The most desirable career option amongst the students in India after 10 + 2 examination level has been the Engineering professional course. As per the survey report published by the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Institute, 80% of the respondents in the age group of 16-18 years mentioned the Engineering professional course as their first choice, while the number rose to 81% among 18-24 year olds and 87% among 24-30 year olds. It is surprising to know that India produces more engineers annually than twice the population of Iceland. Despite of availability of such a large number of skilled professionals in India, only 8% of these Engineers are placed in core Engineering Field Jobs. This article tries to throw light upon various career options available to the Engineering graduates in India.

SWOT Analysis of Engineering Graduates For Competitive Examinations-

The SWOT analysis (Strength,Weakness,Opportunities,Threats analysis) of Engineering students indicate certain positive traits which can be channelized in the right direction to secure good career opportunities in life. The scientific bent of mind, ability to study for a number of hours and all rounder capabilities of personality- are some of the personality traits of engineering students which could be capitalized over for cracking various competitive examinations. Many of the Engineering students aim for a technical job in the corporate sector and run behind the hefty salary packages in the corporate sector. Some of them do succeed in this race, but many of them remain unfortunate in securing a good employment. In the recessionary phase of manufacturing sector, the Engineering graduates are facing the severe blow of economic downtrend. Right at the start of the career, based on the inclination and individual SWOT analysis of the candidate, a career option in non technical fields including the various competitive examinations can be successfully pursued by the Engineering students. The technically competent lot amongst Engineering students prepare dedicatedly for GATE examination and get a good technical expert job in various central and state Government PSUs. A few of the Engineering students explore the path of technical MPSC or IES examination (Indian Engineering Services) to join the technical Engineering posts in Government services.

Technical & Non technical job opportunities-

Under the shadow of global recession in India  and increasing underemployment rates in corporate sector amongst Engineering graduates, the opportunity to get core field jobs in Engineering sectors are becoming sparse day by day. However, the trinity of ‘excellence, skill development and adaptability to the working environment’ alongwith the innovative mindset set the right path for these budding Engineers in corporate arena. If you are technically sound and can shine out from the crowd, you still have tremendous opportunities in technical fields in PSUs as well as private sector. One can develop the skills required by the corporate sector in terms of various courses related to software development or MIS or Management skills and so on. Apart from technical Engineering job opportunities through campus interview selections or IES or technical MPSC examinations, a plethora of job opportunities at Gazetted officer level ranks are available to the Engineering students. UPSC civil services examination offers the best of the job opportunities in terms of becoming an IAS,IPS,IFS,IRS officer and so on. These jobs offer not only the adequate money, name and fame in the society but also provides an opportunity to serve the society.

Secondly, the state level MPSC civil services examinations offer the opportunities to serve as Deputy collector, DySP,Tehsildar, BDO and so on. Thirdly, another important career opportunity by majority of the Engineering students is that of the Indian Forest Services i.e. IFoS. Engineering students are eligible for IFoS examinations and can become Conservator of Forests and it is pertinent to mention here that IFoS posts are Gazetted officer posts and have been bestowed with authority in their respective area of forest jurisdiction. It gives you an opportunity to contribute towards the ecological conservation and protection of wildlife flora and fauna. Fourthly, those Engineering students who have inclination towards Armed Forces services can prepare for CDS (Combined Defence Services) or SSB (Service Selection Board) and start their career as an Armed Forces officer. Fifthly, Engineering students are appearing in large numbers nowadays in RBI Grade ‘B’ Examination and various Bank Probationary Officer posts. The higher level Bank official posts can be achieved by the Engineering students easily if they prepare for these examinations systematically. Additionally, some of the students also appear for SSC (Staff Selection Commission) examination and get selected for various central Government services.

The best part of all these career options for Engineering students ranging from technical job opportunities to various generalist appointments in terms of civil services, IFoS, Defence services and so on- require the same route i.e. systematic preparation for competitive examinations. An approach focusing on aptitude test, English comprehension, conceptual clarity of General studies subjects, current affairs, Group discussion and personality test preparation- prepare the aspirants for different types of competitive examinations. The preparation strategy should include the conceptual clarity of various subjects, a regular practice of mental ability and logical reasoning, developing fluency and confidence to express oneself during Group Discussion test as well as Personality Test phases. Rather than weeping for lesser job opportunities in core Engineering sector, if one focuses on smart preparation of various career opportunities in the open competitive world then certainly you can emerge as the true winner. So believe in yourself, be open to new ideas and jump into the ocean of opportunities, success will always be yours!

(The author of this article ,Lt Col (Dr) Satish Dhage, is an ex Army officer and has been qualified for IPS (Indian Police Services) through IPS LCE 2012. Presently, he is Director, MGM Institute of Competitive Exams Aurangabad. For any queries or feedback, he can be contacted on email id : drsatishdhage@gmail.com)