In recent years, the Information Technology industry has seen a lot of growth. As there is a lot of demand in the IT sector, many engineers having graduated in core engineering discipline switch to information technology. A good core engineering graduate from any of the disciplines like civil, mechanical, electrical, production, etc., possesses all the basic qualities needed to perform the job in Information technology. Hence it is easy for them to shift to an IT career.
Now, many-core engineering graduates have a question. Should they stick to a career in the core engineering sector or switch to other disciplines? Let us explore this in more detail…What are some of the reasons to stay with core engineering?
Stay Connected to core Engineering
When you take up a career in the core engineering domain, the first and foremost advantage is that you stay connected to the field of your choice, of your liking. You can put to use whatever you have mastered in your studies. Your interest in the field will keep you connected to the core subjects and all-new research and advancements related to it.
Instead, if you take up a job in IT or say Banking, you lose the touch with your core domain. If a job is taken in the IT firm say software development or coding/testing job then this will not be related at all to what you have focused on in four years of engineering. And you also tend to lose your strong edge of engineering knowledge as even a non-engineer may be able to compete for your profile.
Value addition creates a differentiator
If you are a graduate of core engineering, you may pursue post-graduation in the same field after a few years of work experience. Some who may be interested in research might even do a Ph.D. Specialized learning adds a lot of value. This differentiates yourself from the crowd and is beneficial in longer term for career growth in the core sector.
This kind of incremental value addition is not possible if one takes up a job in IT to become a software developer or as a consultant in large bank just because the salary offered was little more.
( From Professional Staffing – Digital Employment Trends Report FY 2021-22 By TeamLease )
Core engineering Sector Growth
It is a myth that core sectors do not provide good growth opportunities. However, if you research a little bit and look at various statistics you would be surprised to see a lot of growth opportunities waiting.
Engineering sector is one of the largest sector in India and employs more than 3 crore people. In this sector, manufacturing contributes the highest. The above info graphic shows market estimates for next 5 years till 2026.
During FY 2021-22, industry witnessed increasing demand for wide range of specialized roles. These roles play a vital role in strengthening the project delivery and process performance. This demand would increase in future due to technology advancements and will create a lot of lucrative opportunities for engineers in the core sectors.
Government Initiative for core engineering sector
Under leader of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, government has launched various schemes to bolster the engineering sector and obviously core engineering jobs.
Some of the highlight schemes are
- Government has launched six technology platforms to develop technologies so that manufacturing sector is equipped to compete in the global market.
- PLI scheme for automobiles and auto components worth Rs. 25,938 crore (US$ 3.49 billion) and expected to fetch investments of Rs. 42,500 crore(US$ 5.74 billion) by 2026
- Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernisation Program (VVMP) will bring in investments of Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.35 billion).
- PLI scheme for telecom gear manufacturing to the tune of Rs. 12,195 crore (US$ 1.6 billion) to boost Indian telecom equipment market.
Hiring Tech Talent in Automotive Industry witnesses growth by 45% as compared to 2019 and is expected to grow at 15% in FY 2021-22 and the same should reach between 18 to 22% by 2024. FY 2021-22 witnessed 18000+ jobs for Tech Roles in Automotives and this is expected to grow to 25000+ quarter on quarter.
( Munira Loliwala, AVP – Engineering Staffing & RPO Solutions, TeamLease Digital, in The Economic Times )
Growth Opportunities and Compensation
The above quote is indicative of growing jobs in core engineering. Government is launching various initiatives to create the growth momentum. This is great. But, what about my salary growth? Will it be comparably with others?
Here, compensation needs to be looked at in a little different way. In industry like IT, entry level salaries are higher compared to core engineering industry. However, there is a reason for it. The duration of initial training in core industry is six months to a year. The engineering processes being complex, it takes around two to three years for someone to start understanding the finer nuances. And as you gain experience, you will grow financially. Hence the compensation packages in core engineering are designed with longer term orientation.
If you look at all these factors, core engineering jobs will be as lucrative if not more as compared to any other industry.
Strengthening Core Sector Career with CADCAMGuru
If you are passionate and want to make a strong career in the core engineering domain, you need an excellent mentor who is equally passionate as you are. Explore the courses provided by CADCAMGuru. This will prove to be a strong step towards your rewarding career in the core engineering sector.
All of us are aware that automation and smart factories are buzzwords today. In the next part of this blog post, we will explore these new developments in the context of a core engineering career.
