is doing mechanical engineering at uni even worth it?
I've heard many people on this site saying people dont even get paid that much as engineers, especially in the UK, people even go as far as to say that its better just to do an apprentiship.
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Reply 1
Original post
by themanofelaI've heard many people on this site saying people dont even get paid that much as engineers, especially in the UK, people even go as far as to say that its better just to do an apprentiship.
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Hiya,
I totally get the worry, when I was choosing what degree I wanted to do, I was really struggling with what would be a more realistic career for me as well!
I think whilst what people say on TSR is super helpful and valuable but we have to remind ourselves that what a lot of people say are their own opinions, and most people on this site are students just like you or me, rather than the industry as a whole.
What really helped me when I was choosing subjects was the website Discover Uni, where you can compare stats like employability between universities and courses. I had a look at Cardiff's courses for you - at the mechanical engineering, CS and applied software engineering courses - and actually, all of them equally say that 15 months after graduation, graduates earn an average of £31,500.
I should probably say that these numbers depend on who answers the surveys, but its still quite helpful. Remember as well that industries change and grow over time. My industry for example (psychology), we never had nearly as many job types when I first applied to the course. Same would go for engineering - it is a continuously developing discipline.
My best piece of advice is to always pick what you'd think you'd enjoy more - the more you enjoy, the better you get at it. The better you get at something, the more likely you'd be paid more for it
~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 2
Original post
by themanofelaI've heard many people on this site saying people dont even get paid that much as engineers, especially in the UK, people even go as far as to say that its better just to do an apprentiship.
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
what did you end up applying to?
Reply 3
2
Original post
by Kerusanwhat did you end up applying to?
mathematics hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
Original post
by themanofelaI've heard many people on this site saying people dont even get paid that much as engineers, especially in the UK, people even go as far as to say that its better just to do an apprentiship.
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Now now, I understand its not all about the money but come on, all this hard work just not to be able to find a decent job.
Is it like this for every single engineering degree in the UK or is this just the problem with finding jobs in general.
P.S: Im in year 13 studying Maths FM and Physics, and ive considered just picking something like software engineering or CS, something that'll net me decent pay, even though ive been dedicated to doing engineering for the last few months
Hi there,
Choosing a degree at A-levels and having to consider what you like and what you think you can make a career in is definitely a difficult choice - but from my experience of a industrial placement role after second year and having secured a graduate role from that placement, I would say that whilst it can be time consuming to apply for engineering roles, they are usually relatively well paid compared to are they UK sectors.
From my experience everyone who wanted to find a placement during university found one after a couple months of looking, many of those have secured graduate roles from the placement where they are happy with the salary and time commitment. Those who didn't secure a placement or didn't want to go back to the same company have also managed to find roles in the industry with a mechanical engineering degree.
I know everyone's experience can be different but from mine it was a broadly positive experience and I'm excited to be going back to my placement company for my graduate position next year.
Hope this additional perspective helps
Amber
Coventry university student ambassador
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