Three Reasons Why Engineering is an in-demand field

In 2024, engineering is a highly in-demand field but unfortunately the number of people going into engineering training isn’t rising to meet that demand. Learning how to be an engineer is not an easy task but it’s far from impossible and with so many online resources, it’s easy to get started in your own time. Nonetheless the problem persists.

So why is it that so few people are going into engineering? And what does this mean for the industry as a whole?

1. It Takes Years To Learn

As we’ve already mentioned, learning how to be an engineer isn’t easy. Engineering training takes years and getting a job requires qualifications that can be difficult to attain. While, as we’ve already mentioned, there are loads of online resources that can help lead you in the right direction and provide you with good information, theory just isn’t enough.

If you want to become an engineer then the reality is that you’ll need proper engineering training either from a college, university, or through an apprenticeship. All of these systems can be financially prohibitive to many.

Even when colleges and universities are fully funded, many still have to work long hours alongside their learning to pay for the cost of living. Apprenticeships aren’t much better because, although they do pay you for the hours, the pay is often below minimum wage making it hard to live on.

With all that in mind, it’s also worth noting that these barriers often look more daunting than they are. Although we certainly don’t want to downplay how difficult it can be to fund your engineering training, with careful planning and some sacrifices it is achievable within a few years and, for many, the rewards are worth it.

After all, because of the high demand, a qualified engineer has an incredible level of job security compared to other disciplines.

2. It’s Useful Across Countless Industries

Of course, if you want to understand the demand for engineers, then it’s important to note the broad value of engineering skills. Although many engineers do specialise – which we’ll talk more about later – the basic skills and qualifications are often surprisingly transferable.

What this means in practice is that just about every industry that deals in physical products has a need for engineers. From skyscrapers to toasters, in a very real way engineers are responsible for building and maintaining much of the modern world we live in and their work is invaluable.

To an extent this means that the challenge of keeping up with demand in the engineering industry is nearly impossible. Every day new inventions are changing our world and for almost every one of them, an engineer is required. This is a problem for employers and industries but for those starting out in their engineering careers, it’s hard to stress just how much opportunity is out there.

An engineering job could be your gateway into almost any sector and, in time, could allow you to transfer into countless other roles.

3. It’s A Highly Specialised Discipline

With all that being said, the third and final reason for the demand in engineering jobs is specialisation. Although specialisation isn’t as daunting a problem as it might seem to someone starting out, that doesn’t change the fact that many engineering jobs require extra work and extra engineering training.

It’s not uncommon for engineers to retrain every few years, either updating old skills or learning new ones. The longer your career and broader your experience, the less likely it is you’ll need to acquire new qualifications – unless the law specifies such – but for those looking to advance in engineering a willingness to keep learning is essential.

In the past that’s always been an issue the industry had to grapple with – especially as legal standards have changed and new regulations have been passed. These days it’s no less a problem but the solutions are far easier to access. After all, that incredible pool of online resources doesn’t stop once you become a professional engineer.

And before we finish, let’s talk about one resource that’s beneficial both to long-term and beginner engineers: mentoring. Mentoring plays a vital role in any specialised industry because it allows people to share experience across specialisations and retrain quickly, while also helping to sheppard more junior workers into life-long careers.

If you’re just starting out and you’re looking for help and advice in qualifying as an engineer, then mentoring is the perfect way to streamline your training and cut down that lengthy process. Alternatively, if you’re an experienced engineer then you can make money by sharing that knowledge or retrain in other engineering disciplines, opening up whole new roles.

It’s time to start filling that demand with a new generation of engineers and Career Navig8r is here to help!