When deciding on a career path, it is difficult to know whether that industry will continue growing, become over saturated, or even redundant. The trend is toward information technology and automation, which will remain the case for the foreseeable future. Traditional fields, such as civil and petroleum engineering, are still high in demand, but the fastest-growing fields are those in the IT sphere. Take a look at some of the engineering jobs that are most in-demand and show the greatest salary potential for 2019 and beyond.
1. Data Science & Machine Learning
Software engineering has seen continuous growth over the past few years, with no signs of it stopping. Data science is a branch of software engineering that involves creating meaningful information based on large amounts of data. These large datasets are known as big data and can come from a variety of sources, such as e-commerce, medical or financial sectors. This field uses both statistics and software engineering to gather, analyze and present the gathered data in such a way as to allow the end user to optimize their specific services. Machine learning is a subset of data science that is used to make predictions of what might happen in the future based on data of what happened in the past. Machine learning algorithms will make predictions, test whether these predictions were accurate, and then optimize the algorithm to improve the accuracy of the prediction going forward. The more varied the volume of data available the better the predictions. A bachelor’s degree is not always necessary to begin a career in data science as there are various short courses that cover the required topics. However, a strong background in both mathematics and coding is necessary.
2. Automation & Robotics Engineer
Robotic systems are already good at performing menial repetitive tasks that don’t require the dexterity and attention to detail provided by a human worker. However, with constant advances in computing, energy storage and materials, robots are beginning to move from single arm welding and assembly robots to complex humanoid robots. A striking example of this are the Boston Dynamics robots. A robotics engineer is involved in every aspect of the design, development, testing and implementation of robotic systems. Robotics engineers are typically either mechanical, electronics or mechatronic engineers. With the relentless march toward automation, the only jobs safe from automation are those within automation.
3. Petroleum Engineer
Petroleum engineers work on drilling methods, design of drilling equipment and implementing & monitoring the drilling plan for the extraction of crude oil. Petroleum engineering has been in demand for the past few years and is set to continue growing in demand over the coming decade. Despite the push for electrical vehicles and clean energy, oil is still highly in demand as it is used in many different industries. Many petroleum engineers are expected to retire in the coming years, creating more demand than supply, thus it is a perfect time to get into the field.
4. Civil Engineering
Civil engineers build the infrastructure on which the world runs. As such, civil engineering is likely to be in demand for the foreseeable future. There are various branches of civil engineering, which make it a great field to be in. The main civil engineering fields include structural engineering, environmental engineering, road/highway engineering and transportation engineering.
5. Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering shows continued demand. It is a broad field that includes power engineering, instrumentation engineering and electronic engineering, to name a few. The broad range of possible career paths within electrical engineering means that they will always be demand.
6. Alternative Energy Engineer
There has been an international push toward clean and renewable energy. For example, the demand for solar energy technology has increased dramatically, resulting in ever decreasing panel costs. This is creating a feedback loop that is further pushing up demand. There is no doubt that alternative clean energy is the future. Despite coal fired power stations still making up the majority of global energy production, its growth has stagnated while alternative energy has grown. An energy engineer needs to start off with at least a bachelor’s degree in mechanical or electrical engineering. A master’s in energy engineering for the specific desired field can further improve job prospects.
7. Mining Engineer
Mining is the start of any products’ lifecycle, as this is the stage where the raw materials for everything manufactured get extracted from the ground. A mining engineer typically designs both open pit and underground mines and supervises the excavation and construction. They also design methods for processing and transporting the mined materials to various processing plants. While the consumption trend for iron will begin falling in the next few decades, demand for lithium, copper, nickel and various other metals required in electronics and batteries will continue growing.
8. Project Engineer
A project engineer is a critical field in every branch of engineering. Project engineering is not something specifically studied because any engineering degree can land you a project engineering post. Therefore, further study in project management is usually recommended to improve overall efficiency. A project engineer manages projects that are technical in nature that may include the design, procurement, manufacture and delivery of small simple components to complex chemical treatment plants. The role is multidisciplinary in nature that requires a fundamental technical understanding of every facet of the project.