How to Become an Engineer: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Eligibility, Top Colleges, Jobs, Salary

There are various classifications of Engineers on the basis of their specializations. Listed below are the major bifurcations amongst Engineers for your reference,

Electrical Engineers

Mechanical Engineers

Civil Engineers

Biomedical Engineers

Chemical Engineers

Engineering Courses

In order to become an Engineer, there are several courses that can be pursued starting from Diploma, Undergraduate courses, Postgraduate courses to PhD courses. The sections below will discuss elaborately about the courses as well as their prerequisites for your reference.

Diploma Courses

Diploma in Engineering can be a full time or part time course. Students can pursue a diploma after completing 10+2. Students with science backgrounds are eligible for this course. There are various specialized diploma courses to choose from such as Diploma in Automobile Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering.

Admission Process: The admission process is conducted online. Then they need to clear the entrance exams for the respective colleges/universities. To appear in entrance exams, the candidate must have secured minimum 50% in aggregate.

Undergraduate Engineering Courses

B.Tech is a full time undergraduate engineering degree course that can be pursued for appearing in various Engineering Entrance Exams such as JEE Main, JEE Advanced, BITs and VITEEE. Students can pursue this course across various specializations such as, BTech Civil Engineering, BTech Mechanical Engineering, BTech Computer Engineering and others.

Admission Process: The admission process to pursue this course is conducted online. Students need to clear respective entrance exams to pursue BTech engineering courses. The entrance exams are combined entrance exams for most of the colleges/universities. Some colleges conduct counseling also after clearing the entrance exam.

Entrance Exams: Some of the top Entrance Exams that are conducted for enrolling students for various BTech Engineering courses are tabulated below along with their itinerary for your reference. 

Read More: Top BTech Colleges in India

Eligibility Criteria: To appear in the entrance examinations, students must complete 10+2 securing a minimum of 60% of average marks from any recognized university. Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics should be the compulsory subjects in 10+2.

Postgraduate Engineering Courses

M.Tech / M.E is a full time postgraduate engineering degree course with an average course duration of 2 years. To pursue this course, students should appear in various entrance exams such as GATE, UPCET, AP PGECET etc. Students can pursue Postgraduate Engineering courses across various specializations such as M.Tech Civil Engineering, MTech Mechanical Engineering, MTech Computer Engineering, ME Civil Engineering, ME Software Engineering etc.

Admission Process: The admission process to pursue this course is conducted online. Students need to clear the relevant entrance exams to pursue a postgraduate degree in engineering courses. Some colleges conduct counseling also after clearing the entrance exam. 

Read More: 

Entrance Exams: The various entrance exams that are conducted for appearing in M.E/ MTech courses are the following:

Eligibility Criteria: To appear in the entrance examinations, students must complete graduation in engineering, securing a minimum of 60% of average marks from any recognized university.

PhD Engineering Courses

Students who clear UGC NET  exams are eligible to pursue doctoral degree courses in engineering. The duration of the Ph.D. courses varies from 3- 5 years. Entrance examinations are conducted by various universities in the respective discipline.

Admission Process: The admission process to pursue this course is conducted online. Students need to clear the relevant entrance exams conducted by the universities to pursue a doctoral degree in engineering courses. A personal interview round is also conducted after clearing the written exam for doctoral courses. 

Eligibility Criteria: To appear in the entrance examinations, students must complete post-graduation in engineering, securing a minimum of 60% of average marks from any recognized university. They also need to clear UGC NET or CSIR UGC NET to be eligible to appear in the entrance examination.

How to become an Engineer in Abroad

Around 20% of the candidates who pursue engineering prefer studying abroad for the innumerable facilities and benefits that it tags along with it. For an engineer to get hired in top colleges abroad, the candidate has to follow certain eligibility criteria that are discussed in the sections below.

Some of the top countries that are majorly opted by the candidates to pursue engineering are USA, UK, Canada and Australia. The selection process for each country is different and so is their eligibility criteria. One of the most crucial eligibility criteria that is taken into consideration while studying abroad is clearing various language proficiency tests such as TOEFL or IELTS. Candidates aspiring to study abroad should clear these tests with a minimum score of 70 & 8 respectively. The sections below will discuss them in detail for your reference.

How to Become an Engineer in USA

Students can pursue full-time UG and PG courses in engineering from the USA. The duration of this engineering course is 3 years. After completing this course, students get various job opportunities in the USA and also in other countries.

Admission Process: Although each university in the USA has set its own criteria for admission. So students should read the criteria very carefully. The admission process to pursue UG and PG courses of engineering in the USA, based on the scores obtained in the last qualifying exam and the entrance examinations conducted by the USA universities.

Educational Requirements: To pursue engineering courses in the USA, students need to have a prior 10+2 or bachelor's degree in the Science stream. Students should have Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as one the main subjects at their academic levels.

Other Requirements: Some of the other requirements for studying Engineering courses in USA are tabulated below,

• A minimum GPA of 3.0 -3.5 on a scale of 4.0 or equivalent is required.
• Minimum two reference letters from academic professors and
• A valid score in entry requirement tests like TOEFL, IELTS, etc,
• Valid student visa and citizenship certificate, etc.

Top Universities: The top Universities offering Engineering courses in the USA are tabulated below for your reference,

How to Become an Engineer in Australia

Students from India and other foreign countries prefer Australia to pursue Engineering courses for various reasons, some of them being Job opportunities are very good for the students who pursued engineering courses in Australia.UG, PG, and Ph.D. courses in engineering are available for the students. Apart from that, the salary structure is also marginally quite high as compared to that of India.

Admission Process: The admission process to pursue engineering courses in Australia is based on the marks obtained in graduation and postgraduation and the scores obtained in the entrance examination.

Educational Requirements: To pursue master’s courses, students should have a prior bachelor’s degree in engineering with a specialization. Students must study science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics at the higher school level.

Other Requirements: Some of the other essential prerequisites for pursuing Engineering courses in Australia are listed below,

• Letter of Recommendation from previous college from academic professors.
• A valid score in entry requirement tests like TOEFL and IELTS etc.
• Valid student visa and citizenship certificate, etc.

Top Universities: The top Universities offering engineering courses in Australia are as follows,

How to Become an Engineer in UK

The UK is counted as one of the best countries to pursue engineering courses. Students can opt for many specializations in engineering from the UK. Career growth and future job prospects are very good for the students pursuing engineering courses from the UK.

Admission Process: The admission process to pursue engineering courses in the UK, based on the scores obtained in graduation and the entrance examination.

Educational Requirements: To pursue engineering courses in the UK, students need to have a prior degree in the Science stream and should be a graduate degree in engineering with minimum 75%.

Other Requirements: Some of the other prerequisites for pursuing Engineering courses in UK are listed below for your reference,

• Letter of Recommendation from previous college from academic professors

• A valid score in entry requirement tests like TOEFL and IELTS etc.
• The minimum score in IELTS shall be 7.5 and above and for TOEFL the score required in 100
• Valid student visa and citizenship certificate, etc.

Top Universities: The top Universities offering engineering courses in the UK are as follows,

How to Become an Engineer in Canada

To pursue engineering courses from Canada, students need to pursue 10+2 in the Science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects. On the other hand, for pursuing master's degree in engineering courses, candidates should have completed graduation in engineering in any discipline. Some of the major requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to pursue Engineering courses in Canada are discussed below for your reference.

Admission Process: The admission process to pursue engineering courses in Canada is based on the scores obtained in 10+2 and graduation and also in the entrance examination.

Educational Requirements: To pursue engineering courses in Canada, students need to have a prior bachelor's or master’s degree in engineering with 75% to 80%.

Other Requirements: Some of the other requirements for pursuing Engineering courses in Canada are listed below for your reference,

• Proof of language proficiency must be submitted: This can include test results

• Applicants should submit a letter of reference, specifically if applying for scholarships or other financial aid.
• A valid score in entry requirement tests like TOEFL and IELTS etc,
• Valid student visa and citizenship certificate, etc.

Top Universities: The top Universities offering engineering courses in Canada are as follows

Benefits of Becoming an Engineer

The engineering sector has its benefits. Engineers always work in a challenging environment. Some of the advantages are discussed below:

• Good Salary Package: One of the main advantages of being an engineer is that they earn a decent sum of money. Candidates of IIT, NIT, and BITs pass out are offered a very good salary package in various multinationals such as amazon, Tata, Google, Larsen & Turbo, and even NASA.
• Promotional Benefits: As an Engineer, the candidate will get a lot of promotional opportunities. As the candidate gains experience, he will get promoted to an upper level. It is also dependent on the factor that the candidate stays with a company for a considerable amount of time.
• High Job security: Engineers are in high demand right now and companies are looking for able engineers. The job security is very high for engineers as the companies are paying a very high amount to qualified engineers.
• Job Prospects: The growth of engineers is very good. The engineers are not limited to the private sector but also have very good growth in the government sector too. Their salary increases very rapidly with experience. They can be promoted as a head. 
• International Opportunities: Engineers have the highest chances to go abroad for future opportunities. They also get a lot of opportunities to travel around the world for work.
• Job satisfaction: On an average, the job satisfaction is around 3.9 out of 5 on the statistical data provided by Payscale. Engineers enjoy their job and they get to explore and work with their creativity.
• Government Job Opportunities: Engineers have access to a wide variety of government jobs such as PWD, NHAI, Indian Railways, Municipal corporation etc.

Skills Required to Become an Engineer

Certain skill sets must be inculcated that would not only help in excelling but also help in creating a rock solid foundation about the subject as well as the profession. Some of the most crucial skills that are required in order to become an Engineer are tabulated below for your reference