Is engineering a good field to get into in the UK?

[SassyBear2]

Hi all,

My DS16 recently started sixth form and he took chem, bio, maths and computer science. He's considering switching his a levels to take chem, maths, further maths and physics in order to study engineering instead of medicine. My DS is very academic and he wants to find a career where he can use his passion for science and learning. Is engineering a safe job in the UK or is it slowly going to be replaced by AI? Money is obviously important to my DS. Are engineers payed well in the uk and what engineering fields are most highly rewarded? Also is earning six figures as an engineer uncommon in the UK?

No, not in my opinion.
If he would like to earn well, he would be better going into Finance or IT IMHO.
I’d be interested in other responses as have children also.
But the large Oil /Gas companies are struggling from over investing in Carbon neutral and it’s not quite there yet.
Nuclear is where the UK should have invested more in.
if no one is building, or making things in the UK, then engineering is only well paid abroad or offshore

To earn 6 figures as an engineer your ds would be advised to gain chartered engineer status which requires a post grad plus some years in industry.

My ds is looking at civil, renewable energy & environmental engineering as possibilities. An approach of continued development is ideal.

It can be a good career path if he loves science and engineering but unfortunately pay for engineers in the UK is not that good and in my opinion they are not appreciated hence why you see many engineering graduates go into finance/banking.

It’s a shame that the UK values bankers more than scientists, engineers etc but unfortunately the UK economy is built around the City of London which is driven by the finance sector.

My DS is studying Civil at Uni and loves it. He loves maths, but also likes practical applications of it and after Covid and watching us WFH, he was adamant he didn’t want an office / WFH job - he wanted to be out and about. He’s done the Constructionarium week with his Uni this year and loved it (search on YouTube). It might not be paid as much as the city, but it’s right for him.

I'd probably keep the biology and chemistry, in case he does want to go into medicine later. Medicine is always going to be a valued role but if your DS is only money focused he may not enjoy it, if he doesn't have a desire to genuinely help patients. He doesn't have to work here, lots of countries are paying doctors well, but it's a long journey anywhere so he has to have some drive and desire for it.

Otherwise engineering, has a range of fields to go into and depending on where you go, depends on how lucrative it is. But I'd make sure he actually will enjoy the field and that he wants to go into it, otherwise he'll find himself just chasing money and not necessarily enjoying it.

thanks all for the answers so far!

I’m not in the UK but all of Europe is crying out for Engineers so I’m sure UK is no different.

It is a very flexible degree and gives loads of opportunities. Classmates of mine have worked in everything from the European Space Agency/ Google etc/Banking/Tech sector/Local Authorities/Consultancy/Construction/
Pharma/Food and Drink industry etc. The pay is very good if you climb the ladder, here at least.

I don’t know if the UK does this but where I am you often start a general Engineering degree and select a discipline as you progress through the years which is great.

I’m a recruiter and although it’s not my usual area of expertise I am currently recruiting engineers with about 5-10 years experience

I am working with mechanical and aerospace engineers but have also dealt with civil guys. 5 years out from an engineering degree these guys are earning 50-80k which is more than what I earn with 20 years experience so it sounds pretty promising to me. There’s lots of contractor opportunities too. My sciency DS is only 12 but I will be encouraging him either into IT or engineering

Personal view only, as someone who studied engineering 20+ years ago:

Engineering in the UK as a profession is not fantastically well paid if you stay as an engineer but there are several reasons why it's a good degree if you find the subject interesting:

• Highly regarded numerate degree if you want to apply to jobs at management consultancies, banks, accountancy firms etc instead of going in to engineering. Also working as an engineer first then moving into something else is an option if you do it early enough in your career.
• Lots of opportunity to work internationally as engineers are needed everywhere, especially when it comes to infrastructure.
• If you are good at maths and good at physics, you will "get" the university level engineering academic stuff naturally.

When it comes to use of AI, it will certainly become a tool we use more and more, but not necessarily a replacement of humans.

Medicine is hardly a bad choice but it's a hard road if you are not passionate about it as a subject and vocation.

Thanks so much all! Do you guys know if it's possible to earn high amounts as an engineer? Salary is important to my DS

In terms of SwEng or ComSci

I work for one of the magnificent 7.. my employer is decidedly unmagnificent IMO but thats by the by...the £££ is GREAT.

It can be hard to know "where the money is" 6 years out.

Some of the business engineers i work with are salty AF they didn't go into AI as a specialism as they "make nothing" back in reality but they all make £££

IC3/4 are doing about 200k (one is 23 and just graduated he did an intership with us last year and made 40k or so over summer)
the IC8 i work with 38/40 and is doing over well 500k (pne year was over 850k but its depending on his performance, company performance and what he does with the RSUs).

They do flexible working and generally not more than 40 hours... so do more like 30 tbh...great pat leave....

These guys are generally excellent though but not as excellent as the hype has you believe... id say top 0-10% of engineers.

Medicine is a HARD choice and hes right to think twice. i wouldn't encourage my own children to do it if they planned to stay in uk...

AI says this and its about right to me

A software engineer's total compensation at xxxx in the United States can average around $343,000 annually, but the range is vast, with most salaries between $235,000 and $1,267,000, while the top 1% can earn over $794,000.

It depends on the career choices, Engineers tend to be the highest overall paid degree because many of the run the highest profit making companies but it can be fairly tame if you don’t make choices directed towards money.

Thanks so much guys for all the answers!

DH has been a graduate mechanical engineer with chartered status for over 20 years. I would say six figures is unlikely in the UK without moving into management (ie away from technical work). It's not a particularly highly paid profession here.

It really depends what field of engineering you go into eg being a civil engineer in the oil industry is a lot
more highly paid than in the water industry but probably also a more volatile job market. Chemical engineering used to be well paid too. The hours are more civilised than medicine though and there’s more scope to change companies and travel and move into things oike
project or commercial management, etc.

My son has a phd in mechanical engineering, he's worked with a motorsport company and is now a principal engineer at a r&d company where he has specialised in data science.

He travels abroad regularly, always has a full workload and loves his job.
He could earn more if he moved abroad, but job satisfaction is about more than just the money to him, He isn't poorly paid by any means, but I'd encourage your son to do what he loves rather than chasing money.

It’s a shame that the UK values bankers more than scientists, engineers etc

👏
So do too many mumsnetters.

If your DS wants a 6 figure salary then he needs to go into finance or other similar career where greed is good

I think engineering sounds like a very sensible choice for your numerate DC. Very broadly, if you study engineering at a well regarded uni you will still have the option of moving into finance or IT on graduation, but you cannot do the same in reverse - you cannot readily become a chartered engineer without having studied engineering.

It's absolutely possible to earn six figures as an engineer in the UK. I know many of them. They're mainly in engineering management now at big engineering firms, having started in technical roles and gradually moved up.

I can't imagine recommending medicine to anyone, unless it was their absolute calling, or they had clear plans to move overseas on graduation.

Dh is an electrical engineer in quite a niche field. He’s earned 6 figures in the last but that was with a lot of travel abroad, he seemed to get paid a lot of flown out to trouble shoot somewhere. Hes just office based now and not on 6 figures.

If your son is quite academic he should apply for an apprenticeship at BA after he has finished at 6th form. Engineers depending what type of engineer can earn a lot of money as long as it’s in the right environment.

If he wants to make a lot of money and doesn’t really care how then he should look into finance or architecture/

My husband is an engineer and we were lucky to spend some years abroad with his company. My daughter did chemical engineering at uni and in the end went into finance. She loved the analytical side of the degree and is doing very well. She had interviews lined up with energy companies, and as a graduate with a first in her combined bachelor/ masters degree had no trouble securing a job. But the bright lights of London was a pull and she loves her job.
An engineering degree can bring amazing rewards.

Worth accessing The Engineer’s 2025 salary survey data. Free to register and download the report: https://www.theengineer.co.uk

There can be a lot of money in the right sort of engineering environment, particularly in the fields of research innovation / aviation / nuclear / renewable energy - the invention and testing of new alloys for example, and what they can be used for.

I'm married to an engineer. He has done really well, but was a high flyer the whole way through school and university etc and is a really hard worker. I feel as if he'd have done quite well in whatever field he chose.

There have been a lot of redundancies at his company. He hasn't been let go yet, but it definitely doesn't feel like a job for life anymore.

He has chartered status and got that through work.