Mechanical engineering is considered as the best engineering stream not only because it is the oldest engineering discipline, but also it opens up a wide variety of career options. The technical content of the course helps you to grow in the field of engineering services, research and industry sectors. At the same time, analytical content of a mechanical engineering course opens up a variety of opportunities in finance and management sectors. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, it’s your passion and interest that matters. Let’s take a detailed look.
Higher Education:
If you are interested to carry your career forward in a technical path, Masters from prestigious institutions like IITs, IISc and selected NITs is worth giving a shot. Mechanical Design, Thermal Engg., Production Engg., Aerospace Engg. are Aeronautical Engg. are some of the most preferred specialization in Masters. After course completion, you can grab good jobs through campus placements. M.Tech will also provide sound technical knowledge, which will help to gain confidence in attending off-campus interviews as well. In order to secure admission at these institutions, you have to perform well in GATE examination. Cracking GATE has added advantages because most of the Public Sector companies (PSUs) prefer good GATE scores for selection.
M.Tech is a gateway to Ph.Ds, as well. If you want to nurture your career in academic/research field, Masters is the right choice. Additionally, you can check in to Ph.D. programmes from foreign universities with good scholarship using these credentials from premier institutes. MS from foreign universities is also one of the hot career options. You should qualify competitive exams like GRE, TOFEL/IELTS to enter into these universities.
Pursuing a management degree is another preferable career option after engineering. Every organization has two ladders for career growth - either technical or managerial. A B.Tech-and-MBA combination will help you to grow in the managerial line faster. It is important to persue MBA degree from top-branded institutions like IIMs, FMS and ISB. You have to secure good score in CAT exam to gain entry to these top B-schools guaranteeing high paying jobs.
Private Sector Jobs:
Though mechanical engineering offers wide variety of career prospects, getting into a job is not very easy nowadays. Competition is very high due to large number of candidates graduating per year. You can align your career based on your interest. Energy sector, Auto mobile sector, Aerospace industry, etc. offer best jobs for mechanical graduates. Marine engineering, Oil and Gas sector also offer promising jobs.
Skills and Competency Building
Knowledge and experience in design softwares (CAD/CAM - ProE, NX, Solid works), CAE tools like ANSYS, Abacus, Nastran, Hypermesh will open the gates to corporate world. There are certain certifications, training and courses available which can help you to enter into job markets, depending on your interest, aptitude, and long-term goals. These courses will help candidates get high paying jobs in Middle-east region, as well, since almost every industry needs these professionals.
HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) is a very good field offering lots of job opportunities, with the advent of large scale developments in the areas of commercial, residential, hospitality, industrial applications. High rise buildings not only in the metros, but also in the tier 1 and tier 2 cities will boost this field. This makes the requirements of specialized allied building services like air-conditioning & ventilation, fire & safety and plumbing much more demanding, requiring a higher level of engineering and co-ordination between all the services.
Courses in NDT, piping, safety etc. also have good scope. A few of them are - The Piping Design & Engineering Training program offered at Institute of Piping Engineering & Building Services (IPEBS), Hyderabad, and Post Graduate Diploma in Piping Design and Engineering at The MAEERS Maharashtra Institute. An engineer with ASNT level II certificate in RT, UT, MT and PT gets much better salary and promotion than a graduate engineer.
Public Sector Jobs:
You can consider applying for govt jobs, which can provide social and financial security. Exams like UPSC, SSC and RRB will help you to join central govt services. Public sector companies like NTPC, NHPL, HAL, BARC, BHEL etc. release job notifications for engineers almost every year. DRDO and ISRO also offer reputed scientist profiles for mechanical engineers.
IES - Indian Engineering Service: Qualifying IES exams can get you the best central govt jobs for engineers in their core domain.
IAS - Civil Service exam is another respectable option for any graduate. Though it is one of the toughest exams, coaching centers are there to help.
Defense: Indian Navy, Air Force and Army offer good career options for engineers. Selection is mainly through SSB interviews. With an engineering degree, you can easily move up the ranks to hold high paying, honorable officer positions in defense sector.
These are not the only options, there are many more. Please identify and define your interest, do proper research and select the best option that suits you..
Good Luck!
