What engineering does one major in to be easier to get a job?

[Bimmyyonsy]

The scholastic aptitude of my son is in engineering and he's not known which is his preference. So I want to have some information about which engineering is good for getting a job.How about an electronic engineering?

[AlphaSheeppig]

It depends what country you're in, but in general electronic or mechanical engineers are always needed. Although, if he really wants to get a well-paying job easily, he should get whichever engineering degree he wants and then go work for a bank or a management consultancy firm.

 

Although, to be perfectly honest, I learned the hard way that that's a really bad way to choose a career path. Here in South Africa where I live, the easiest engineering degree to get a job with is one in extractive metallurgy (there are about 3 times as many job openings as there are people looking for jobs), so that's the one I picked when I finished high school. I found it really boring, and dropped out after two years, and decided to just do what I was interested in. I did aerospace engineering, even though everyone told me there was no job market in the country. Not even one aerospace engineer from my graduating class is unemployed at the moment (although half of them are working in mechanical engineering jobs, and a couple in business).

 

Anyway, it's way easier to be successful at something if it's what you're interested in.

[cypress]

I agree with alpha. Engineers design nearly everything in modern society. Encourage your son to examine the things humans make (all of it) and try to determine what he is most interested in designing. Then figure out what specialty of engineering designs those things.

 

Buildings and roads --> Civil

Electronics and computers ---> Electrical

Chemical manufacturing ----> Chemical

Medical equipment ---> Biomedical

 

Etc. etc.

 

Demand for particular fields change from year to year and place to place, it is a fools errand to try to guess demand 4 years out. Pick the field and move to the job.

 

Good luck...

[insane_alien]

chemical engineering is a good bet. no matter whats happening in the world copious amounts of chemicals are needed

[forufes]

chemical engineering is a good bet. no matter whats happening in the world copious amounts of chemicals are needed

 

this kind of unbiased advice is what he needed.

[insane_alien]

well, the chemical engineering industry has been left relatively unscathed by the economic crisis(job opportunities have continued to grow although the have slowed a bit). much better than other areas of engineering such as electrical and electronic engineers which are enduring a shortage of jobs just now.

 

damn right its biased, but i'm capable of backing it up.

[DJBruce]

I will agree with everyone and say that your best bet is to let your son pursue the field, which he finds most enjoyable. As for finding this out, at most engineering schools you do not declare your concentration until your second year or later. This means your son could take some time and investigate, the different fields while in college before declaring his concentration.

 

Just as another aside, just because an aptitude test suggests that engineering might be a good path for your son I would be careful to box him in to that field. Those tests are by no means perfect, and often do not give something the person is actually interested.

[Bignose]

this kind of unbiased advice is what he needed.

 

It may be "biased" by i_a's choice of major, but it is nonetheless a rather true statement. Chemical engineers learn a little bit of everything these days -- a jack-of-all-trades to a certain degree. They learn mechanics engineering subjects, like fluid mechanics and heat transfer. They learn bioengineering subjects, like biology. They often take at least one circuits class, so they have a little electrical engineering under their belt. In addition, they usually have to take at least 1 controls class, so they have some practical programming experience and controller experience. They learn chemical reactions, both from a chemistry side and an engineering side. They may not get deeply in-depth in any of these subject, but in most modern ChE curricula, the students learn a little bit about a lot of different things.

 

And, the wide variety of industries ChE majors go into reflects this. Up to 30 years ago, 90% of ChE graduates ended up in Houston at an oil refinery or at a large chemical manufacturer like Dow. Today, ChE's go into those, but they also go into food processing, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, bioengineering, etc. etc. I have actually met more people with ChE degrees not working in the chemical industry than ChE degreed people who are working int he chemical industry.

[Double K]

Most engineering degrees have a "common year" where they touch on all disciplines. During the first year he should be able to get a handle on which type of engineering he prefers. 2nd-4th year are your years where you choose a 'major'.

 

Civil engineering is a good start, it will give a solid base in any of the other mainstream disciplines from which he can choose.

[Harlez]

I'm partial to Military Engineering. I know right now if you are by any chance interested in an Alabama engineering job, the US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is hiring. You really can't beat their benefits... the Military really takes care of their own (especially if you aren't in combat!). Worth consideration...and the pay is good.

[waitforufo]

I have been an electrical engineer for 25 years. I have worked on radar systems and cellular telephone. Electrical engineering jobs however are rather cyclical and concentrated in large cities. I have seen many electrical/electronic engineers leave the field during my carrier. College friends of mine that majored in civil engineering however are all still working in engineering. In the US, civil engineering jobs always seem to be available. Not only that, they are available everywhere, from rural counties to major cities. Civil engineers tend to make less money to start, but with time they catch up. Also civil engineers find it easier to work as independent contractors.

[stanly]

I also believe that a lot of it has to do with where you are situated. For example in Australia, there are lots of metallurgical engineers due to the mining of zinc being used to galvanized. Or if you are within coastal/ marine or agricultural areas, marine engineering or agricultural engineers could easily get you a job.

 

But despite all of these, electrical, civil, and mechanical engineers always have a place. These are basic majors that has been powering and moving our world since we know it. I have this thinking when I was young that whatever field of engineering you chose, as long as you want it and you are willing to do good at it, you'll always have a place.

http://transmissiondesignhub.blogspot.com

[CaptainPanic]

Chemical engineers can find work nearly everywhere there is industry... and the demand for engineers has been higher than the availablility for the last years (despite the crisis).

 

I read through most posts above, and there weren't many posts where I thought, "that engineer that is mentioned probably has a chemical engineer as a colleague" (with the exception of electrical engineers).

 

Please note that "chemical engineers" do a lot less chemistry than the word would suggest. In a very generalized way, we design factories, and make sure that they run efficiently. Most of my work consists of things that a highschool kid would call "physics".