If you love machines and how they function, a career in the automobile can be the best thing for you.
As an engineer, you will involve yourself with everything from designing and developing to manufacturing automobiles. You will also work on the electrical, mechanical, electronic, and safety aspects of vehicles.
No wonder a career in the automobile industry can give you a sense of fulfillment that no other profession can offer. There are many career opportunities in the automotive industry, and you can work as an automotive glass technician, automotive accountant, automotive engineer, etc.
If you want to survive in the automobile industry, you have to take a systematic approach, starting with Automobile Courses.
The Broad Areas Of Automobile Engineering
After getting a degree in automobile engineering, you may choose to work in either of the following three areas.
Design Engineering
Design engineering is one of the most fulfilling roles for an automobile engineer. As a design engineer, you will be a craftsman who designs vehicles.
You must know about the electrical, hydraulics, electronics, thermodynamic, pneumatic, mechanical, and other aspects required to design a vehicle.
While engineering knowledge is a pre-requisite, you also need business insight and creativity to make your mark in the field.
Since a design engineer works with concepts, you should keep an eye on the industry’s latest trends and understand customers’ needs while designing a vehicle.
You may take up the role of an architect, drafter, automotive engineer, product designer, or designer in several national or multi-national organizations.
Besides a degree in automobile engineering, a design engineer requires knowledge of the following things:
- Knowledge of transportation or industrial design
- Knowledge of 3D Design, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Color Theory, or Model-Making
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills
Hence, if you wish to give shape to the vehicle of your dreams, becoming a design engineer can give you the right push in your endeavors.
Development Engineering
If research and development excite you, you can choose to be a development engineer.
As a development engineer, you will create new models and sometimes upgrade old models. You have to know the various environmental and safety laws and regulations.
Since you will lead a junior engineer team, you have to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines charted out by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
You must also coordinate with many departments, including IT, mechanical, production, design, finance, marketing, and HR. Hence, honing your soft skills can be an added advantage.
Other than an automobile engineering degree, you will need the following skills to survive in the industry:
- Knowledge about product development, including product designing, testing, release, and launch
- Knowledge about various software and programming languages like Microsoft Office, Matlab, Simulink, CAD, Python, ANSA, OpenFOAM, etc.
- Strong interpersonal, decision-making, and time management skills
Hence, if you want to earn a big name as an automobile engineer, getting into research and development can be a prudent decision.
Production Engineering
A production engineer is perhaps the most responsible person in an automotive company who oversees everything from design, development, and implementation to vehicle maintenance.
The production engineer should be a voracious reader who can spot future trends and prepare the company for that, even before the trend becomes mainstream.
They frequently attend seminars, learn new technologies, train production staff, and ensure uninterrupted production. The production engineer may also need to know about Supply Chain Management to handle supplier issues.
Along with a master’s degree in automobile engineering, you will need the following skills to get a job as a production engineer:
- Understanding of automotive and industrial processes
- Knowledge of CAD and Microsoft Office, in addition to industry-specific software
- Strong analytical and leadership skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
How To Become An Automobile Engineer
Clearing higher secondary with Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry is the first step to becoming an automobile engineer.
The next step is to appear for a national level engineering entrance examination, like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
Here is a laydown of the qualifications you need to join an undergraduate course.
- A minimum of 75% in higher secondary. In some cases, institutions may accept someone with a lower score, provided they have a valid JEE or other engineering entrance exam score.
- A candidate must be above 17 to be eligible to apply for admission to an engineering college.
When it comes to getting a postgraduate degree, universities generally want you to possess an engineering degree along with a valid GATE score.
Alternatively, you can pursue job-ready master’s courses from private engineering institutes.
The Skills You Need To Become An Automobile Engineer
It isn’t easy to become an automobile engineer. But, challenging roles often come with higher rewards. To excel in the field, you must possess the following skills:
- Interest In Science: If science fascinates you, automobile engineering will suit you well. Every moment, this field will test your knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Hence, interest in science is an absolute must.
- Interest In Auto-Mechanics: You need to know how vehicles function and what you can do to improve their efficiency. So, knowledge of auto-mechanics is vital.
- Time-Management: As an automobile engineer, you may have to work with tight deadlines. Hence, knowing time management can be a useful skill.
- Creativity: Sometimes, you will face problems that require out-of-the-box solutions. Your creativity will get the perfect breeding ground in the automotive industry.
- Patience: Patience is a much-needed virtue. At times, you will get projects that may test you both physically and mentally. You should be patient enough to deal with the issues and resolve them.
What Will You Learn In Automobile Engineering?
Generally, an automobile engineering course comprises the following subjects:
- Environmental Science
- Production Technology
- Automotive Electrical Systems
- Manufacturing process
- Reliability engineering
- Automotive pollution and control
- Automotive transmission
- Applied Thermodynamics
- Quality Control
As you move on, you will realize that you need to know other trending technologies like Plastic Design to get the job of your dreams.
You will always have the option to join a specialized industry-friendly course after acquiring a B.Tech in automobile engineering.
Conclusion
Automobile engineering is here to stay, and there is no shortage of job opportunities for skilled professionals. But, to grab those opportunities, you need to know the technologies driving the automotive industry.
The automobile domain is dynamic: the technologies in vogue now might not be relevant in the future. Hence, it’s always better to anticipate the future and ride the trend by upskilling yourself.
