Being the most diverse of all engineering branches, mechanical engineering provides a lot of opportunities for career development and growth.
While most degrees would restrict you to find employment in a particular industry, a mechanical engineering degree enables you to be employed in a wide range of industries, which include:
Construction industry
Medical services
Manufacturing companies
Aerospace industry
Energy plants
Educational institutions
Civil services
Pharmaceutical companies
Automotive industry
Cosmetic companies
Defence industry
As is evident from the above, it is extremely difficult to list any particular industry that does not rely on mechanical engineers for the development of their product or services. Thus, there are innumerable career opportunities for mechanical engineers.
Apart from being an employee, mechanical engineers also have immense scope for self employment as well as freelance work. As an experienced mechanical engineer who has successfully handled diverse projects, it is possible to land lucrative contracts that can be short term or long term in nature. There are various agencies that help freelancers to find such contracts.
Mechanical engineering also provides you with good prospects for working abroad. In addition to the emerging economies of Eastern Europe, Asian countries such as UAE, China and India also offer great avenues for
mechanical engineering jobs. However, in order to be recognized professionally in other European countries, you need to be a chartered engineer and apply and receive the European engineer status (Eur Ing).
Future Trends
Mechanical engineers, in the next few years, will be at the forefront of developing new technology for environmental remediation, farming and food production, housing, transportation, safety, security, healthcare and water resources.??? ASME Report, 2008.
According to such reports, not just the next few years, but the next few decades will see an immense increase in the demand for mechanical engineers across all industries, thus making this a very sought after career path.
