5 Alternative Career Options For An Engineering Graduate

According to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), an approximate of 15 lakh engineering graduate with an engineering degree are qualified, in India. This is a huge number and the reason behind it is the many Indian parents who push their children to pursue either engineering or medical. Little do they make an effort to realise if their children will be happy with the career field they choose for them.

There are many young individuals who are studying for their engineering degrees but have absolutely no intention of pursuing a typical engineering job/career. So what should such individuals do then? Find a job that doesn’t interest them or pick a career that interests them?

While studying engineering, students develop attributes like problem solving, logical thinking, strong numeracy, management, communication, etc. With these, an engineering graduate can land a job in many non-engineering fields. This said, there are many career options open for the engineering graduates other than engineering.

1.Sales and Marketing:

With an engineering degree in hand, an engineering graduate can take up a job in the department of sales and marketing of a manufacturing company that manufactures engineering products such as industrial machinery, medical diagnostic machines/equipment, etc. Even though individuals holding a degree in sales and marketing take up jobs, majority of times, the employers require personnel who have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the working of such huge machinery. Engineering graduates fulfil this requirement and can thus pick up a career in sales and marketing. 

2. Technical Writing:

If you are good with words and have a sound understanding of language and writing, then technical writing is yet another career you can choose to pursue. The work of a technical writer involves researching and writing about technical communication which is used for industry purposes. This also involves writing and drafting manuals and guides of software and other manufacturing machineries. To take up the job of technical writing, an engineering graduate must have the skill of understanding the complex scientific mechanism of the product and then put it into simple words easy for a common man to understand. 

3. Entrepreneurship:

To become an entrepreneur, all you need is an innovative idea and the funds to execute the same. A huge young majority today wants to become a well performing entrepreneur. However, keep in mind that if entrepreneurship is something that you seriously want to consider doing, then you won’t be becoming rich overnight. The way till that destination is going to be long. 

4. Project Management:

An engineering graduate can choose to work as a project manager if he/she has good leadership, communication, problem solving, and decision making qualities. Project management involves planning, executing, innovating and accomplishing the goals of a specific project. If you are a person with stellar managerial qualities and the hunger to keep working and learning something new in every project, then you must go ahead with this. 

5. Film Making:

A completely different career field altogether, filmmaking is something you can get into if you have all your hearts for the movie world. Recently, a lot of engineers are seen diverting to filmmaking and photography as well, from engineering. The creative minds that have an eye for detail can try their hands at film making. Under this, one can either take up cinematography, direction, production, set designing, scriptwriting and even acting. You can start by working on short films and gradually build your contacts to enter the film industry. Moreover, with the digital platform available, opportunities just waiting to be grabbed. 

It is okay to study engineering and not take up a pure engineering job, especially when there are a plethora of career options that guarantee an equally bright future. All you need to do is find an option that catches your interest the most and strives to pursue it.