Why Engineering?
Did you know that becoming a professional engineer is a highly rewarding career? Professional engineers can be highly paid with generous salaries and benefits. As well as an attractive salary, you can enjoy a flexible career with the options to be office based, production based, self employed or travel the world on projects.
There is much scope for a professional engineer to develop. You can transfer your skills to different sectors and with the correct qualifications; career progression into management is achievable.
Highly Paid
Professional Engineers are well paid - chartered engineer status is a solid foundation for a well remunerated career.
Typically, the comparative salary levels of practising professional engineers (i.e., those not yet in management or company director positions) from the highest down are;
- Chemical Engineering
- Electrical/Electronic
- Mechanical
- Civil
- Production
Current starting salaries are in the range £25,000 - £35,000 depending on discipline and industry sector.
The Engineering and Technology Board 2007 Salary Survey shows a mean basic income of a Chartered Engineer to have been approximately £54,000 at the time with 20% earning between £60,000 and £90,000.
In 2009 the top 10% will probably be earning £100,000 or more on average per annum.
For a full salary survey list visit: http://www.etechb.co.uk/_db/_documents/ERS_Bi_Annual_Survey_210907.pdf
Career Flexibility
This is much greater in engineering than in many other professions.
- The profession in all its forms is varied and university study courses present many option choices as the student progresses to graduation. The risk, therefore, of facing a "cul de sac" qualification is much lower than with many other subjects such as pharmacy, accountancy, dentistry, opthalmics etc. This allows the student time to determine what aspect of his discipline suits him best before specialisation. You can even take a joint Electrical and Mechanical degree at some universities.
- Flexible choices also extend as to where and how a student pursues his/her post graduate employment. Some will suit you better than others.
Main choices include;
Design Office Based
Work can come to you. World wide clients/experience but with you predominately home based. Continuity of employer opportunity is strong, whilst you can secure varied, challenging and interesting work.
Production Facility Based
Can be an extended home based, fixed location career but with opportunities to move within employers empire (perhaps overseas facilities), retaining continuity of employment.
Construction, Commissioning, Troubleshooting
You go to the work, wherever in the world it is, but you can still retain continuity of employer.
Self Employed
In some industry sectors e.g. design for oil and gas facilities, it is relatively commonplace for chartered engineers to be self employed and to follow the major projects around the globe. You will have to look after your own pension and tax affairs but it is lucrative if you are good enough.
These flexible choices compare very well with other professions that offer less variety, narrower experience, and fewer travel opportunities unless changing employer and, importantly, location.. eg, Medicine, Social Services, Pharmacy, Teaching etc.
Free Market
Professional engineering is generally a free market. You are portable. Go where you want, negotiate your own salary and conditions etc. This can have significant advantages as compared with other professions and public sector employment etc.
Management Progression
Opportunities for progression into engineering and company management, because of the chartered engineers' academic and numerate background, will continue to present themselves as his/her career develops.
Major Engineering design and management companies want accountants and lawyers "On tap but not on top". Understanding of project finance, cost reporting and forecasting techniques is essential for the management of major high cost projects and acquisition of these skills becomes necessary for advancement in project and company management.
Post graduate MBA's (Master of Business Administration) are encouraged by the engineering profession with several Scottish Universities including Glasgow and the Strathclyde University Business School offering among the best. You can give an engineer a good grasp of accountancy but you will never make an accountant an engineer and employers recognise this.
The majority of the board members of any major engineering company will comprise professional engineers so the opportunities are there!
Once progressed into senior engineering management in the competitive free market the sky is the limit for salaries.
Summary
Professional Engineering presents a challenging, high responsibility, exciting, financially rewarding career opportunity in an innovative and wealth creating environment.
Career Information
Links to career information from professional engineering Institutions
