8 Non Engineering Alternative Career Options After Engineering

Let’s face it – it’s a tough world out there for engineers. According to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), India sees around 8 lakh engineers graduating every year, and yet 60% of them remain unemployed. When hardcore engineering jobs are this hard to come by, it’s natural to expand your search into other fields and options. But what happens to the engineering degree that you spent four years pouring your blood, sweat and tears into? Does it become just another wall hanging or a long forgotten document tucked away in your closet? Or do you find a way to use it even in your field?

Channel your fascination and Interest into a career you love. Take the Mentoria holistic career assessment test, to find the right career fit for you based on your interest, personality, and ability. 

We’ve got some good news for you – here’s a list of 10 professions where you can actually put that BTech degree to good use:

Academician

Teaching is one of the oldest professions and quite rewarding too. Imagine being able to shape the next generation of engineers. Teaching at the pre-university or undergraduate level, preparing lecture materials and research, invigilating examinations, attending staff meetings, and attending conferences and seminars are just a few of the duties and responsibilities of an academician.All you need to do is get a postgraduate degree from a recognised university to qualify for a teacher’s role. Read more about it here. Add a PhD to your list of academic qualifications and you can even get into academic research!

Sales Engineer

A sales person’s pitch is only as convincing as their knowledge of the product. They need to know what problems their product/service can solve for their potential client. They also need to answer all the questions the clients may ask with absolute conviction. And no one knows technical products and services as well as you do, given that you spent four years learning all about such products. With the right kind of sales training, you’d make an amazing sales engineer! The primary responsibilities of a Sales Engineer include serving customers by identifying their demands and engineering product, equipment, and service adjustments and establishing personal connection with potential and existent customers, as well as others in a position to understand service requirements, to identify current and future customer service requirements. 
 

Marketing

B2B or buyer-to-buyer marketing is prevalent when it comes to capital goods, machines, circuits, communication services, etc. With your sound technical background, your engineering degree will help in marketing cutting-edge technology. In this case, you will be responsible for planning promotional marketing programmes in collaboration with members of the sales, marketing, advertising, product design, and product development teams. Developing editorial and content calendars for a variety of media platforms and sources. Add an MBA in Marketing to your list of degrees to help you get started in this field.

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Operations Manager

Most engineers know how machines are designed and how they work. Equipped with this information and decent project management skills, you’d make for an efficient operational manager. Streamlining the process, managing waste, as well as managing resources and time come under the purview of operation managers, be it in the service or manufacturing industry. In the manufacturing industry, operations managers are responsible of overseeing operations related to the production of goods and services. Their immediate responsibilities include managing both the operations process and the operations strategy, which includes design, planning, control, and performance.

Technical Writer

Not all writers work on the next bestseller novel or the next most viral headline. There’s a whole community of writers who talk about pure technology, and your understanding of the field will help you join this community. If you have excellent communication skills and a flair for writing, you should consider becoming a technical writer. Technical writers generally create product manuals, how-to guides, online help sections, journal articles, and other literature that simplifies and clarifies technical information.

Procurement

Just like a salesperson needs to know their product/service for selling it effectively, the buyer also needs to understand what they’re spending money for. For example, a civil engineer can be great at procuring cement and other building materials for real estate developers. You’ll be in charge of analysing suppliers, products, and services, negotiating contracts, and ensuring that approved purchases are cost-effective and of excellent quality Look at a role in procurement if you think this field is the one for you.

Technical Trainer

Not everyone has an appetite for learning technology like engineers do. As a technical trainer, you can train an organisation’s workforce on understanding and operating systems, machines, processes, software applications, etc. You’ll create and teach programmes to assist employees in gaining new computer skills. A technical trainer’s position and responsibilities vary depending on the firm and industry in which they operate. In general, you’ll assess training needs, conduct classes, and develop new materials to guarantee that personnel are technologically prepared for their jobs.

Technical Consultant

A lot of people are ditching their nine-to-five and setting up their own company. As they do so, they are going to need infrastructure, which may range from a simple LAN and Internet setup to procuring capital goods for manufacturing to installation of sophisticated software programs for project management. This is where a technical consultant comes in. Since an engineer’s technical expertise is unparalleled, you can advise companies on what technology works best for their business. You’ll also help firms improve their information technology so they can run more efficiently. Implementing hardware and software solutions, improving IT systems, and resolving technical issues will be among your responsibilities.

If you are an aspiring engineer, check out our blog series on That Engineering Life, where we cover what goes into cracking the JEE, what happens when you actually get to college, and what comes after. If you’re confused about which of these careers are best suited for you, begin by taking the Mentoria assessment – we’d be happy to help you figure out where you belong!

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