India has been producing the maximum number of engineers in the world. Every year the number of engineering aspirants keeps on increasing. Following the announcement of JEE Main Result, the first decision that every student has to take is in which branch of engineering they want to study.
While most of the students opt for staple engineering courses, there are many emerging engineering programs which have a high industrial demand as well. Thinking of a lifestyle where we want the best of everything, students prefer to take the path of traditional engineering courses offering high paid jobs. What affects the decisions of an individual in determining the choice of the program are the package of the job and the interest of the student.
First of all, it must be made clear that all engineering jobs are well paid, but of course, the ones in high demand will offer you a better salary. Among some traditional courses are civil engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering and electrical engineering. Before selecting the various opportunities in engineering, certain factors must be taken into consideration which include:
- The number of engineering colleges in India that offers those programs.
- Does the industry demand the program?
- Does the program have good prospects in the future?
- What salary packages can a fresher expect?
It must be understood that any branch of engineering that is still emerging will take some time while developments take place, and it gets stabilised. But it does not mean that the rare engineering courses should not be preferred. Lack of proper information might lead to making a wrong decision and missing a great opportunity.
When the competition among students is at its all-time high, it is very important to understand the need of the hour. Your choices will be fulfilled only if it is accompanied by good scores in the JEE Main result. At the same time, what you are aspiring to pursue might be offbeat because it is not the choice of every other person but could surely open some doors of good opportunities in the future.
Let us take a look at seven phenomenal engineering programs apart from the traditional courses being selected by most of the students.
Petroleum Engineering
It is the branch of engineering that deals with the production of hydrocarbons. As the demand for crude oil and natural gas is expanding, the demand for petroleum engineering is rising. It is one of the highest-paid engineering jobs not only in India but also in many other parts of the world.
Some job positions which a petroleum engineer can expect are drilling engineer, reservoir engineer, production engineer etc. Top institutes that offer petroleum engineering programs include IIT-Bombay, Indian School of Mines Dhanbad, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies Dehradun, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University Gandhinagar, Maharashtra Institute of Technology and others.
Aerospace Engineering
It has been a dream for many students to work with scientists in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). With the rapid developments in the aircraft industry, the need for engineers who can perform research work in this field is becoming necessary. There are different branches of aerospace engineering, which include aeronautical and astronautical engineering.
Based on experience, students can expect high paid jobs in this field too. As aerospace engineers, your job opportunities will include flight technicians, technical communicators, aircraft engineers etc. IIT-Bombay, Manipal Institute of Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology are some colleges in India that offer aerospace engineering.
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering is all about exploring the various elements of nature. It is not limited to the study of chemistry as it also includes concepts of economics and mathematics. It is associated with the need for experimenting to find new chemical elements. Though it has a risky career, chemical engineering is becoming a competitive career choice among aspirants.
There are plenty of job opportunities after completing chemical engineering, which has not been popular. These include analytical chemist, quality manager, energy manager, pharmaceutical managers and many others. Some of the chemical engineering colleges in India are IIT-Bombay, Manipal Institute of Technology, RV College of Engineering Bangalore, Lovely Professional University Phagwara and Vellore Institute of Technology.
Nuclear Engineering
Aspirants with a knack for nuclear physics should consider a career in nuclear engineering. This branch of engineering is based on the study of fission and fusion of atomic particles. The scope of this source is not recognised due to the risk associated with it. The job of a nuclear engineer is useful in many industries.
The most common jobs that you can expect to get as a nuclear reactor operator, engineering technician, nuclear electrician, machinist mate etc. Many top IITs like the IIT-Bombay, IIT-Madras, IIT-Kanpur and universities like Jadavpur University, NIMS University Jaipur, and GD Goenka School of Engineering Gurgaon offer the nuclear engineering program.
Material Engineering
It is the branch of engineering which deals with the invention of new materials and designs. It is also concerned with the principles of producing various textiles, apparel and use of machinery. The jobs of material engineers would be like product specialist, construction material manager or an optical coating manager.
Their jobs would also include solving problems that might come up in other engineering fields like mechanical engineering or civil engineering. IIT-Bombay, IIT-Madras, IIT-Guwahati and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology are some institutes offering material engineering programs.
Agricultural Engineering
This is the engineering in the field of agriculture-related to the machinery used in the farm, processes and the biological material used in agriculture. Some engineering students have the mindset that job opportunities in the agricultural field are less and low paid too. But contrary to this, there are plenty of job opportunities available for agricultural engineers, especially in a country like India, where the agricultural output is abundant.
Job positions of a plant physiologist, agricultural research engineer, environment control manager, agricultural inspector, agricultural specialist, food supervisor etc. are available for agricultural engineers. The agricultural engineering program is available at IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, Integral University Lucknow, Sharda University Greater Noida etc.
Environmental Engineering
It is that field of engineering which deals with the integration of the study of engineering with the environment. The main purpose of environmental engineering is to devise methods for the protection of the environment while safeguarding the natural resources and keeping the environment clean.
Many people are unaware of the fact that environmental engineers have an excellent employment outlook. It has seen massive growth in the last decade as the number of environmental projects has increased.
Most of the environmental engineers are demanded as a project manager, green building engineer, senior environmental engineer, and environment consultant or health and safety director. Students can study environmental engineering programs at colleges like IIT-Bombay, College of Engineering Pune, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, Vellore Institute of Technology etc.
Salary / Payscale of Engineers
For each of the engineering mentioned above programs, salary packages would depend upon the years of experience. The table below gives details of the salary which students can expect:
| Particulars | Fresher (1-2 years) | Experienced (More than ten years) |
| Petroleum Engineering | 4-5 lakhs | 20-40 lakhs |
| Aerospace Engineering | 5-8 lakhs | 20-35 lakhs |
| Chemical Engineering | 4-9 lakhs | 10-30 lakhs |
| Nuclear Engineering | 3-5 lakhs | 15-20 lakhs |
| Material Engineering | 5-8 lakhs | 10-20 lakhs |
| Agricultural Engineering | 2-4 lakhs | 10-20 lakhs |
| Environmental Engineering | 1.5-2 lakhs | 15-20 lakhs |
Students who are genuinely passionate about their career and wish to take the unconventional path and become a part of the research and innovation taking place in that field should prefer to select one of the options mentioned above. Selecting one of these options can help you establish your career as a field specialist or expert in the subject.
Also, if you fear that your career in a contemporary engineering program might fail then be assured that no college or university will undertake to teach a program until it has an industry requirement. If you have a special interest in some branch of engineering, then don’t follow the trend and have the courage to select what really attracts you. Make sure you make a well-informed decision with proper awareness regarding all scopes of a program.
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