Engineering is and will continue to be one of the world’s most pivotal occupations. As Isaac Asimov (the sci-fi writer who coined the word ‘robotics’) famously stated, ‘Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world.’ He was backed up by James Kip Finch (renowned American engineer), who stated, ‘The engineer has been, and is, a maker of history.’
If you’re an engineering aspirant, you must be keen on the most demanding engineering field in the future. Which engineering fields have immense future potential, at least in the next few years or decades? This article will examine in detail the engineering fields that can be in great demand by 2025.
List of 10 Most Demanding Engineering Fields in Future
Let’s dive into the most demanded engineering branches that have a bright future scope.
- Civil Engineering
- Catographer
- Aerospace Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Marine Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Civil Engineering Technology
Did you know the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that engineering has an anticipated job growth of 4% between 2021-2031? Several engineering specialties are anticipated to grow quicker than this growth figure, including civil engineering (8.4%) and environmental engineering (12.4%).
Top Engineering Courses After 12th
An In-Depth Analysis of Each Field
Here are the in-depth details on the highest-growing engineering fields mentioned above, with their average salaries and other details:
Civil engineer:
Civil engineering professionals oversee the design, maintenance, and development workflows of infrastructure and other projects across different categories. They have job growth forecasts of 7% and earn approximately $87,181 per year. They also play a crucial role in designing and creating infrastructure in residential, commercial, industrial, and other categories while assisting with city/town planning and infrastructure creation.
Cartographer:
The average salary for cartographers is around $61,754 per year. The forecasted annual job growth is 3%. Duties include measuring, researching, collecting, manipulating, storing, interpreting, and retrieving geographic data from multiple sources. These may include reports, surveys, and remote sensing technologies for aerial and satellite images. Cartographers also use these data points to develop and periodically update all thematic maps and charts for diverse purposes. These objectives include education and learning, regional development and planning by the authorities, and more.
Aerospace engineering technician:
Those working as aerospace engineering technicians may earn up to $73,580 per year on average, with projected job growth of 6% in ten years. Some of their diverse responsibilities include developing and maintaining testing facilities for aircraft, analyzing all components for testing equipment, and installing various crucial systems for these purposes. They also record data from tests, calibrate and run computer infrastructure, and present valuable reports whenever required. They also install instruments on aircraft along with helping in tracking aircraft systems alongside. They may be of invaluable assistance to aeronautical engineers, helping them with the maintenance and functioning of such equipment and the development, testing, and other processes vital for aircraft or spacecraft.
Industrial engineer:
Industrial engineers may earn approximately $78,861 annually and have a forecast job growth of a whopping 10%. They are tasked with creating innovative systems that combine equipment, employees, data, and crucial materials for developing any necessary product or enabling the provision of a service. They analyze the production process while also eliminating waste, creating more agile frameworks for operations, and so on. They also manage workflows throughout procedures, engineering specs, production schedules, building management control measures, and more.
Agricultural engineer:
These professionals take care of problem-solving aspects like working agricultural equipment/machinery, supply of power, usage of various structures and resources, environmental and pollution concerns, processing and storage, etc. These professionals earn approximately $82,640 per year, and the job growth forecast for the future is 1%. They also test and develop diverse machinery and other agricultural equipment while supervising their operations if required. They may also design various components and ensure their smooth operations.
Mechanical engineer:
These professionals can earn around $84,834 annually, and jobs in this domain are anticipated to grow by 2%. They are usually required to leverage and implement several core principles/concepts to achieve multiple objectives. These include developing, designing, and testing several thermal sensors and mechanical devices in tandem with creating blueprints and prototypes.
Marine engineer :
They design, conceptualize, develop, and maintain several kinds of ships and other vessels, including tankers, aircraft carriers, submarines, and even sailboats. Marine engineers are expected to witness a job growth of 4%. The average annual income is approximately $85,070. That’s not all; they also internally maintain, design, and produce several systems for these vehicles. They also design and maintain steering, heating, cooling, power, ventilation, and hydraulics systems for these water vessels.
Chemical engineer:
Chemical engineers earn $90,707 annually, while jobs in this field are expected to grow by a great margin of 14%. They are typically responsible for suitably researching, testing, and evaluating various products in line with official regulations, safety aspects, and compliance requirements. Their work spans core aspects of fields like mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Environmental engineer:
Environmental engineers earn good salaries, roughly $91,894 annually. Their jobs are expected to grow by 4% in ten years. They have various job duties, including researching and developing mechanisms to protect the natural environment. They devise solutions for environmental issues we face today while ensuring that projects and overall development comply with environmental regulations and laws. Some of their areas of operation include wastewater management, soil science, ozone depletion, inspection and monitoring of various facilities, and tackling pollution.
Civil engineering technician:
Civil engineering technicians may expect to earn approximately $58,320 annually. Their duties include assisting engineers with developing, planning, and designing projects across various categories, along with proper infrastructure creation for industrial, commercial, and residential spaces. These professionals take care of things like testing conditions on fields before construction, layouts and drawings of projects, supervising work at the construction site, collaborating with contractors, testing all construction materials, testing soil samples, and estimating project costs per requirements.
Top 15 Recruiters for Engineering Students
Some of the leading recruiters (as per the recent reports by Universum- which is the largest Employer Branding Agency surveying over 1 million students and professionals worldwide since 1988.) for engineering students include the following:
- SpaceX
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
- Tesla
- Boeing
- Lockheed Martin
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- Apple
- General Electric
- ExxonMobil
- Intel
- BMW Group
- Siemens
- IBM
Median Pay for Engineers
According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics figures, the median annual salary for careers in architecture and engineering, as of May 2021, was $79,840. This was higher than the median annual salaries of all workers, which was $45,760.
10 Essential Skills Required for Engineering Students
Engineering students require several critical skills to succeed in fast-evolving occupational areas. Some of them include the following:
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Critical reasoning
- Creativity
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Research and data collection
- Presentation and leadership
- Computer science and programming
- Software capabilities, including CAM, CAD, and others
Eligibility Criteria for Best Engineering Courses
The eligibility criteria vary across engineering disciplines and depend on the academic level. Some of the standard requirements include the following:
- Completion of Class XII with Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics as core subjects from an affiliated educational board with the minimum aggregate, depending on the institution, is required for undergraduate programs.
- Postgraduate programs require a bachelor’s degree in engineering with the minimum aggregate, depending on the institution.
- Students with biology as a subject in high school can also apply for streams such as biomedical engineering.
- Most universities require students to take the GRE for a master’s degree in engineering.
- Institutions often require test scores for English language proficiency exams (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE and others).
- SOPs, LORs, and admission essays may also be required.
The requirements may vary from university to university; hence, students must check the official website of their preferred university before starting the application process.
