I Want to Be an Engineer: Which Engineering Field Should I Choose?

You have a strong background in science and technology and have decided to become an engineer, but you are still unsure which field or specialism to choose. This is perfectly common: engineering studies cover a wide range of disciplines, and the first few years also provide an opportunity to identify those that best match your interests.

Engineering offers a broad range of pathways for building a career across almost every sector: aerospace, digital technologies, energy, transport, healthcare, industry, construction, finance and the environment.

Engineers contribute at different stages of a project, including research, analysis, studies, design, development, production, testing, maintenance and project management.

This diversity can make it hard to choose a direction at 17 or 18. Enjoying mathematics does not necessarily mean knowing whether you would prefer to work in artificial intelligence, aerospace or finance. An interest in physics can lead to mechanics, energy, space technologies or medical technologies.

Choosing a direction is therefore a gradual process.

An engineer, but in which field?

The term “engineer” covers a wide variety of professional roles.

An engineer might design an aircraft component, secure an IT infrastructure, develop an artificial intelligence algorithm, improve a production line, model financial risk, work on a medical device or reduce a building’s energy consumption.

They nevertheless share a common approach: understanding a problem, applying scientific and technical knowledge, examining several possible solutions and designing the one that best meets the project’s constraints.

The chosen specialism then determines the tools used and the phenomena studied.

Therefore, you don’t need to know your future job title when starting engineering school. A more useful starting point is identifying the sciences, technologies and types of problems that interest you.

Computer science, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity

Designing software, enabling machines to communicate, analysing large volumes of data or securing connected systems: computer science has become a central component of many engineering careers.

It extends far beyond the digital sector. Software and data are now present across industry, transport, healthcare, energy, banking and aerospace.

Engineers can work in software development, artificial intelligence, cloud architecture, connected devices or cybersecurity.

Artificial intelligence has considerably expanded the range of applications. It can be used to analyse medical images, detect anomalies on a production line, forecast energy consumption or assist vehicle operation.

Working in AI, however, involves more than using existing tools. A solid education requires an understanding of the mathematics, probability, statistics, algorithms and programming on which AI models are based.

Cybersecurity addresses another challenge that affects almost every sector: protecting software, networks, data and infrastructure. Engineers need to anticipate vulnerabilities and integrate security from the earliest stages of system design.

These fields suit profiles with an interest in logic, mathematics, programming, and abstract problem-solving, while also offering highly practical applications when software controls objects, machines, or infrastructure.

Mechanics, aerospace and transport

Mechanics remains one of the historic foundations of engineering science.

It comes into play whenever engineers need to understand how a component, structure, fluid or physical system will behave.

Engineers design and simulate cars, aircraft, satellites, robots, industrial equipment and energy systems. They study material strength, vibrations, aerodynamics, heat transfer and manufacturing processes.

Digital tools have transformed these professions. Much of the work now uses computer-aided design and simulation.

Aerospace therefore draws on mechanics alongside computer science, electronics, telecommunications and embedded systems. A satellite or launch vehicle is a complex system in which multiple engineering disciplines need to operate together.

Students interested in physical objects, how machines work, modelling or understanding scientific phenomena can find numerous career paths in these areas.

Industry, robotics and production

Modern industrial engineering covers many areas, including predicting breakdowns before they occur, automating production lines, installing robots to carry out hazardous or repetitive tasks, and using data to customise manufacturing.

Today’s factories combine mechanics, computer science, electronics, robotics and data systems.

Engineers may work on designing a production line, industrialising a new product, maintaining equipment or improving manufacturing processes.

Their work requires understanding what happens on the factory floor, along with the ability to analyse flows, costs, deadlines and resource consumption.

Industry is also evolving through collaborative robotics, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital twins.

These careers are particularly relevant for people who enjoy seeing tangible results from their work and solving problems directly related to manufacturing and system operation.

Energy, the environment and transition technologies

Energy production and use represent another major field for engineers.

Engineering challenges include electricity generation, renewable energy, nuclear power, networks, storage, buildings, mobility and industrial processes.

The scope of these challenges has evolved. Engineers examine system performance alongside resource consumption, emissions, lifespan and environmental impacts.

Eco-design incorporates these factors from the beginning of a project. The choice of a material, component or architecture can therefore be assessed according to the product’s entire life cycle.

Engineers also work on buildings and cities. Sensors, modelling, control systems and data analysis can improve the management of energy, transport and urban infrastructure.

These fields combine physical sciences, digital systems and an understanding of environmental challenges.

Healthcare and medical technologies

Medical engineering applies engineering principles and techniques to patient diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.

The sector brings together life sciences, computer science, electronics, mechanics and data.

An engineer might work on a medical device, prosthesis, surgical robot, remote monitoring platform or imaging system.

Artificial intelligence is also creating new possibilities for analysing medical data and supporting certain decisions.

These technologies are subject to particularly demanding reliability, safety and regulatory requirements. A technically effective solution must also provide a tangible benefit for patients and function effectively within real healthcare environments.

This field can appeal to students interested in technology who want to apply their skills directly to healthcare and human-centred challenges.

Electronics, embedded systems and connected devices

Vehicles, robots, satellites and medical devices often contain numerous electronic systems.

Sensors, microprocessors and embedded software allow an object to measure its environment, make a decision and trigger an action.

Engineers therefore work at the interface between the physical and digital worlds.

The automotive sector provides a clear example, with driver assistance systems, battery management and connected vehicles. The same skills are used in aerospace, robotics, industry, healthcare and energy.

Connected devices add another dimension: equipment needs to communicate information to other systems while managing energy consumption and cybersecurity.

These specialisms suit students interested in both computer science and physical sciences, and who particularly enjoy combining the two.

Mathematics, modelling and finance

Mathematics is more than a foundation for other scientific disciplines. It also lies at the heart of several engineering careers.

Modelling represents real-world phenomena through equations and simulates their behaviour. It is used in mechanics, energy, artificial intelligence, meteorology and finance.

Quantitative finance therefore provides a specific career path for engineers with strong skills in mathematics, statistics and programming.

They may work in market modelling, risk assessment, actuarial science or financial technology development.

These professions have evolved considerably as data and algorithms have grown in importance. Finance and computer science now come together in fintech, digital payments and the automation of financial operations.

This field is particularly suited to profiles who enjoy abstract reasoning, probability and modelling and want to apply these skills to economic or financial decision-making.

Chemistry, process engineering and materials

Chemical engineers develop analysis or testing protocols, supervise their implementation and contribute to the design of new products.

Process engineering focuses on how a reaction or technique developed in a laboratory can be transferred to large-scale production.

These skills are used in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food production, energy and water treatment.

Materials engineering is a closely related field with considerable importance across industry. Designing a lighter aircraft, a more efficient battery or a medical implant requires an understanding of the mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of the materials involved.

Environmental considerations are also driving research into processes that consume less energy, recyclable materials and new approaches to waste recovery.

These fields generally suit students interested in chemistry, materials and experimentation.

Civil engineering, buildings and infrastructure

Bridges, railway stations, transport networks, housing, industrial buildings and urban infrastructure all rely on engineers.

Civil engineering combines mechanics, materials science, geotechnics, energy engineering and project management.

Digital technologies have transformed the sector. Building Information Modelling (BIM), for example, allows different stakeholders to share a digital representation of a building.

Buildings are also becoming increasingly instrumented. Sensors and management systems can monitor energy consumption, comfort levels and equipment condition.

Engineers now design infrastructure while accounting for durability, climate adaptation, and resource consumption.

What if several fields interest you?

The boundaries between engineering specialisms are considerably less distinct than they once were.

An electric vehicle combines mechanics, electronics, software, data and energy. A medical robot brings together mechanics, computer science, artificial intelligence and health sciences. A satellite combines structures, thermal engineering, electronics, communications and software.

This hybridisation enables engineers to develop profiles that combine several disciplines.

An interest in mechanics and computer science can lead to robotics or embedded systems. Mathematics and programming can open pathways into both data and finance. Electronics and healthcare come together in medical devices.

Choosing a specialism therefore does not necessarily mean leaving every other subject behind.

How should you choose?

The scope of engineering continues to broaden. Choosing a specialism depends primarily on your interests and the subjects and activities you genuinely enjoy studying and working on.

If you are particularly interested in a subject such as chemistry, biology, mechanics or computer science while still at secondary school, a specialist engineering school can provide an opportunity to focus on that field relatively early.

However, it is important to check that the subjects taught match your expectations.

Artificial intelligence courses involve substantial mathematics and programming. Aerospace requires work in mechanics, thermal engineering and systems. Energy engineering relies heavily on physics.

The name of an industry may sound appealing, but the subjects studied over several years need to match your academic interests.

Conversely, if several sciences still interest you or your career plans remain open, a general engineering school provides more time to explore different fields before specialising.

Projects and placements can help you choose

Academic courses form only one part of the decision-making process.

Projects often provide a much more practical understanding of a field. Programming a robot, designing a component, analysing data or working on an energy system can help determine whether a theoretical interest translates into practical enjoyment.

Work placements serve a similar purpose.

An initial professional experience can confirm a direction or reveal new interests. A student attracted to a particular industry may realise that one profession does not suit them while becoming interested in another role encountered during the placement.

Choosing a direction therefore develops through successive experiences rather than a single decision made at secondary school.

Conversations with lecturers, professionals and students further along in their studies can also provide information that is difficult to obtain from a programme description alone.

Do not confuse an industry with a profession

Another question can help clarify your plans: are you primarily interested in working within a particular industry, or in performing a specific type of job?

Someone passionate about aerospace could become a mechanical engineer, data scientist, cybersecurity specialist, software engineer or production manager for a company in the sector.

Conversely, a cybersecurity engineer could work successively for a bank, car manufacturer, hospital or defence company while retaining essentially the same specialism.

The industry answers the question, “What type of environment would I like to work in?” The profession focuses more specifically on, “What problems would I like to solve, and with which skills?”

Making this distinction can help avoid choosing a course too early simply because the name of a particular industry is attractive.

A specialism does not determine your entire career

There is little value in looking for a specialism that you expect to keep throughout your entire working life.

Engineering careers evolve.

The first few years generally allow engineers to develop expertise. Later, some move into different technologies, industries or functions. An engineer may become a project manager, consultant, specialist, manager or entrepreneur.

Strong scientific foundations, the ability to learn, and project management skills can support these transitions.

Some changes naturally require additional training. Moving from mechanics to medicine or from electronics to finance cannot happen immediately. Professional careers are, however, far less linear than the choice of a major at the age of 21 or 22 might suggest.

A specialism primarily provides direction at the start of a career.

A general engineering school gives your plans time to develop

When you know that you want to become an engineer but have yet to identify a specific field, a general engineering education provides time to explore your options.

A common core curriculum develops foundations in mathematics, computer science, physics and engineering science before students gradually explore different areas of application.

This approach has another advantage: technologies are increasingly interconnected. Engineers need to understand the constraints their specialists face.

A broad scientific background can therefore help a software engineer communicate with mechanical engineers on an industrial project, or allow an energy specialist to understand the digital systems controlling an infrastructure.

A general engineering curriculum still requires students to develop expertise. The final two years should provide sufficiently advanced skills to prepare graduates for their first professional role.

Choosing a major at ESILV

ESILV follows this progressive approach.

After the two years of integrated preparatory studies, the first part of the engineering programme retains a common scientific and technological curriculum. Students consolidate their knowledge before developing their specialism during the final two years.

ESILV currently offers 15 majors, 14 of which can be studied through an apprenticeship pathway. Students can choose their major, with no quota system.

The majors cover four broad areas that reflect the range of engineering profiles ESILV develops.

In computer science, students can specialise in areas including data and artificial intelligence, software engineering, cloud computing, cybersecurity and connected devices.

Mechanics provides pathways into modelling and numerical simulation, industry and robotics, mechanical design, and aerospace and defence.

Finance combines mathematics, computer science and an understanding of financial markets through financial engineering, actuarial science and fintech.

Several other majors combine technology with transition-related challenges, including healthcare, energy and sustainable cities, eco-innovation and creative technologies.

This range allows students to move gradually from a broad engineering background towards an identified area of expertise, without requiring them to choose their future profession immediately after secondary school.

An academic direction that develops over five years

Wanting to become an engineer without yet knowing exactly “what kind” does not mean lacking a career plan.

When entering higher education, it helps to know that you enjoy understanding science, solving problems, building things, or experimenting. The field of application can become clearer later.

Subjects, projects, student associations, professional encounters, placements and international experiences can gradually help identify the areas that generate the strongest interest.

Some students confirm an existing interest in aerospace or computer science early in their studies. Others encounter quantitative finance, robotics, cybersecurity or medical technologies during their engineering programme.

The aim is less about predicting at secondary school which profession you will practise twenty years later than choosing a sufficiently broad and rigorous education to explore different fields, gain practical experience and specialise as your plans become clearer.

Learn more about ESILV’s programmes