Engineering: Anything But Mistake

Raise your left hand if you did not want to take up engineering, but took it up because others wanted you to. Raise the right one if you took it up by choice.

Keep raising until the end of the article if you have already started believing that it was a mistake.

By now, of course, you must have given up the thought of raising your hand, had you even considered it before.

WHY SO?

Perhaps because it always a choice that you had, much like it has always been; even in case of the choice of a course. And trust me, regardless of the hand-category that you identified yourself to be in after my first line break, you have NOT made a mistake.

I do not wish to say that engineering is a course that everyone should take. Nor do I wish to ask you to not pursue your passions. But what I do wish to do is to tell you why engineering is not a mistake, even if you do not end up getting a good job in your core field.

I. What if I do not get a job in my core field?

Good news first. There is a plethora of job opportunities that awaits you. So, if you’re busy calculating the number of jobs available and the number of engineers hungry for them, I’d want you to relax. For there are many more jobs that, though not necessarily related to your field, have tremendous growth opportunity.

• DATA SCIENTISTS: They are responsible for managing the big data into charts, sheets, statistics, etc. Key skills required:?Analytical mind, good knowledge of Excel
• BUSINESS ANALYSTS: They are responsible for identifying business needs, documenting processes, and solving business problems. Key skills required:?Analytical mind, good knowledge of Excel, basic knowledge of SQL querying
• GROWTH HACKERS: They are responsible for rapid experimentation across marketing funnel, product development, sales segments, and other areas of the business to identify the most efficient ways to grow a business.
• DIGITAL MARKETEERS: They are the backbone of marketing in the digital sphere - Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, Social Marketing, Email Marketing, User Acquisition, Content Marketing, App Marketing, etc. Not every subdivision requires a skill. But it is always good to obtain some knowledge through online courses.

Other options: Product management and project management are two other fields that form an integral part of the startup ecosystem. However, these are fields that might not always accept freshers.

II. Can I change my career path after completing engineering?

Of course you can. The most obvious choices are management and civil services. But this isn’t an exhaustive list. Many engineers have emerged as emcees, actors, directors, singers, content writers, photographers, event managers, entrepreneurs, and more. Other than this, you can also go for jobs in sales (B2C as well as B2B).

III. But how is engineering then relevant, if I am actually changing my career path?

1. Addresses curiosity:?For many, particularly those who were asked to raise their right hand in the beginning, engineering was a means to get answers to a lot of questions from the childhood — how bridges take all the load, how mere lines of codes can send a satellite into space, how an aircraft takes off from the ground, or how an induction motor starts (Courtesy: 3 Idiots). Likewise, all through your education, you will learn so many new things that will not not answer your childhood questions, but generate curiosity for more answers. And this, according to me, is the true essence of engineering.
2. Debugging and problem-solving:?Problem solving is a skill that finds its use not just in corporate sphere, but also in every walk of one’s life. As engineers/engineering students, we must find ourselves blessed for this is one skill that we all learn by the time we finish our education. And this is irrespective of your scores. And debugging is not limited to the blue screens of Turbo C++ from the first year lectures of Programming Fundamentals. But the process is similar. All you need to do is identify and check the input parameters & the processes (functions) these are subjected to. And you will have the solution.
3. Frugal innovation or Jugaad:?Another skill that engineering teaches better than any other field of studies is overcoming harsh constraints by improvising effective solutions using limited resources. And I am not talking merely in terms of the optimisation techniques that one learns in classroom. I also speak of your day-to-day lifestyle in an engineering college.

There’s a reason why, despite attending less than 50% of the lectures, the attendance is never short of 75%. There’s a reason why everyone manages to submit the assignments, despite knowing nothing. There’s a reason why, despite minimum seed money for fests, the college fests are always hit. That’s what engineering teaches you. And the practical applications? Well, they are endless.

IV. I am not interested in the particular discipline of engineering that I am enrolled in. How do I ensure I don’t make engineering the biggest mistake of my life?

Well, this is the most interesting question in the list; perhaps, the most difficult one too. But the solution is equally simple.

1. Structure your thought process and improve problem-solving skills:?You (3rd and 4th year students) must have often heard your teachers say that MATLAB is the language of engineers. Well, if not the syntax (though its syntax is the easiest one), you must at least try and develop a skill in algorithm design. This will further enhance your problem-solving ability. Furthermore, it will make your thought-process more structured.
2. Excel at Excel:?As long as you are interested in a job that is based on numbers, you must attain proficiency in spreadsheets and any database management system. While SPSS, R, Smartsheets, and other big data tools are available in the market, MS Excel & google spreadsheet still remain the most widely used tools. Why? They are free and everybody use them.
3. Take up online courses for the non-core jobs: I would not say that it is a necessity. But if want an edge over others (classmates or students from other colleges) while applying for the jobs mentioned in section I, you can always add to your CV some online courses and, maybe, some live projects in the same.

V. What if my interest lies elsewhere?

You, my dear friend, will have to answer the most difficult question — Is that interest a mere hobby or are you truly very passionate about it? If you are truly passionate about it, give it a genuine shot after engineering. Many of your seniors might have gone in creative fields; advertising, modeling, scriptwriting & direction, acting, singing, anchoring, are just some of those fields in which they might have achieved success.

For others, I still have some good news. If you manage your time well, you will have enough opportunities to pursue your hobbies along with your daily jobs. What’s more? You might even get a showcase them in corporate events or, better still, use them in corporate projects. But how you do that is purely up to your creativity.

Now, should people ever ask you of the mistakes that you made in your life, I hope they do not find engineering in the list. And more importantly, I hope that you start treating engineering as the RIGHT CHOICE made by you.

So, how about we have another show of hands by those who still believe that engineering is a mistake?