Why Engineering is the Most Sough After Career in India

by Jessie Agarwal Career Counsellor

A mammoth number of 1.5 million engineering applications every year is enough to make everyone wonder what drives such huge response. Engineering has always enjoyed an unmatched reputation in India. There won’t be a household in literate families which does not have a qualified engineer or a student in that field.

There are various reasons why engineering has such a massive clout in India; parents and students alike consider it a career which cannot be pursued without any misgivings. Here are the causes behind it.

1. The Universal career of respect

You may not agree but you won’t be able to argue with Indian parents that engineering is the most respected career choice for their wards. Anything apart from engineering is considered beneath engineering. Often, students are forced into this career by their elders even though they might aspire to do something else with their lives.

2. Best colleges

The top engineering colleges in India are usually those which are technological institutes (in other words, engineering colleges). The IITs and other such institutes are the uncrowned kings of the Indian education world and they are basically engineering institutes. So, students who aspire to gain admission in them have to be pursuing engineering.

3. The varied fields

With the advancement of technology, engineering is no longer restricted to conventional fields. On the contrary, it has given birth to numerous fields which is one of the major reasons why students flock towards it in large numbers. Fields such as biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering, bio technology, environmental engineering, computer & software engineering, nuclear engineering and fire engineering present interesting careers for students who aspire to do something new.

4. The job prospects

India has emerged as a technology hub in the last decade. This has resulted in a surge in jobs for engineers, especially in the computer and software stream. This surge is also one of the major causes why students are preferring engineering over other careers.

5. High pays

Engineers enjoy high pay and huge salaries. This has been a big attraction for parents who want their children to earn more. Multinational companies who have their offices in India are famous for offering huge salaries to engineers.

6. The chance to explore

While this may not be true for all engineers, there are some who study engineering for the sole reason of exploring the world of science. Foreign countries offer great opportunities for research and development, especially in the field of engineering.

Even with all the facts, it cannot be ignored that having such a huge number of engineering graduates has its disadvantages too. Out of the 1.5 million students who graduate each year, only 255,000 are found employable according to the National Employability report.

The problems pertaining to finances can be solved by applying for scholarships for students to study engineering, which means that students can pursue their studies without any hurdles.

Author Bio:

Jessie Agarwal is a passionate blogger and journalist from India. She writes articles on various topics such as Education, gadgets, travels...etc. As of now she is focusing on Univariety, which provides career counselling for college students. The organization also helps school students in career exploration and planning.