As an engineer, your competencies and skills are beneficial across various fields. With multiple career paths available, you can achieve your dream job with great benefits and handsome pay. In addition, the field offers the option of specializing in a wide range of areas. From the most common and oldest domains like electronics, electrical, civil, and mechanical to the most recent emerging fields like biomedical and mechatronics, engineering has numerous career prospects.
Often, it can be difficult to determine a career path or to recognize how your specific industry will grow in the future. You might worry if your future wages will be better or if you will be able to find work in the competitive job market. It is the fear that resides in the mind of many students. The following list highlights four in-demand engineering degrees that will help decide your career path and may lead to your dream job.
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Data Science
Current trends clearly favor automation and information technology, and the same can be said for the future. So, if you are an avid mathematician who enjoys solving computational problems, the data science field may be right for you. In the program, you will learn both theoretical and practical applications of methods and algorithms.
The demand for data scientists is on the rise due to the emergence of big data today. Companies understand that they need experts to collect, manage, store, and transform raw data into useful information. As there are many fast-track positions available that rank among the top ten engineering jobs in terms of salary, benefits, and stability, the degree in data sciences can lead to a variety of career opportunities in areas like predictive analytics, quantum computing, or data mining.
Even after earning a bachelor’s degree, you have the option of upgrading to a Master’s degree in engineering online, focusing specifically on data science. Obtaining postgraduate education will expand your knowledge and experience, as well as demonstrate to employers your passion for your field of study.
Biomedical Engineering
The biomedical engineering field is a great fit for someone who wants to change lives for the better. Its degree combines engineering principles and techniques with biological sciences and medical fields in an interdisciplinary fashion.
The goal of biomedical engineering is to develop machines that contribute to the health industry. In addition, you may have to deal with software, computer systems, or any other components used to diagnose or treat a medical condition. If you’ve always been fascinated by medicine but somehow chose to study engineering, this is a great bonus domain for you.
A degree in biomedical engineering can prepare you to develop the next breakthrough formula to solve clinical problems like delayed wound healing. The program does not limit you to one particular specialty but provides a wide range of options, like biomaterials, biomechanics, tissue engineering, rehabilitation engineering, and medical imaging.
Generally, biomedical engineers are employed by healthcare organizations, hospitals, or research groups. The variety of career paths associated with the field include:
- Nanotechnologist
- Rehabilitation Engineer
- Manufacturing Engineer
- Biotechnologist
- Biomaterials developer
Due to the aging population, low birth rate, and increasing abnormalities in populations, the need for biomedical engineers is increasing every day. The healthcare industry realizes that it needs to hire professionals who can effectively use the latest biomedical technologies. The printing of organs in 3D, stem cell technology, and prosthetics such as artificial organs are a few of them.
According to reports, employment in biomedical engineering is expected to grow by 23%.
Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering is a great choice if you like nature and care about preserving it for future generations. It applies engineering principles to maintain a positive relationship between human beings and nature.
As an environmental engineer, you can prevent adverse effects caused by natural or human activity. Also, with this degree, you will be able to improve the overall quality of the environment, including water quality, pollution control, green building construction, and waste disposal.
In terms of job prospects, environmental engineers can find employment in the construction industry, in environmental or human services agencies, or with the government. While some engineers devote their energy to construction sites, others work in labs and offices.
Jobs in the field are expected to grow by 12% between 2014 and 2024, which is faster than the average rate across industries.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is one of the diverse disciplines with various career paths. It uses the principles of energy, force and motion to design, build and test mechanical devices. Their basic duties include developing prototypes, testing them, designing tools, analyzing results, problem diagnosis and solution recommendation.
A mechanical engineering degree is a good choice for those who prefer mathematics and physics over any other subject. It will not only sharpen your research, design, and manufacturing abilities but also polish up your logical and analytical thinking abilities. If you complete your bachelor’s degree, you can select from several specialties, including gaseous plasmas, control systems, and biomechanics.
Due to an increasing number of industries, mechanical engineers are frequently in demand. Therefore, there is less likelihood of oversaturation in the mechanical engineering market.
Conclusion
By taking a look at the above list, you can get a good sense of which engineering degrees are most in demand.
In a nutshell, it’s no secret that data sciences will be the most sought-after degree in 2021. While other emerging fields such as biomedical engineering are growing fast and will likely see more positions in the coming years, the demand for conventional engineering degrees, like mechanical and environmental engineering, is still high.
Job hunting becomes easier with specialization, so a field expert with a specialized degree and experience is more likely to get a job sooner than a person with just a bachelorette degree.