Here's A Career That Makes You Bank
By
Bianca
If you’re looking for a career that provides diverse specialisations and career options, gives you the opportunity to solve important problems in society and has some pretty cool job opportunities (like trying out a flying car or an undersea house) engineering may just be calling your name.
Whether you’re curious about building, love problem solving, consider yourself inventive and have a creative itch in your body you’d love to give justice to - it sounds like you were born to be an engineer (watching Bob the Builder clearly got the ball rolling).
Best part is, female engineers are extremely sought after. Yep, that means females have the opportunity to make A LOT of money in this field due to the fact there is no gender pay gap. Yeah the girls!
Right, sorry, let’s circle back to how you’ll start making that bank. Did you know engineering graduates have significantly higher starting salaries than other university graduates? An entry-level accounting graduate will start earning a base salary of $58,560, whereas an entry-level software engineering graduate averages a base salary of $78,509. I’m sorry, say what now?!
Now, I’m not saying this is one of those get-rich-quick jobs (or a pyramid scheme for crying out loud). Realistically, it just doesn’t happen. You’ll have to put in the hard yards, but as long as you're passionate and love what you do, you’ll be making big bucks in no time.
Interested? Here are some of the coolest and highest entry-level paying (straight outta uni) engineering gigs out there:
Software engineer
Base Salary: $78,509
Consider the growth of the internet and the apps you interact with everyday on your phone - these guys manufacture it all! Think of all your social media, gaming, even the transport we take. Software engineers design and modify complex systems for you to use these programs with ease. This job is super in-demand and the range of employers are endless so finding an entry-level position will not be a struggle!
Environmental engineer
Base Salary: $72,479
Love doing your bit for the planet? Why not make a career out of it? You’ll be protecting the environment by assessing how much of an impact a project has on its surrounding air, water and soil. You could even be working on safe disposal of waste material and recycling, figure out why oil spills are occurring or plan the removal of waste for new construction. You’ll be assessing the long-term effects of what causes problems in our environment by saving the planet one project at a time!
Civil engineer
Base Salary: $73,798
Think dams, bridges, roads, buildings, pipelines - everything structural that’s making life much easier for us. Civil engineers also design and construct all of our transport systems, our heating and water supply and our sewage systems. They’ll gather architectural drawings and ensure whatever is being built is strong enough to handle a structure with height or complex design. If you love contributing to bigger projects, this is the one for you!
Mechanical engineer
Base Salary: $72,814
These guys are power-producing machines that assist in designing, creating and improving machinery like ships, aircraft and engines, as well as things that help us in our everyday lives like refrigeration, air-conditioning, ventilation, elevators and escalators. They play an important role in the automotive, aerospace, computer, electronics and manufacturing industries and collaborate with other engineers to make it all happen.
Chemical engineer
Base Salary: $72,183
Chemical engineers refine the manufacturing process for things that we use everyday, like our food, plastics, pharmaceuticals, petrol and paper. They find what raw materials work in a product and get rid of the nasties that harm our environment. They think ethically and morally, to make our planet a better place!
A career in engineering may have sounded impossible a few years back - you might’ve gone through high school thinking you wouldn’t get a high enough ATAR for it or that it’s just talked up to be too hard to get into. Well Engineers Australia are making it a whole lot easier to follow your passion and get the support you need in the world of engineering!
Keen to know more? Kick-start your career in the world of engineering with our friends at Engineers Australia and see what exciting opportunities they’ve got on offer with their Engineering Your Future webinar at the Year13 Expo this year. You can register here!
