Automobile Engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with designing, manufacturing and operating automobiles. It is a segment of vehicle engineering which deals with motorcycles, cars, buses, trucks, etc. It includes mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety elements.
Skills Required:
- Artistic
- Creative
- Technical knowledge
- Effective planner
- Precision
- Meticulous
- Systematic
- Punctual
- Team worker
Automotive engineering is one of the most exciting professions you can choose. From the global concerns of sustainable mobility, and teaching cars to drive themselves, to working out how we'll get around on the surface of Mars, automotive engineering is all about the future.
The challenges facing personal mobility are endless. Automotive engineers work in every area of the industry, from the look and feel of current cars, to the safety and security of new forms of transport. Attempting to make cars as fast as possible whilst keeping them fuel efficient may seem like an impossible task, but this is the kind of problem automotive engineer's deal with every day.
The work of an automotive engineer breaks down into three categories:
- Design : Designing new products and improving existing ones
- Research and Development : Finding solutions to engineering problems
- Production : Planning and designing new production processes
What does an automotive engineer really do?
They study
One of the first steps in becoming an automotive engineer is going to university. Most automotive engineers start out by studying Mechanical Engineering, but increasingly more specific Automotive Engineering degrees are becoming available.
Don't just look to apply in your home country – the automotive industry is truly international, and studying abroad might be your way into this popular job market. For a growing list of courses available worldwide
If you're not sure that university is right for you, you could also explore apprenticeships as your route into automotive.
Before you get to university, the most important subject area to be focusing on is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Once at University taking an internship can be a really important step on your route into automotive. Having the right internship on your CV is an announcement to the industry how passionate and dedicated you are to your career.
They think big
The automotive industry represents some of the largest companies in the world, from car manufacturers to fuel specialists. As an engineer you can expect to work for one of these industrial titans.
They work in a global profession
Automotive engineers and automotive companies exist all over the world, based in completely different cultures and speaking totally different languages. The automotive engineer needs to know how to communicate on a global level and have a horizon broader than just their own culture.
They do more
Automotive engineers are forward thinking people. They are dynamic, visionary, and are employed based on their ability to think outside the box. One way to expand your horizons, engage your passion, and to start thinking like an automotive engineer is to get involved with extracurricular activities and competitions.
Additional skills and activities
The variety of skills and tasks automotive engineers get involved with are almost endless here are some examples to get you started.
- Developing new test procedures, using both conventional and innovative methods.
- Bringing new products to market and being involved in problem-solving and project management.
- Devising and organizing tests, to answer questions from clients, consumers and other engineers involved in vehicle development.
- Anticipating vehicle or component behavior in different conditions with computer modelling software.
- Analyzing and interpreting technical data into reports or presentations and answering any queries about the results.
- Building an individual specialism within a larger team and working independently.
- Contributing to regular team meetings to update colleagues on progress, problems and new developments.
- Managing all details of projects, including projected costs.
- Recognizing the benefits of engineering developments to related departments in order to market projects and secure internal funding.
- Negotiating costs of development and engineering work with commercial departments.
- Monitoring any related systems or engineering issues associated with the component and final product.
- Supervising technical staff, engineers or designers (dependent upon specific role).
- Operating in cross-functional or internationally-based teams to design experiments in order to test the validity and competence of new technology.
Employment Opportunities:
Automobile engineering is a huge industry. There is great number of employment opportunities in the following fields:
- Private national and multinational automobile companies
- Service stations
- Private transport companies
- Defence services
- Self-employment by setting up automobile garage or maintenance workshops
Scope:
There are plenty of employment opportunities for the qualified people and they can select a career in automobile industry, which leads to bright future.
Who This Career is For?
A career as an automobile engineer is for people who are driven and passionate about cars. They must have considerable understanding and interest in mechanics, electronics, and mathematics as these are vital skills required for this career path. Automobile engineers must be organized individuals who are able to work in a methodical manner.
People in this career are required to communicate with other professionals on a regular basis, both from within the field and outside it. Hence, this career is only for those with fluent communication skills. While automobile engineers must be innovative, eager workers, they must not get carried away.
Want to know more about it?
Automobile engineers hold a wide variety of responsibilities. Their primary purpose is to maximize the feasibility and design of automobiles keeping costs to an absolute minimum.
A typical professional in this field spends a lot of time on researching and designing both systems and machines for automobiles. The designs are initially done in the form of drawings and blueprints. Automobile engineers then apply physical and mathematical principles to these plans to make sure they are viable. The planning is done after considerable research, and then altered again after linking the plans to the available research.
Once the planning process is done, the designing begins. Automobile engineers are responsible for transforming their plans and research into a viable end product. They must oversee the entire process of manufacturing, with meticulous attention to detail.
After the end product is manufactured, the most important part of an automobile engineer's job begins. Testing is a rigorous process that must be done with utmost care. This procedure generally entails focusing on each and every component of an automobile to ensure it is able to function in every imaginable condition in a safe and secure manner.
Automobile engineers generally tend to specialize in a particular area. The most common areas of specialization include exhaust systems, engines and structural designs. No matter what an engineer decides to specialize in, he or she is almost always required to work on all three aspects of the automobile engineering process; research, designing as well as testing.
There is also often a financial side to this job, which involves preparing costs of buying materials and producing systems. It is also important to realize the legal aspects of this job. Automobile engineers must be up to date with all safety regulations, so that they do not violate legislation related to automobile engineering procedure.
Automobile engineers generally know they want to get into the field at a fairly young age, so they are generally people who studied natural sciences and mathematics in high school. This gives them the edge to get a degree in engineering, which is an essential prerequisite to become an automobile engineer.
Additionally, while it is not necessary, a master's degree in a field such as auto motives or automotive engineering gives prospective automobile engineers a distinct advantage.
How is Life?
Automobile engineers work varying hours per week depending on the amount of work they have assigned during a particular week. They may work anywhere between a 40 hour week and a 55 hour week, but may even be required to work overtime if there are some outstanding deadlines or emergencies.
Automobile engineers spend a lot of time in front of a computer on their desks. When they are not doing research in their office, they are at plants monitoring the manufacturing of the automobiles they planned and their testing. This may involve spending lengthy periods of time in noisy, dirty factory environments.
What Perks come along with this career?
Automobile engineering is a career path that no one will deny is unimportant. There are millions of vehicles on roads in every corner of the world, and automobile engineers are the people responsible for that. They feel an immense amount of satisfaction when they see a machine as intricate as a modern automobile completed when they are the ones who contributed towards its design.
Automobile engineers earn a considerable salary, more so than many other types of engineers. They have a fair amount of job security as they begin gaining experience. People in the field are generally passionate about automobiles, and so have the added advantage of working with something they truly appreciate.
Which Downsides are there in this career?
The job often requires automobile engineers to work under the immense pressure of tight deadlines. Moreover, they have the lives of millions of people in their hands as they do their work. The slightest mistakes in planning, designing or testing could be catastrophic.
Automobile engineers often have to deal with noisy factory conditions for extended periods of time. They have to pay scrupulous attention to detail at every aspect of their job, which can often get monotonous.
How is Competition?
While the automobile industry has been on a decline in the past five years in most areas of the world, the number of people who opt for this career is quite low because of the high level of training and specialization required to become successful. As a result, there is a fair amount of competition in the field, especially for the most lucrative jobs. The number of jobs in the field is likely to increase at a slow pace in the next few years.
Locations where this career is good?
In the USA, the Midwest is the best place to be an automobile engineer because of the concentration of automobile manufacturing firms in the region. In Europe, Germany is the leading automobile manufacturer.
There is a large demand for automobile engineers in Japan, South Korea, China and India.