacturing industries may be working to eradicate the excessive use of plastic.

Job satisfaction

Engineers experience some of the highest rates of job satisfaction. According to a Guardian survey, they have the happiest job in the world. In fact, Cabinet Office findings show that electrical engineers are leading the way for job satisfaction, coming in 14^th place in a survey of 274 professions. This is followed by civil engineers ranked at 55^th and mechanical engineers in 68^th place.

This elevated level of satisfaction could be down to the direct role their work has in supporting the development and advancement of industries globally.

Creating designs that resolve technical issues, developing technology that exceeds expectations, and researching ideas that could benefit thousands of people, are all contributing factors. Once developed, engineers then get to witness their designs being utilised to their maximum potential by experts across numerous sectors.

Span all industries

Engineering careers are not limited to a specific path. Instead, engineering spans numerous industries with different skillsets grouped by the sector they support.

Among the most sought-after roles are software, mechanical, electrical, electronic, and chemical, thanks to their highly innovative abilities, with science and pharmaceutical experts also utilised in businesses worldwide.

With engineers proving beneficial across all sectors, the possibilities for careers within engineering are virtually limitless.

More information on careers with Sony UK TEC can be found here.

MORE FROM THE STUDENT ENGINEER HERE