Non engineering Jobs
From Unofficial Guide to Engineering
While many of you will pursue traditional engineering careers in technical fields, there is a high demand for engineers in fields not traditionally seen as hotspots for engineers. Below are brief descriptions of some fields that one may consider when planning a career.
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Investment banking
Large investment banking firms such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan offer advisory services to other firms. For example, suppose Microsoft wants to acquire a company; as an investment banker, you may advise Microsoft on how much to pay for that company. Geographically, investment banking offices are located across with world; major US offices are in locations such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, New York and Boston. As an investment banker, expect to work very long hours. Compensation is generally quite good, as are networking opportunities. When searching for candidates, firms typically look for a high GPA along with coursework in finance and accounting. Investment banking fields are specialized (example- technology, health care, etc.)
Management consulting
Like investment bankers, management consultants provide advisory services to other firms. However, unlike investment banking, management consulting traditionally goes beyond financial modeling and includes assignments such as brand strategy, product line management and others. Geographically, consulting offices are located around the world; and like investment banking, one can expect to work long hours and generally receive good compensation. Management consulting is specialized by industry, which places engineers at a great competitive advantage; a bioengineer, for example, would be in a great position to enter biotechnology consulting. Firms typically look for high GPA.
Money management
Money management, as the name implies, involves helping individuals and institutions invest their money. Many careers in money management require strong quantitative abilities, and persons with strong engineering backgrounds are in quite high demand. Unlike the aforementioned fields, money management is not necessary industry-specialized. Compensation can be quite large. Firms are located across the world.
Concluding Remarks
When applying to any of the aforementioned fields, one should stress technical and analytical abilities.
To conclude, there are many lines of work outside traditional technical fields in which an engineering background can be a tremendous asset. We are not implying that all engineers should desperately attempt to enter one of the fields listed above. Just realize that the skills one gains in Berkeley's engineering curriculum are applicable to many fields, and we wish you much success as your pursue your career ambitions.
