With an engineering degree, your career options are wide-ranging. Whether you specialise in mechanical, civil or biomedical, you will develop skills in problem-solving, logistics and analytical thinking that are greatly desired by employers across all sectors. Therefore, if you were looking for an alternative engineering job, you would not be short of possibilities. Read on to discover just a few of the fields that you could thrive in – some of them may surprise you.
Fashion
Engineers with an eye for style may enjoy working in fashion. In this fast-evolving field, innovation is just as important as creativity. From wearable technology to 3D-printed clothing, the areas in which you could apply your technical expertise are ever-growing.
An awareness of detail and a feel for functionality are vital for working in fashion, all the way from design to manufacturing. Since these are traits that every engineer needs – and will develop during their degree – there is immense scope for you to make the industry your home. Although it may not be the most traditional direction to take after an engineering course, it is one with huge potential.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
From Amazon's Alexa to ChatGPT, the application of AI is already all around us. While its future remains uncertain, you can be sure that it will be transformative – and full of alternative jobs for engineers.
Many engineering degrees feature the study of AI, and there are some in which it is a key component. To give just one example, University College London offers an engineering master's in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
The overlap between those two fields is a place where engineers can have a major impact. From healthcare systems to heavy industry, they are integral to the development and maintenance of technology that will revolutionise the world.
Finance
You might wonder how an engineering graduate could succeed in finance. Well, the ability to manage complex problems and large sets of data are useful for any financial role, from investment banking to consultancy. The simple fact that engineering degrees require strong numerical skills makes finance a fitting industry for graduates in the subject.
Engineering students also tend to be curious, logical and proficient at problem-solving. These attributes are equally valuable in the financial sector. Large banking corporations such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan regularly employ STEM graduates.
Nevertheless, there may be times when an engineering background alone is not sufficient to make the move into finance. As such, it might be advisable to strengthen your understanding of the field with work experience or additional qualifications. Postgraduate degrees in economics, business or finance itself are all good places to start.
Information technology (IT)
While research shows that almost half of electrical and electronic engineering graduates in the UK work within engineering and building (47.9 per cent), nearly a quarter work in IT (24.9 per cent). Within this field, they may act as software engineers, systems engineers or service managers.
Roles like these are required across a wide range of industries, and are well-suited as alternative careers for engineering graduates. After studying the subject, you may already have a lot of the computer skills IT jobs need. For those that you do not, your technical aptitude and logical thinking abilities will take you a long way towards expertise.
Technical writing
Put your communication skills to the test as an engineering technical writer. This job involves transforming complex information into readable and easily digestible formats. If you have the background knowledge of an engineering degree and an interest in presenting it in ways others can understand, it could be the role for you.
You might assist in writing manuals, policy documents or product descriptions. Technical writing is an extremely important profession, as it allows complicated concepts and processes to be followed by non-experts, whether they be colleagues, clients or members of the public.
Wondering what it would take to get a degree that could lead to these fields? Find out what to expect when studying engineering. If you're ready, you could start searching for engineering courses now.
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