EASYUNI Ultimate University Guide 2013 July Issue | Page 46

Interview Industry

Engineering

The Institution of Engineers,
Malaysia (IEM)

A study mentioned that Malaysia was lagging behind
compared to developed countries such as Germany and
South Korea, with one engineer for every 350 people as
opposed to the two countries, which have one engineer
for every 100 people. Why is this important for an
emerging country like ours?
Engineers play a major role in the development of the country.
An adequate number of engineers is therefore essential if
Malaysia is to be able to achieve developed status like that of
Germany and South Korea by 2020. Graduates should also be
well-equipped and be aware of the advancement of technology
in engineering as well as other areas to be able to compete with
other developed nations. This is part of the inevitable process of
globalisation and the need for gaining competitive advantage.

What are the career options and salary trends for the
various jobs across the Engineering sector?
Currently, there seem to be more demand for engineers in the oil
and gas industry, particularly in mechanical/chemical/petroleum
?elds of engineering. Hence, the salary trend may be higher
compared to the other ?elds of engineering. another area of
interest would be in the energy/green technology sector, as well
as civil and transportation engineering. overall, it all depends on
the economy of the country.

What are the opportunities and challenges that
candidates should look out for in Engineering?
Opportunities would be in exploring the various ?elds of
engineering where there will be shifts in the demand for
engineers in each ?eld due to the changing economy. Challenges
would be for engineers to be suf?ciently adaptable and ?exible
to change with the shifting demands for different skills in the
different ?elds.

Apart from skills and knowledge, what other aspects
someone new to Engineering should have?
Good communications skills both written and spoken.
These are the main factors for the candidate especially in terms
of reporting and also analyzing and interpreti