How to become an Automobile Engineer: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Salary

How to become an Automobile Engineer: Quick Facts

Types of Automobile Engineers

Primarily there are three types of Automobile Engineers:

• Design Engineers: They are mainly in charge for the design aspect of a vehicle. Design Engineers primarily work towards developing the visual appearance of a vehicle and also are involved in the concept design.
• Development Engineers: They work toward improving efficiency of the existing vehicles and developing new ones. They are accountable for automobile level testing, its validation and certification. They do research and find solutions to engineering problems.
• Production Engineers: They are involved in the manufacturing process of the automobile. In all they are responsible for the design, development, implementation, operation, maintenance, and control of all processes in the manufacturing of vehicles.

Steps to Become an Automobile Engineer

Some of the key steps that must be followed in order to become an automobile engineer in India are listed below for your reference,

• Step 1 – Complete necessary educational qualifications: Getting a bachelor's degree in a related field is the first requirement that must be followed in order to become an automobile engineer. Getting a degree in mechanical engineering is a wonderful approach to start with. Automotive engineering may be available as a specialisation in several mechanical engineering programmes. One can choose to pursue a master's or PhD degree in mechanical engineering or in a field relevant to automotive engineering, such as powertrain dynamics, fuel cells, or car dynamics, if anyone wants to work in research and development or academia. 
• Step 2 – Get into an internship: Post succesfully completing the required degrees one can choose to get into an internship and gain a first hand experience of what actually rolls down in an automobile engineering industry. Through internships, one can learn about the sector both during and after their education. Internships provides with the chance to work on actual projects and may enable candidates to find their area of expertise. Additionally, one can acquire possibilities for mentorship and gain access to a professional network.
• Step 3 – Join the industry: Post working as an intern across any automobile engineering organization, one can choose to join across any entry level positions. After joining candidates have even more chances to expand their knowledge of the industry and learn insightful things about the automobile sector. As an automotive engineer, candidates can specialise in fluid mechanics, thermal engineering, simulation, automation, and control. As a fresher mechanical engineer, one can test automobile parts and features, enhance the performance of fuel systems and powertrains, and create safer, lighter, and more environmentally friendly materials to cut down on costs and emissions. Candidates can use these experiences to get ready to apply for your engineering licence.
• Step 4 – Get a license: Candidates need to have a licence in engineering to work as a full-fledged vehicle engineer. A four-year engineering degree from an authorised university is required to register for a licence. As per the Professional Engineers Board (PEB) mandates that applicants have at least four years of relevant experience before they can submit an application to become professional engineers. After that, candidates go through an interview, the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination, and the Practice of Professional Engineering Examination. Before being granted their licence as a professional engineer, the board additionally requires applicants to appear in a formal interview. You have more access to consulting, fieldwork, and government contracts if you are a licenced automotive engineer. The licence may also entitle you to management and leadership positions and permit you to demand greater prices.
• Step 5 – Invest in professional upgradation: Candidates have a variety of conventional and professional career development alternatives at their disposal if they want to improve their employability and skill set. Advanced degrees are available such as electric propulsion systems, artificial intelligence, and autonomous driving. Professional qualifications like the Project Management Professional PMP) certification and other industry-recognized credentials can potentially open doors for career advancement.

How to Become an Automobile Engineer in India

People in this career are required to communicate with other professionals on a regular basis, both from within the field and outside it. Hence, this career is only for those with fluent communication skills. While automobile engineers must be innovative, eager workers, they must not get carried away. Automobile engineers generally tend to focus in a particular area. The most common area of specialization includes exhaust systems, engines and structural designs.

How to become an Automobile Engineer After Class 12th

After Class 10, students can take up subjects, mandatorily from Science stream, like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. After clearing Class 12th board exam students can prepare for various entrance exams such as JEE Advanced, JEE Main, MET etc.

School Level Preparation:

Students who are planning to pursue a degree course in Automobile Engineering must hail from science background (PCM) and should have passed their 10+2 or any equivalent examination from CBSE or a recognized board and must have studied Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics as the main subjects.

UG Preparation:

From UG level the student officially enters the gateway to Automobile Engineering, hence coping up to the syllabus of the course is discipline, and students should always be in touch with the methods and practices.

The syllabus of Automobile Engineering course is given below:

PG Preparation:

For PG course it is all about specialization. In Bachelor’s degree after having an all round knowledge of Automobile Engineering, you can pursue some specialization in this field by opting Masters in Automobile Engineering. To pursue this you need to pass UG with a minimum 50% and also you need to qualify GATE.

Automobile Engineering Courses

There are several courses ranging from Diploma courses to Doctoral degrees for an individual to become an Automobile Engineer. Below tabulated are few of them

There are a number of courses that are available for students to become an automobile engineer.Below are tabulated few of the important ones:

Automobile Engineering: Eligibility Criteria

• For admission in B.Tech Automobile Engineering candidates who have passed class 12th in PCM/PCMB disciplines are eligible.
• The candidates must have a minimum of 50% of their marks in board exams.

Entrance Exams for Automobile Engineering

• For UG Level: JEE Main
• For PG Level: GATE

Automobile Engineering Entrance Exams

• Candidates should follow a disciplined time table schedule where the subjects that are complex and tricky should be studied first also the rest of the subjects should also be done with utmost care and attention. Time table Management ensures equal distribution of Individual’s focus and concentration.
• Candidates should also prepare via mock tests available online to have regular practice and understand the paper pattern and process.
• Candidates should refer to tutorials, eBooks, and other study materials.
• Candidates must practice daily to gain expertise and used to the management of time and also to hold a strong gasp of critical equations and numerals.

Some of the top Colleges in India offering Courses for Automobile Engineering are as follows:

How to Become an Automobile Engineer Abroad

In the USA, the Midwest is the best place to be an automobile engineer because of the concentration of automobile manufacturing firms in the region. In Europe, Germany is the leading automobile manufacturer. There is a large demand for Automobile Engineers in Japan, South Korea and China. So anyone interested can opt for this.

United Kingdom

The UK is very popular in the automobile industry as the country is also one of the leading manufacturers of luxury cars such as Rolls Royce, Land Rover, etc. It offers a Masters's Program in Automobile Engineering at many globally recognized universities. Pursuing this course in the UK is bound to improve your skills in reference to this field and also it will be a huge opportunity to experience international living. Although the tuition fee is costly nevertheless with scholarships and educational loans one can easily experience abroad education.

Australia

Australia is globally known for its technology and engineering related courses. Automobile Engineering is one of the most sought after programs in this country. To enroll for Masters in Automobile Engineering in Australia, applicants must submit their English proficiency test  IELTS (6.5) or TOEFL (90) scores. More information regarding the detailed list of admission and eligibility requirements enquired with the specific University. Australia is an expensive country for education. Part time employment and education loans are highly recommended by the students. Scholarships are also offered at some colleges in this country.

Canada

Masters in Automobile Engineering in Canada is for providing an advanced level of knowledge related to the field. Education in this country is often regarded as high quality and student friendly. Prerequisites for Masters in Automobile Engineering in Canada include Bachelor's Degree, CV/Resume, Letter of Recommendation, English Proficiency test IELTS or TOEFL scores etc. Scholarships are offered at some Universities. Public Universities are expensive as compared to Private Universities. Education loans are offered for this programme.

Pros & Cons of becoming an Automobile Engineer

There are both pros and cons of becoming an Automobile Engineer, some of them are tabulated below,

Benefits of becoming an Automobile Engineer

• Salary: The salary of an automobile engineer depends upon various factors. An automobile engineer who is fresher usually gets a stipend of INR 20,000 – INR 30.000 during the training period. However, the salary package and incentives go on increasing as per their experience in the industry.
• Job Security: The job of an Automobile Engineer is secured because of its growing demand in the Automobile Industry. In India, the Automobile Industry is one of the largest in the world in the world with an annual production of 23.37 million vehicles (in FY 2014-15). And in Europe, Germany is the leading automobile manufacturer. There is a large demand for Automobile Engineers in Japan, South Korea, China and India.
• Higher Studies: Higher Study is available in this field. Some of the Universities offer Doctoral Programmes in Automobile Engineering (PhD). The basic criterion is to qualify the Masters Degree in Automobile Engineering with 50%. So if anyone is not interested in the practicality of Automobile Engineering they can simply opt for research works in this field.
• Unique Experience: The experience generated while working as an Automobile Engineer is indeed unique. Firstly for many it is a passion turned to profession, which deals with sophisticated vehicles, which run worldwide. The process behind this is indeed hardworking and unique, but the outcome is awestrucking. So, if anyone gets to experience this it will be worth the memory.

Skills Required to become an Automobile Engineer

• You must have considerable consideration and interest in mechanics, electronics, and mathematics as these are the three fundamental skills required for this career path.
• You must be a well thought-out individual who is able to work in a meticulous manner.
• People in this career are required to communicate with other professionals on a regular basis, both from within the field and outside it. Hence, this career is only for those with fluent communication skills.
• While automobile engineers must be innovative, eager workers, they must not get carried away. Automobile engineers generally tend to focus in a particular area.