As an engineering student, it can often be confusing on what to do after college. Once you finish your B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, you are presented with numerous options.

Higher education is just the start, but there are various career pathways you can take after your B. Tech Degree. Here’s a list.

1. M.Tech In Mechanical Engineering

M.Tech in mechanical engineering is the next step after B.Tech that most students take. Getting admission into prestigious institutions like IIT or IIM will open up lucrative career paths for you after graduation.

High-paying companies are always recruiting students from their candidates and applicants with an IIT/IIM logo on their resume stand out.

However, to qualify for admission into these prestigious colleges, you have to prepare for your GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) exam.

It’s a national level aptitude test for mechanical engineers and most colleges require a good GATE score to get admissions into their Master’s programs.

2. Apply For Government Jobs And PSUs (Public Service Undertakings)

B.Tech graduates can apply for government jobs or PSUs at reputed organizations if they don’t want to pursue M.Tech.

Getting a job as a mechanical engineer as a government employee can earn you respect from society and pave the way for growth as an engineer. You get hands-on experience at the job, and you get paid well.

Most PSUs will ask for your GATE score at the time of applying, so it’s always a good idea to appear for the GATE exam after your B.Tech anyway.

If you’re lucky, you can even get into Maharatna PSUs like BHEL, SAIL, IOCL, etc.

3. Specializing In The Latest Technology

Many companies are looking for mechanical engineers with a creative edge. Interviewers look for candidates who specialize in niches like Blockchain, robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and similar technologies.

Mechanical engineering is an evolving field, and jobs that work with these technologies have huge potential for future growth. Plus, the pay is great.

You can also branch out to aerospace engineering or apply to R&D, machinery manufacturing, and tool design programs. There are many diploma Courses after/for Mechanical Engineering for these.

4. Get Into Management

If you’re looking for a role that oversees others instead of hands-on work, you may be interested in managerial positions.

B.Tech students who want to get into management start studying for the CAT test and appear for that. To apply for a management job, you will need an MBA Degree.

After graduation, you can get a job as a company manager, which means you’ll get additional responsibilities. But that comes with higher pay packages – management professionals in India are some of the highest-paid in the industry.

5. Become An Entrepreneur

Have a problem in the country that’s worth solving and got ideas for that? Then you can consider becoming an entrepreneur.

In the past, entrepreneurship would be considered a volatile career move, but there are many B.Tech graduates who go on to start their own ventures in India.

Entrepreneurship is uncharted territory since there’s a business and technology element to it. You don’t know what you’ll be signing up for or how your company will grow.

Make sure you study the market before coming up with product ideas or any innovations. And you’ll also need a good team if you’re planning to startup.

A good example of entrepreneurship in India would be how Flipkart solved the online shopping problem for many millennials.

There’s also the likes of Ola, Uber, UrbanLadder and ZoloStays at the forefront of the entrepreneurship scene. You get the idea.

6. Try Out Campus Placements

Campus placements are where companies visit your college campus and interview students for jobs before they even graduate college.

It’s a fantastic way to get job security and ensure you start your career with a decent pay package.

But you have to prepare right for it. Take part in extracurricular activities, keep a good CGPA score, and do well on your B.Tech college semester exams to stand a chance.

You’ll have a lot of competition from your peers which is why we recommend you hone soft skills like communication, creativity, leadership, teamwork, etc., to get noticed.

7. Go For Civil Services

For those who’d like to change the future of the country, civil services is a fantastic career option after mechanical engineering. However, it’s one of the toughest job roles to get into.

The UPSC examination is hard, and not everybody can crack it on their first attempt. Most experts suggest taking a whole year to prepare for the exam before even applying. But you’re always welcome to try.

There are more than 1 billion students who apply for the UPSC exams, but only a handful get selected. The ones with top scores can get admission into the likes of IAS, IPS, and IFS.

8. Apply For Internships

If you feel like you’re not yet ready for a full-blown job or want to explore your options further, you can always apply for an internship at reputed companies.

An internship gives you exposure to the industry and an idea of how things work in mechanical engineering. Brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and others open up internships for college applicants every year.

Internships are short-term and last between 3 to 6 months. However, you get to learn while you earn and enjoy the hands-on work experience.

Many students don’t know whether they’re interested in mechanical design, aerospace, locomotive, machinery manufacturing, Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing, or anything else in the field.

In this case, getting into an internship program is a good way to explore these options. They give you a bird’s-eye view of different mechanical engineering jobs.

Conclusion

Let us start by saying – it is daunting to figure out what’s next after completing a mechanical engineering degree. However, there’s always plenty of opportunities waiting along the way.

India is one of the world’s leading tech hubs and many companies operating in the private sector look for candidates these days for jobs.

You can try them out or apply to certification programs like CSM, PMP, and CISM to further your skills and be valued as a professional.