25+ Pros and Cons of Being an Engineer (Explained)

Engineers are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets, and materials.

The qualification of an engineer is a four-year bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline, often followed by a master’s degree.

Their work forms the link between scientific discoveries and their subsequent applications to human and business needs and quality of life.

Advantages of being an Engineer	Disadvantages of being an Engineer
Make decent money	Have to work with a computer all day long
Good promotion options	Tough to get rich
Work indoors	Tough to start your own firm
Can avoid heavy physical work	Mandatory engineering degree
Working is rather relaxed	Mentally demanding
Many fields to specialize	No physical work
Able to plan for retirement	Limited Job Opportunities
	Varied Work Environments

Advantages of being an Engineer

Make decent money

An engineer makes good money. As a professional, in fact, many engineers are pretty happy with what they make for a living and many of them are also able to afford some luxury like buying a fancy car and some other nice things.

As compared to other professionals, engineers earn decent money.

Good promotion options

An engineer has pretty good promotion opportunities, cognitive abilities, and skills to succeed in the role. The longer one stays in a company, the more likely it will become that he does not work as a normal engineer anymore.

Consequently, one can often get into a leading role and can greatly influence how the future path of the company he works for will look from a strategic standpoint.

Work indoors

Engineers do enjoy the privilege of working indoors. While many other people still have to work outdoors under unpleasant conditions like rain, snow, or extreme heat on a regular basis.

Like construction workers often have no choice other than to work outdoors but engineers will work for a significant part of their career. Engineers can work in a pleasant environment using air conditioning or heaters.

Can avoid heavy physical work

As one will work in front of a computer screen all day long, they will also be able to avoid hard physical work as an engineer. Most work is done on computers or other virtual mediums.

Unlike other people who have to work in a hard physical manner, the risk of physical health issues will be significantly lower in the long run.

Working is rather relaxed

Most engineering firms have a standard workweek and engineers only work 8 hours or less most of the time. So many engineers do not have to work many extra hours.

The work pressure is not like in a few professions like a stockbroker. Most engineers report that they have a rather relaxed workday.

Many fields to specialize

Engineers work in several fields like manufacturing, supply chain, operations, service, and repair. Companies in various different sectors need qualified engineers to plan and produce new products and if one is really good at what he is doing,

He can also switch from one field to the other and acquire many new skills during their engineering career. Moreover, one will almost have freedom of choice for what company he wants to work and it will also be

Able to plan for retirement

Usually, because of a good salary as an engineer, one will also be able to save and invest enough money for retirement.

As opposed to other people who will financially struggle to survive at this point in time, they will often have a pretty relaxed life, be able to afford some luxury, and be able to afford proper health insurance.

Disadvantages of being an Engineer

Have to work with a computer all day long

An engineer will have to do computer work all day long. He will barely get the opportunity to work with his hands since all the complex calculations have to be done with the help of computer programs and he will also do most simulations on a computer screen.

One will have to stare at their computer screen for quite a long time every day and this can be pretty bad for your eyes.

Tough to get rich

Though one can make good money as an engineer, he is unlikely to get rich. Most engineers make much less money compared to doctors or lawyers.

As their role is limited to production or support, their income is limited by their role. Also, the increment is also not comparable with other fields. Their role is not that of a manager.

Tough to start your own firm

While one will learn many important skills that are needed in the job market as an engineer, it will still be hard to start your own company in this sector as upfront costs are often quite high and one will need lots of money to support their vision.

Most engineers have to work as an employee their whole life.

Mandatory engineering degree

One needs a college degree to be able to work in this field. Most companies require a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree in engineering. Student loan debt may financially constrain one in the future.

Studying engineering is tougher than other degrees. Many students get a compartment in one or more subjects. Many have to keep appearing to pass the exams.

Mentally demanding

Working as an engineer can be mentally challenging. One will have to carry out many complex calculations during work. Through simulations are there, engineers still have to presume. Continuous thinking and assumptions take a toll.

No physical work

Most engineers are not able to do any physical work. One has to sit in front of a computer all day long.

And as he will sit in an office or at home for most workdays, one becomes lazy. Moreover may also gain some weight and may even become obese in the long run.

Due to a lack of exercise at work, one may also have to spend some time at the gym after work to maintain a certain fitness level

Limited Job Opportunities

As per the available market, research engineering technician positions will not grow as fast as the national economy. Engineering technician jobs will grow below average, or exhibit almost no growth at all.

The firms are increasingly reliant on technology. Advanced digital imaging and measurement systems have automated tasks that technicians once did manually, reducing the number of positions required.

Having updates about new developments is a must for surviving.

Varied Work Environments

An engineer often needs to go to remote locations. They may work with hazardous materials, which require a hazmat suit, heavy rubber boots, and a respirator in potentially dangerous environments, including toxic materials and chemicals.

This means that you will need to follow safety procedures carefully to avoid injury.