Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Engineer. A profession that is attractive in Belgium

People who are looking for a job often first look at the attractiveness of a profession before they inquire about the company itself. Salary, work-life balance, working conditions, work variety and job challenges are important criteria for job seekers. But why is the engineering profession particularly attractive in Belgium?

The engineering profession is a satisfying profession : the engineer solves problems in a concrete way. Pragmatism and punctuality are important. However, today's new technologies require the engineer to not only work rationally, but also use his creativity. 

Sense of teamwork : An engineer rarely works alone on a project. He is usually part of a team made up of other engineers and people qualified in other fields. By working together on the same project, a special solidarity is built between the different members of the team.

Several directions are possible : civil engineering, mining, geology, chemistry, materials science, metallurgy, architecture, physics, computer science, applied mathematics, electrician, mechanics. The engineering profession is extensive and the possibilities are numerous.

A promising professional future : the candidate engineer usually finds a job quickly. According to FABI, the Federation of Belgian Associations of Civil Engineers, Agricultural Engineers and Bioengineers, on average half of the engineers who leave school find a job within two months. There is a shortage of engineers in Belgium, and companies are looking. Result? The candidate has the luxury of being able to choose which company he wants to work for. This is a luxury that many other people looking for work in other sectors do not have computer engineering major

Salary : Salary is often one of the most important criteria when choosing a profession. In the top 10 of the most attractive professions in the Randstad study in terms of remuneration, we find: engineer, doctor, surgeon, university professor and civil-law notary. Engineers are generally satisfied or very satisfied with their salary package.

A profession that is also accessible to women : although the engineering profession is still essentially a male profession and women are still reluctant to take this path, there is still a significant demand from the business world for female engineers. 

Working conditions : after wages, working conditions are one of the most important criteria. In the top 10 of the Randstad study we find the following professions, with the profession of engineer at the top of the list: engineer, pharmacist, architect, university professor and civil-law notary. 

What to remember from this? A FABI survey (from 2017) shows that more than 80% of all active engineers say they are very satisfied with their work. This is all the more remarkable today, as we have heard more and more talk in recent years about burnout and dissatisfaction at work, and lack of professional appreciation.

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