What is Engineering all About?
If you enjoy understanding how things work, solving problems or being creative then there is almost certainly an exciting and rewarding career that you could follow within the vast area of engineering. Unfortunately, far too many talented people ignore the huge range of opportunities available because they have a very narrow view of what engineering is all about. Don’t fall into that trap! You owe it to yourself to at least find out what engineering is all about.
This article is far too short to give a fair impression of the whole field of engineering so it is going to focus mainly on how you can find out more and also get support throughout your studies and your whole career.
Engineering can be divided into a number of major sectors such as electrical, electronic, mechanical, civil & structural, chemical, manufacturing and software engineering. People working in each of those sectors have formed professional engineering societies and these organisations are one of the main sources of information if you want to find out more about engineering.
The IEE (The Institution of Electrical Engineers) is Europe’s largest professional body with 130,000 members worldwide. The title is a bit misleading because members of the IEE work in a number of fields including power engineering, communications, electronics, computing, software, control and manufacturing. If you would like to know more about careers in engineering then get in touch with us at the address given below.
For those of you just starting to consider engineering our introductory booklet, Make Your Choice, will provide a good overview of the whole industry. For those who want a bit more detail, especially about electrical, electronic and software engineering, then Look Closer will be more appropriate.
Both the above are available free of charge. If you have already started studying engineering then you are able to become a student member of the IEE.
To find out about the many services available to you go to our website for students and young professionals at: circuit.iee.org . You may even be eligible for one of our many scholarships for undergraduates and postgraduates – see www.iee.org/scholarships for details.
For IEE publications contact:
Education 5-19
The IEE
Michael Faraday House
Six Hills Way
Stevenage
Herts SG1 2AY
Tel: +44 (0)1438 767373 Email: schools@iee.org.uk
Besides the IEE there are plenty of other organisations offering information and support to those interested in engineering careers. Some deal with particular aspects of the profession while others take a more comprehensive view. This is a list of some of the organisations that you should consider contacting:
• Engineering Careers Information Service (ECIS) Tel: 0800 282167 www.enginuity.org.uk
• Headstart Tel: 01707 871505 www.headstartcourses.org.uk
• Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Tel: 01788 560833 www.whynotchemeng.com
• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Tel: 020 7665 2150 www.ice.org.uk
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Tel: 020 7973 1293 www.imeche.org.uk
• Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Tel: 020 7235 4535 www.istructe.org.uk
• Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) Tel: 01525 861096 www.iagre.org
• Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) Tel: 020 7227 8421 www.wisecampaign.org.uk
