The Engineering Career Choice
photo credit: JoshMcConnell
There is a lot of pressure on adolescents to pick a career. One of the careers they could consider is engineering. Even at the tender age of 13 or 14, teachers and parents a lot of times put pressure on children to make up their minds. There is so much emphasis on selecting the appropriate subjects to take exams in that will help the career choice. And, while in high school, they are encouraged to take “hard subjects” like chemistry or physics. School exams lead on to college and university and there are big decisions to make, like what engineering field to go into.
If the wrong choice to go into engineering is made, it needn’t be the end of the world. Students have been halfway through an engineering curriculum and decided that it wasn’t for them. Many of them successfully switch courses to something that they are suited for. Doing an engineering or science subject at school doesn’t really give an insight into what it will be like to study it in depth at college. After the studies are over, career choice is the next step. Some people are lucky and definitely know what they want to do from a young age. Others change their minds a million times.
It’s difficult to decide on an engineering job and one doesn’t really know what it is like until one tries it. Young people are not encouraged to study engineering just for the status of it and so a lot of time and effort has been put into choosing classes designed for the correct career path. Career advisors at school can help or talking with an adult who does engineering. Some engineering jobs appear to be very glamorous and it’s easy to forget that they are probably hard work as well. There is a downside to most jobs, even being a model or a business tycoon. Career choice should have enthusiasm; it’s no good selecting something purely on the grounds that it offers security. Very few careers offer cast iron security these days, especially engineering employment, but it’s important to remember that a lot of hours are spent at work and no one wants to die of boredom.
It’s also vital to be realistic when planning an engineering career. The best thing is to work to one’s strengths and most people know what they would be bad at, at least. Career choice in a technical field is a matter of choosing something that will be enjoyed but is not an unrealistic dream, forever out of reach. Perhaps a hobby could be turned into a career. Everyone has at least one skill or interest that can be developed.
That is some inspirational stuff. Never knew that opinions could be this varied. Thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.
Having been down this road myself, i believe it’s best to let kids pick their own career paths. All we can do is to give them directions!
PC Maintenance´s last blog ..Computer Repair Tools
Some lucky people just grow up knowing what they want to do. Others, like me didn’t have a clue. I ended up doing one of the engineering trades – like my dad. I ended up loving it and continued for many years, and it payed my way around the world. Eventually I moved on to other things, but the engineering background has always been a great asset.
Harry @ Dial Calipers´s last blog ..Amazon.com Calipers
Hey, I stumbled on this website a few weeks ago and must say that Im very impressed with the information you’re providing. Keep up the good work and good luck!
If you are lucky enough to be working in an a field that you are passionate about then you are extremely fortunate. Far too many people are happy going to work solely for the sake of bringing home a pay packet.
I wanted to drop you a quick note to express my thanks. I’ve been reading through your blog for a few days or so and have picked up a ton of excellent information as well as enjoyed the way you’ve structured your site. I’m trying to run my own blog however I think its too general and I need to focus more on smaller topics. Being all things to all people is not all that its cracked up to be.
It is tragic that people give up because they get discouraged. Quite likely, they allowed some of their discouragement to affect their job search long before they gave up, reducing their chances for success. Maintaining a positive, confident attitude is critical.
Well honestly the engineering career is not very easy. There is so many things involved. As all the comments and the article has mentioned. But if engineering is something you love to do, you should live u with it. It’s better to work hard with something you love rather than working less in something you don’t like.
I really like the point you made about flexibility. Although we need to plan the things ahead, at the same time we must be prepared of any untoward happenings that may change the course of our plan.Being prepared is more important and one can be prepared only if one is flexible enough.