If you love cars and also love making things, then a career slanted towards practical engineering in the automotive sector is a wise move. This type of career can be a highly rewarding way to get hands-on to help manufacture the latest cars on our roads. As you may expect from performing such a key role in a critical, tech-focused global sector, having the right qualifications behind you is essential.
That is certainly true for holding a relevant degree around practical engineering if you plan to pursue this sort of career in the auto industry. An online Masters in Lean Manufacturing from Kettering University is a popular choice for many. This course has been specifically designed in partnership with G.M. and enables students to study at one of the top US universities, wherever they are in the world.
The great thing about following a practical engineering path is that the right degree can open up a whole range of career opportunities. But what are some of the most popular engineering jobs in the auto industry which are also practical?
Quality Testing Engineer
With a national average salary of just over $90,000 per annum and a chance to get hands-on in an engineering role in the auto sector, Quality Testing is a great role to consider. Your primary duties would include testing vehicle parts for a certain area of the car and verifying that they work as intended. It also needs you to test them to ensure they do not break easily and are safe to fit.
Auto Engineer
This is perhaps the most obvious practical engineering opportunity in the automotive sector that a suitable degree can help you enter. With a salary of around $85,581 per year and the chance to use the latest auto engineering tech, it can be very satisfying. In this career, you research, design and develop the various systems in vehicles, engineering the latest tech to fit cars and ensuring it operates safely. Auto Engineers can normally improve on existing systems and come up with new tech of their own design.
Process Engineer
A key practical engineering role for the car industry is Process Engineer. It is also a career which the right sort of degree can help you enter. Earning $87,000 per year on average, these technicians look after the plant production engineering by fixing any tech issues and keeping automated systems running. They need to have a strong technical skillset in practical/automated engineering and also superb problem-solving abilities.
Having the right degree can help
If you fancy putting your practical engineering skills to work in the automotive sector, then the good news is that there are some interesting roles to consider. Having the right sort of degree can really help you get your foot in the career door. Just as degree programs are starting to build more African entrepreneurs, then they can also help you move down the career path you want. For this reason, it is worth thinking about getting the right type of degree first.