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The idea of engineering being a ‘safe bet’ as a career has defined education for the 21st Century. Whether it be through parents, who guide their children into preparing for the JEE in the hopes it gives them a secure career and life. There is an ever-growing industry dedicated to preparing students for competitive engineering exams, and this idea has been explored in countless movies and TV shows.
Another assumption that exists around us is that ‘Humanities’-based subjects are not as safe for employment as engineering is. It is not uncommon to hear about parents who do not let their children have any interest in any aspect of Arts and Humanities, and make sure their children only spend their time preparing for life-changing competitive exams.
But is this idea of engineering being a ‘safe bet’ even true?
In shocking contrast to this long-standing notion, a recent study by the Federal Bank of New York shows that the unemployment rate of engineering majors is double the rate of arts majors.
Why is this change happening, however? And what does the future hold for engineering graduates?
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The Artificial Intelligence Question
One major change for engineering majors is the huge changes in the job market. Once highly sought out by the top companies all over the world, engineering graduates all over the world have been observing a hiring freeze in almost every country around the world.
One major reason for this hiring freeze is the rise of AI. Companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, and others have invested heavily into AI, in the hopes of reducing the need for employees at certain levels. They have also had massive firing rounds, some of which took place as recently as last week.
As AI reshapes the professional world, we’re seeing fewer entry-level roles survive, especially in coding and core tech fields. At a recent conference, BlackRock’s COO, Robert Goldstein remarked:
“We have more and more conviction that we need people who majored in things that have nothing to do with finance or technology… It’s that diversity of thinking and diversity of people and diversity of looking at different ways to solve problems that really fuels innovation.”
With the rise of AI, and the growing role it has with entry-level and technical tasks, employers are increasingly valuing soft skills like creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability. These are skills which humanities majors often hone and shine with. Employers are thus willing to let go of technical staff, who are now redundant due to AI, and looking for humanities majors, who have the skills AI doesn’t.
The Job Market
Another major change for engineering majors is the huge changes in the job market. Once highly sought out by the top companies all over the world, engineering graduates all over the world have been observing a hiring freeze in almost every country around the world.
In correlation to the point noted above, engineers in many different fields are being laid off, and are unable to find any suitable replacements.
The Federal Bank of New York’s study noted this point, with graphs pointing out how engineering-based jobs still pay higher than Humanities-based jobs. But it also noted that there were more job opportunities available to Humanities majors.
Importantly, this study only uses people and data from the United States itself. And while there is no similar study for Indian engineering students, the larger problems are also being experienced here. Companies which served as the dream job for many parents and students are now firing those same people. The engineers who are fired are now finding themselves in a hostile job market. They are now suddenly finding that companies aren’t looking for their skills, and for the money they want to earn.
While job markets often swing and change, this recent trend unfortunately may be here to stay. What was once the ‘safe bet’ for any parent is quickly becoming a dead end for any engineering aspirants.
What Does This Mean?
Does this mean that parents should now completely make sure their children do not study engineering?
It does not.
What this means is that companies are less likely to hire specialists, who only have one or two core competencies. Most companies now look for students with multidisciplinary skills. These skills can transfer between different job requirements, and make potential employees more adaptable. While there is a much smaller job market for engineers now than there was 5 years ago, there is a growth in companies looking for and hiring engineers who have other qualifications as well.
What is needed now for students is for them to be able to develop skills which can be used in any job field. But it is not easy to develop multidisciplinary skills in students, especially with the current form of education, which prioritises rote learning. What can help is for schools to implement project-based learning.
How Project-Based Learning Helps Bridge the Gap
What is needed to protect the coming generations of engineers is to inculcate project-based learning into the school curriculum. This is something that the Indian Government also agrees on, and whose National Education Policy noted in 2020.
Project-based learning lets students learn through solving complex real-world problems. It also ensures that students are gaining more than just rote learning in this process.
Think about it. A computer science student will not only learn and practice their coding skills in building an app. They will also have to learn about time management, about how creatively they can design the app, how it will function, and how they share this information with other students or their teachers.
Here, not only is the student learning about coding, but also gaining skills in art, design, and language use. They also help build soft-skills like communication, creativity, time management, and more amongst students.
This change in hiring practices and technology has affected engineers and engineering graduates adversely. But, by making these changes, and changing how we understand student learning and skill-building, this problem can be solved, ensuring future generations of students and job seekers do not have to deal with such problems again.
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