Choosing The Right Engineering Branch:
Are you one of the many students who at this point in time have decided to pursue engineering? If yes, can you reason out your decision? Once you’ve done that, could you determine whether you really are interested to go ahead with it? Specifically, why is choosing the right engineering branch important?
As someone having first hand knowledge of the environment around engineers and engineering colleges in general, I’d advise you to read on. Thank me later.
Each year, thousands of students choose engineering as their educational stream. This is done without giving adequate thoughts as to whether it’s the right choice for them or not. The general perception in our society is that Engineers, Doctors and Lawyers are superior to other professionals and the life they live is better in comparison too. Well, this is far from truth. As surprising as it may sound, in the corporate world, most engineers do not work on technologies they’d once dreamed about.
While an engineer can live a comfortable life, that’s not the case with everyone who chooses this career. Every profession requires you to put in loads and loads of hard work if you wish to achieve even the slightest amount of success. You can’t just pick one of the aforementioned streams and be rest assured about having secured your future. Following what your seniors or neighbors are pursuing or what your parents or relatives suggest you to take up for yourself shouldn’t be your only guiding light.
Every student needs to put in efforts and try to get a basic idea of what interests them, what domain do they like to read and learn about and what is it that they like doing the most. In fact, it could be anything ranging from technology, managing people, sports, writing and expressing their thoughts, other creative tasks, etc.
Having said that, you then need to dig deeper and figure out if you eventually take up engineering, what branch suits you the most. Look up on the internet, read, consult people and analyse it for yourself. Do not take this step lightly at any cost.
There are tons of students who pick branches like mechanical engineering or even structural / civil engineering just because they wish to take up high value positions at various MNCs in this sector.
Out of the 154 hours each of us have every week, you spend about 40-55 on your professional career. Don’t let that time be dedicated to doing something solely for money. Money sure helps you lead a certain lifestyle by affording luxury. But that’s not it all. The world isn’t only about money. So choosing the right engineering branch shouldn’t be about it either. Do what you think interests you. Sure, try to major in a marketable area. But you could go one better and make yourself marketable.
That is a far fetched dream. Once enrolled, most of these students realize that being a Civil or a Mechanical engineer is not their cup of tea. Most of your batchmates irrespective of wherever you study won’t be interested to work as an engineer and won’t make an effective career out of it. Their disinterest will create confusion about their career path. Similarly, many students from a variety of streams end up struggling to get a job. Some of them take up those available in financial firms, many receive training in basic computer programming and end up working in software companies, and most others are going for MBAs these days.
It’s not a pretty scenario for someone who is directionless or is misinformed about the next part of life after college. Find out what’s your calling in life. Don’t just follow the herd. It’s too early an age to know will you be able to pursue it even if you aren’t particularly interested it. But efforts taken from your end could go a long way in making the correct choice. Hence, choosing the right engineering branch and educational track holds prime importance.
Read about how to pick up majors without knowing anything about them, here.
