<p>Is engineering a good field to get into? Will engineers have job security in the future? I am thinking of becoming an engineer. I think I will like it because I love Physics and Math and LOVE Chemistry. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Engineering is a very, very secure job to get into. But the problem is, lots of people want to do it, and college programs are pretty impacted. Plus, there is lots of competition. But if you’re good and you want to do it, you can get a secure job and a very good salary!</p>
<p>Engineering is overrated, there’s little job security and it has bad salary prospects. But if you have no life and truly “love” physics and math, then I would suggest looking into mechanical.</p>
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<p>i really really hate to be that guy but…citation needed</p>
<p>How many fields out there have better job security and salary prospects after a bachelor’s degree? Not that many…</p>
<p>^ seriously. What is everybody else talking about?</p>
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What kind of opinion is that?</p>
<p>If you can’t find a job, then find an employment outside of your main engineering field. Engineering study does not guarantee a job. But what you learned from engineering can bring a wider range of opportunity. If you do get a job in engineering field, your potential starting salary should be very solid.</p>
<p>If you can’t find a job with an engineering degree you’ll never be able to find a job.</p>
<p>Well, maybe I wasn’t clear enough. If you can’t find an engineering job right now (or at some other time), [insert the rest]. </p>
<p>We cannot say with certainty that anyone will get a job in engineering. Maybe there is not enough positions open in the area: 10000 people for 2 positions? What if you don’t want to move out of the area? </p>
<p>In essence, you can look for jobs that aren’t engineering. Maybe become a secretary, an assistant, a clerk, or even a janitor. Engineering does open a wider range of opportunity. </p>
<p>The bottom line is, don’t expect guarantee. But engineering’s salary and job security is solid. Unless you define job security as job prospect. </p>
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<p>I thought about becoming an engineer recently and did extensive research on the subject. I can’t start re-posting all of my research, but you can find it in my older posts. Here is a summary:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Engineering is NOT a secure profession, especially during the current recession. Chemical engineer jobs are projected to DECLINE 2% over the next 10 years. Electrical and mechancical engineers will see job opportunities suppressed due to outsourcing. Civil engineering has also been hit hard due to the virtual lack of construction. </p></li>
<li><p>The number of engineers who graduate each year is far larger than the number of new engineering jobs created per year.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Homer, what fields do you believe have better job security and salary prospects? I know you suggested healthcare, but what else? </p>
<p>Let’s be more positive here! Instead of talking about all the fields not to go into, let’s talk about all the fields we believe people should.</p>
<p>“How many fields out there have better job security and salary prospects after a bachelor’s degree? Not that many…”</p>
<p>Not true. Plenty of healthcare related professiosn that only require a BS are safe, such as nursing and physician assistant. We can throw pharmacy in there too if you don’t mind counting the extra 2 years. </p>
<p>“i really really hate to be that guy but…citation needed…”</p>
<p>Here you go:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tbp.org/pages/publications/Bent/Features/Su09Brown.pdf[/url]”>http://www.tbp.org/pages/publications/Bent/Features/Su09Brown.pdf</a> </p>
<p>“The school offers 10 majors, and the number of students graduating with those majors changed dramatically between 2005 and 2009. The number of aerospace engineering graduates increased from 12 graduates in 2005 to 26 in 2009. The largest increase was in the number of engineering physics majors, which increased from one in 2005 to seven in 2009. The number of computer engineering majors went from 33 to 9 during those years – a 73 percent decrease.”</p>
<p>[Mixed</a> market for engineering graduates | Kansan.com](<a href=“http://www.kansan.com/news/2010/feb/24/mixed-market-engineering/]Mixed”>http://www.kansan.com/news/2010/feb/24/mixed-market-engineering/)</p>
<p>Well, unfortunately, job security and salary prospects don’t always go hand in hand. There are plenty of lower paying jobs that have strong job security (eg: trades, government workers) while there are plenty of higher paying jobs that have worse prospects, like law. With the exception of a few healthcare fields, there really is no such thing as a secure AND high paying job.</p>
<p>Is healthcare your only suggestion? I know people can’t be picky if they don’t have a job, but is that the only field you believe has a good outlook?</p>
<p>“Engineering does open a wider range of opportunity.”</p>
<p>Sounds like the same BS that law schools spread. “A JD wil open up tons of opportunities even outside of law.” Ask the next underemployed lawyer how much weight that statement holds.</p>
<p>Well, BLS does have this list of the most in-demand jobs. I personally think that half the jobs on the list have no business being theres so take it with a grain of salt. The only engineering job on it is software:</p>
<p>[Table</a> 6. The 30 occupations with the largest employment growth, 2008-18](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t06.htm]Table”>http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t06.htm)</p>
<p>What trades are you referring to? Construction-related trades aren’t doing to well right now (as you mentioned in the comment about civil engineering). Government workers have lots of different backgrounds. It’s probably quite difficult to target those jobs in general since you have to specialize in a certain field before you even get to the application.</p>
<p>In the BLS link, 7 of the 30 don’t require a bachelor’s degree. If you go according to that, people are better off not going to college at all. For somebody not interested in healthcare, do you suggest skipping college altogether?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions - just trying to understand your train of mind.</p>
<p>“In the BLS link, 7 of the 30 don’t require a bachelor’s degree. If you go according to that, people are better off not going to college at all.”</p>
<p>Some have made that argument, although I am not in this camp YET:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/weekinreview/16steinberg.html?_r=1[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/weekinreview/16steinberg.html?_r=1</a></p>
<p>[Opting</a> Out of College for a Blue-Collar Life : NPR](<a href=“http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7504120]Opting”>Opting Out of College for a Blue-Collar Life : NPR) </p>
<p>“What trades are you referring to? Construction-related trades aren’t doing to well right now”</p>
<p>Not all trades are construction related. They are needed for existing buildings too (elevator repair, HVAC, mechanic, etc.). Even if nothing is being built, these types of peopel are always needed. In a big city like NYC, for instance with lots of tall buildings, elevator mechanics make A LOT.</p>
<p>Homer28, you really pick and choose what data you use to support your arguments, don’t you? ChE is the ONLY engineering field that is expected to see a decline in employment within the next 8 years. You purposely chose to ignore data that showed increases in every other field.</p>
<p>[Occupational</a> Outlook Handbook, Engineers, Projections](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#projections_data]Occupational”>http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#projections_data)</p>
<p>So people who go to college have no choice but to go into healthcare?</p>