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Did you know that India is the largest producer of engineers in the world? Out of the 6,214 engineering and technology institutes in the country, almost 1.5 million receive a degree every year. Even after such facts, the question that arises is what to do after engineering?
The question of what to do after engineering confuses many young graduates. Do I go for higher studies after B.Tech or do I look for careers after engineering? In addition, if there are so many graduates with the same degree, what are the career options after engineering for me?
These questions start popping up right from the undergraduate courses of B.Tech. Many engineering students, unsure of their place in the world, go into engineering courses as they believing it to be a safe bet. However, after 3 years of undergraduate studies, they stand at crossroads, with many options available, but unsure of which is the right one.
If you are one of the fresh B.Tech graduates, unsure of the path forward, I have compiled a list of options, weighing the pros and cons in each, to help you make an informed decision as to what to do after engineering.
The sky is the limit for an engineer is rightfully said. This saying trickles down to the limitless opportunities that appear before B.Tech graduates after their studies. Three of the most sought after options after engineering in India are:
Many B.Tech graduates want to try their hands in the work-life right after college. They do this to better understand the career opportunities after engineering and try those in order to make an informed decision on their choice. In addition, one becomes aware of the skills that are required in order to excel in the workforce by working in an MNC, or even a small start-up,
This option is seeing a rising trend in recent years. Many B.Tech graduates try their hand in understanding the business world to find what to do after engineering in that field. They venture out to pursue a Masters’s degree in management (MiM) or a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). We will further discus both these options.
The third most sought after option students choose after engineering degrees is studying in-depth in their own field. By pursuing degrees in M.Tech, Masters in Science (MS) or a Masters in Information System (MIS), these graduates embark on career opportunities after engineering in the fields of research, or in hopes to get placed in technological institutions.
Though getting a job soon after engineering degree may open up your mind and help you choose which profession you would like to see a future in. Although, the truth is that many of the young graduates that look at jobs as options after engineering, lack specific skills that can boost their job performance. Through higher studies these skills can be gained And one doesn’t need to look further than our home country, since there are a lot of great post-graduation courses in India after engineering.
You can also read our blog on Career Choices after Engineering.
Courses After Engineering
Below, I’ve compiled a list of four of the most popular courses B.Tech graduates pursue in order to open various career opportunities after engineering:
MBA is a master’s degree in Business Administration. It is a specialization course that trains a student in the art of business organization and management. During the hiring process, employers of big firms prefer to look at candidates that have an MBA degree as potential hires.
You can also read our blog on Reasons to opt for MBA after Engineering.
For a graduate, an MBA degree is beneficial as it helps them escalate their career and reach higher posts in the company. MBA is the umbrella, under which there are different specialization courses:
This course teaches students the skills of understanding consumer behavior, market research, marketing tools and techniques, digital and native advertising, and tips on how to boost sales by understanding the market competition.
This course enables students to oversee the financial management of the organization- from planning and implementing to regulating the inflow and outflow of assets. Students who possess an innate understanding of math can choose this course as it provides one of the highest paying career opportunities after engineering.
This course teaches students how to use data analytics tools to mine through countless data points, break them up, and sort them into meaningful areas for the company to take action on. ‘Data Scientists’, as they are called, is one of the great career options after engineering.
The Operation Manager’s role in an organization includes managing product quality and customer relations along with keeping track of the inventory and supply management. Along with this the key role of an operations manager is boosting productivity. During the course of MBA in operation management as higher studies after B.Tech, you will be taught these skills.
MBA is a degree that requires certain prerequisites from enrolling candidates:
Having an MBA degree adds an important point of differentiation on your resume. So when you go to a company for an interview, an MBA degree really shines. After completion, you can look for a job in the following career options after engineering:
If you want more information on what can be your job opportunities after MBA, click here.
The most compared degree to an MBA is Masters in Management. At a fundamental level, they are the same – both are specialization courses that offer skills for the workforce. On all other fronts, they are different from each other:
Masters in Accounting is a practical and skill-oriented program. Focusing on subjects pertaining to account management, it enables students to develop analytical and technical skills that help them in their professional development. Above all, if one is looking for accounting as one of the career options after engineering, then a master’s in accounting will help them create a foundation of the required skills.
A master’s degree in financial economics is for that B.Tech graduate that wants to enter the world of business finance. It readies you with academic knowledge and know-how to make you a competent financial analyst in the finance industry. Many fresh graduates chose financial economics, a blooming sector, as a focus of their higher studies after B.Tech.
Businesses are increasingly looking for people who can look at the big picture and develop a way forward for the company. A master’s in strategic management provides you with the skills to do just that. MiM in strategy management enables students to formulate strategies after looking at rising market trends and consumer insights, and thereafter implement it in the different areas of impact.
Though MiM is less stringent that an MBA in terms of requirements, but, there are still certain criteria that a candidate must match in order to enroll in the program:
MiM becomes a perfect stepping stone for students who want to enter the business world but are wondering what to do after engineering. As mentioned above, fresh graduates can look at a degree in MiM as higher studies after btech. It opens them to the following career options after engineering, for instance:
You may wonder that these are not jobs that are higher in the corporate ladder. This can be interpreted as a con of a degree in MSc. However, it shouldn’t be. An MiM degree is much readily available to students who have just graduated from B.Tech and offer them a quick way up the ladder once they enter a company.
A Masters in Engineering Management is designed to link three different aspects together under one course- technology, engineering, and management. It is popularly called the engineer’s MBA as it develops similar skills
A MEM degree is perfect for those graduates who want to stay close to their engineering field yet hone the skills of the management world. The curriculum enables the students to develop the skills of managing the engineering process and devise ways of making it more effective. In addition to this, the idea behind this course is to blend the skills of engineering and management. Also, to construct a plan that is highly efficient and enables high productivity from the employees.
Fresh graduates who want to enter the business world but not in the traditional management roles gee rally sought for an MEM degree. They want to do it through their particular field of interest because they want to rise higher on the hierarchy of the company.
MEM like all other courses also expects certain requirements from prospective candidates:
Once the MEM degree is completed you are not restricted to just stick in the engineering circle. For instance, MEM is the engineers MBA and is a reputed degree which opens up many career options after engineering:
Before moving to the final degree option, I would like to make a case for students who wish to pursue a degree in business and exploring what to do after engineering.
Many students think as to why they should do a business degree after engineering. Many think that entering the business world starts at the undergraduate level. But this is untrue. Nowadays, more and more engineering graduates are switching to a business career as it offers a better return to their career opportunities. There are other benefits as well:
Engineers in the digital age are expected to do more than their required work. In other words, sometimes they are expected to manage other members of the company. For this, a business degree helps them hone the skills of business and employee management. In conclusion, engineers with a management degree are more liked by companies than those with just an engineering one.
Many students in India enter into the engineering world under parental pressure. We are all aware of the film 3 Idiots. Although, it is a fictional story, many of its scenes were inspired by the real lives of engineering students. In conclusion, for those who believe themselves to be better at social skills, especially, for those who have a knack for leading a team, the world of business opens up many career opportunities after engineering.
Though this is subjective, generally, the monetary benefits within the business world outweigh those in the engineering departments. However, this is not a definite reason to switch career options. For instance, those who are in need of money, the business world can provide good starting salaries.
All in all, the skills of an engineer, combined with the knowledge of the business management world, is like a perfect receptive to a potential hiring process. The logical understanding provided by the engineering courses, couple well with the strategic thinking needed in the business world. Therefore, many of the B.Tech graduates are increasingly looking to skill up their business knowledge to become highly employable.
The safest bet for a B.Tech student is for them to continue their original path. Similar to your B.Tech degree, M.Tech provides further and more in-depth knowledge on your chosen branch of engineering and acts more like an extension of your undergraduate studies. However, in an M.Tech course, you are more involved with the practical implementation of the knowledge gained during the B.Tech years.
In the above segment, I feel I’ve given a very one-sided approach to the benefits an engineering student might get by pursuing a business degree in their higher studies after B.Tech. In conclusion, to balance out the arguments, I have complied why M.Tech is still one of the most important degrees in a country like India:
M.Tech also needs some prerequisites from willing candidates, for instance:
Having an M.Tech degree is still a matter of honor. In addition, it opens up many career options after engineering degree:
Specific to your respective discipline, there are more career options after engineering:
A degree in civil engineering prepares the student for careers in the construction industry, design and management. Divided on the basis of Contract and consult, civil engineers are enabled to be involved in the design process of a project, by collaborating with architects. Basically, become a contractor and make the design of others become a reality while managing the productivity, budgeting, sourcing of material, etc.
Chemical engineers utilize their knowledge to design machinery that is able to convert raw materials into usable ones. Their technical know-how of chemistry, combined with the ability of solving problems, provides them great career options after engineering to use modern technology like nanotech to the use of the general public.
Mechanical engineers use their skills to improve mechanical processes and products. Their knowledge can help them get jobs after engineering in the manufacturing and power sectors
This study disciple overlaps with other forms of engineering and allows the student to pursue a career in construction to communication. The primary role of electrical engineers in the workforce is to design, develop, and maintain electrical systems and products.
All in all, the choice to pursue which course lies solely on the individual. In conclusion, in this article, I have tried to present the pros and cons of what to do after engineering each of the choices of career options after B.Tech, along with what you will be requiring to get going, the rest of the decision lies with you.
