The modern world was built on the backs of engineers. Without engineering, we wouldn’t have soaring skyscrapers or stunning bridges; we wouldn’t have lightning-fast mobile devices, intuitive computer programs, or well-structured networks; we wouldn’t have life-saving medical tools, plastics of any kind, or organized metropolitan areas. Through diligent design and meticulous testing, engineers have provided us with some of the most amazing innovations in history — and they aren’t done yet.
Engineers are necessary professionals in most industries. Agriculture, automotive, defense, energy, health care, tech… engineers are essential for maintaining and improving the systems we most rely on for modern, civilized society. Engineers must be well-educated in advanced mathematics and sciences to adequately perform their duties — and they are well compensated for their immense efforts. Engineering will remain a strong, stable career choice for the foreseeable future because it is so integral to the world we live in and the world we want to live in.
Still, engineering isn’t an ideal career path for everyone. Though it boasts stability and high salaries, an engineering career requires a specific skill set and personality to be successful. This guide will help you determine whether engineering is a strong career choice for you.
What Are Your Favorite Subjects?
Arguably the most creative of the STEM fields, engineering applies math, science, and technology to solve real-world problems with complex structures, machines, and programs. In truth, engineering isn’t a single profession; it comprises dozens of completely different careers that require varied skillsets. For example, an agricultural engineer shares few on-the-job experiences with an aerospace engineer, but because both engineers apply hard sciences to develop solutions to complex issues in their fields, they are both fall under the engineering umbrella.
Though there are a few online engineering courses required of every student, like calculus, there is some notable diversity within the career field.All this is to say that just because physics isn’t your favorite subject doesn’t mean you can’t excel in an engineering career. For instance, if you excel in computer-related courses, you might consider becoming a computer or software engineer. There are software engineering jobs in Seattle that might fit your qualifications.
Conversely, if you are interested in the human body, you could pursue biomedical or biochemical engineering.As long as you succeed and find enjoyment in mostSTEM subjects, you should succeed and find enjoyment in an engineering career.
How Do You Approach Problems?
Everyone encounters problems every day, including you. Maybe your car won’t start; maybe your record collection is messy; maybe you have four projects due on the same day and you haven’t started any of them; maybe a good friend stopped talking to you. How you respond to the problems facing you can tell you whether you are fit for an engineering profession.
Typically, engineers are hardcore problem-solvers. When faced with a machine that isn’t working or a disorganized, unoptimized system, an engineer will drop everything else to understand the issue and generate an efficient solution. If your car isn’t working, you should want to identify the malfunctioning part and replace it to ensure a functional vehicle; if your friend isn’t speaking with you, you should want to discoveryour offending behavior and rectify it to develop a stronger, more stable relationship. For most engineers, the more challenging the problem, the better — which brings us to the final question for prospective engineers.
What Brings You Satisfaction?
More than other professions in the STEM fields, engineers work to make the world a better place. An environmental engineer evaluates problems impacting the health of the natural environment and devises methods to clean and protect the world we live in. A civil engineer helps design more efficient cities by focusing on the efficiency of urban infrastructure, which includes roadways, buildings, water and sewage lines, and airports. Even petroleum engineers provide benefitsby developing safer technology for extracting and processing the fuel required to power the world.
To be an engineer, you should care about the problems facing our world and harbor strong desires to find efficient and effective solutions for them. The thought of contributing to the resolution of significant, far-reaching problems should bring you immense satisfaction if you want to be an impassioned and successful engineer.
As long as you are interested in critical subjects, you enjoy solving problems, and you want to have a positive impact on the world, you are perfect for engineering.
