Top 5 Upcoming Engineering Related Fields That You May Want to Know About

 


Engineering, for long, has been considered as one of the highest paying and reputable professions in the world. No matter what we are looking at, engineering is all around us. Every building you see, every gadget we use or any tool or technology which results in increased efficiency of a task and betterment of humanity, has been built by engineers. 


They are the pillars of our society. Far from becoming redundant in the future, their importance will continue to rise over time.


Predictions by organizations, like the US Department of Labor, believe that engineering is not only set to remain in demand but should also experience healthy growth in some of the specific disciplines. Traditional fields, such as petroleum & civil are still in demand, but some of the fastest-growing fields are -


1. Automation and Robotics Engineering


Industries all around the world are now focusing more and more over automating most of the jobs that require human efforts in an attempt to increase productivity and decrease the time required. This has put automation engineers in high demand, as they are the ones who develop technology for processes that can be controlled with the single push of a button. 


 Robotics has come a long way in the past decade and moved beyond performing simple repetitive tasks to even walk and jump like humans. These kinds of robots are specifically called humanoid robots. 


One of the famous firms producing such robots is Boston Dynamics. So, developing and maintaining such intricate tech requires Robotic Engineers which also help in designing and testing robots for a variety of tasks and applications.


2. Biomedical Engineering


 The knowledge of medical and engineering gives rise to biomedical engineers which help in developing new equipment, systems, and software for the advancement of the medical industry. Biomedical engineering relies on two factors – people being ill, and technology advancing. Both of the given factors will continue, meaning constant industry development is guaranteed. As medicine and engineering both are constantly developing, some infinite advancements and developments could be made in this field.


3. Data Science and Machine Learning 


Software engineering in itself is a vast discipline and its trend is unlikely to stop soon. The market for software engineers is increasing substantially with the development of new technology and advancement in computer science.  One particular sub-discipline of software engineering is Data Science. It requires engineers to make sense of large data sets, commonly known by the term "Big Data". 


Data is collected from a variety of sources such as healthcare, e-commerce, financial sector, etc. A strong background in statistics and software engineering is required to gather, analyze, and present data that can be understood easily. Machine Learning, a subdivision of Data Science, builds on data analysis to help make predictable outcomes for the future. The Algorithms are devised, tested, and then revised to make these predictions more and more accurate with time.


4. Environmental Engineering


 With an increase in awareness among the people for environmental issues, the demand for better technology to decrease carbon footprint, correct disposal of waste, control air and water pollution, etc has been on the rise. Now, more and more corporates are taking steps to create sustainable solutions to their business problems. Environmental engineering is the application of scientific and engineering principles to improve and maintain the environment too - 

  • Protect human health
  • Protect nature's beneficial ecosystems
  • And improve the environmental-related enhancement of human life quality.

With more and more people believing that the environment is more important than economic growth, it is the perfect time to start a career in environmental engineering.


5. Virtual and Augmented Reality


Engineering. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) is the technology of the future which includes a visor or a display to project imagery on top of what someone would see with his or her naked eyes. It has become a top priority for technology giants such as Google, Apple, and Facebook in recent years. 


The scope for development in this technology is unimaginable at this moment. There will be a time when the Sci-Fi scenes are shown in movies such as "The Iron Man" would be a reality and we could have a conversation with a hologram with ease.

 Applications of AR/VR are endless in the current market of gaming and advertising. It has been estimated that the VR market alone could be worth $33.9 billion by 2022, up from just $1 billion in 2015.


Many of such exciting opportunities are available for today's engineering students. This list reflects the trends emerging across the globe in the field of engineering. It's also worth noting that the competition will continue to rise in the future for a top-level work within these factors.


So keep working on yourself, find your passion, do the research, and go for the field that suits you the most.


Written by - Yashwant Singh Tyagi

Edited by - Vaibhav Sharma