An engineering career can be rewarding for people seeking to innovate, learn highly technical skills, and focus on their intellectual development. Engineering is a broad field that includes working on electrical systems, civil projects, computers, or even rockets. Moreover, career prospects for engineers are expected to grow exponentially until 2026, with more and more companies looking for remarkable talent. To start, you need a foundation of knowledge, internships to gain experience, and a broad network of professional contacts.
Step 1: Knowledge
To start a career in engineering, you need to have knowledge in the field. If you have the opportunity, obtain a degree from an accredited institution in the type of engineering you want to pursue. A degree in engineering will allow you to explore a variety of engineering fields, including computer engineering, biomedical engineering or structural engineering. If you don’t have an engineering degree, don’t worry. Other relevant degrees include a bachelor of science in chemistry, math, or computer science. If you don’t have the time and money to obtain a degree, some fields won’t require it. Electrical engineering and software engineering allow you to join trade unions as an apprentice or take qualification courses to give you the knowledge you need. No matter how you cut it, though, you need to know your stuff.
Engineering also stimulates creative and logical thinking, challenging you to think about the ways you can benefit society with your projects. Whether your work involves improving living standards, building transportation systems or researching renewable energy sources that benefit the environment, you’ll always have the broader community at heart.
Step 2: Experience
The next step will be to leverage your knowledge into engineering internships or entry-level positions. Internships allow you to learn more about the field on a practical level, so the experience is invaluable to your own personal decision-making. Make sure to have a strong resume written when applying to these programs, because little things like an email address will negate your chances of getting a foot in the door. In fact, 76% of resumes with unprofessional emails get rejected. Cross your t’s and dot your i’s, and make sure to have references to vouch for you.
Step 3: Network
Speaking of references, you will need to network to get into an engineering career. Almost every position available is filled by someone making referrals, so if you don’t have one, your chances are slim. If you’re in school, make sure to attend networking events hosted by your institution. You can use LinkedIn to connect with people in the engineering field and get informational meetings with them to simultaneously learn more about your dream career and lock in a potential reference. Be yourself and get as much information from these valuable sources as you can.
If you are a problem solver who wants to constantly be challenged and be justly rewarded financially, then engineering may be the career path for you. To learn more about engineering careers, engineering internships, and engineering degrees talk to the experts at High.net. They can provide the resources for you to start your career today.