Top 5 Highest Paid Jobs in Engineering [A Complete Guide]

Nearly half the country aspires to graduate as an engineer. The other half, of course, wants to pursue a career in medicine. If you are looking for one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India that justifies all those years of burning the midnight oil, continue reading the article. 

Engineering is one of the most coveted domains, and the pressures of cracking the engineering entrance exams are felt right from school. But it isn’t enough to just get your foot through the door of an engineering college. Rational career choices are made when you can identify which field of engineering can rake in the most salary. If payment is an important factor to you, we listed top 5 highest paying engineering jobs in India. Modern jobs such as Data Science, Machine Learning have started replacing traditional jobs in the highest paying engineering jobs in India list.

Keep yourself informed of the roles that are currently in demand. You could also put your analytical skills to some good use to predict the skills that will be needed in the future. This helps to chart a financially fruitful career path. The highest paying engineering jobs are those that are not only popular but also those that find few takers, and thus raising the salary bar. Let’s discuss the highest paying engineering jobs in India. 

List of Top 5 Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in India

1. Software Engineer
2. Data Engineer
3. Full Stack Engineer
4. Petroleum Engineer
5. Aerospace Engineer

Top 5 Highest Paying Jobs in Engineering in India

1. Software Engineer

Perhaps one of the most popular jobs on the market is that of a software engineer. Sound knowledge of computer science is an essential requirement for this job. It entails the development, testing, and maintenance of computer programs. Since the demands of various businesses and industries are different, you will always need a qualified software engineer on the team to design computer systems customized for your needs.

Source

Everything from installation to operation, security to network issues are dealt with and sorted by a software engineer. The average salary of the job in India is usually around five hundred thousand per year. The figure can vary depending upon the experience, education, and company.

For instance, an engineer with about 20 years’ experience could rake in a cool 1 million with ease. Certainly, it is one of the best paying engineering jobs out there. Read about the career options for software engineers.

If you are interested to become an expert in software, check out Master of Science in Computer Science. This 18-month program aims to teach students the nitty-gritty of Software Development and acquire the trending skills for a successful career in Software Engineering. The course focuses on the fundamentals of programming and includes several specializations such as Big Data, Cloud Computing, Blockchain Development, DevOps, and Cybersecurity

2. Data Engineer

The world today is driven by data and is immensely dependent upon it. Big data analysis is crucial to identifying trends, improving organizational functions, analyzing consumer behavior, and so much more. It is the job of a data engineer to get all this information together so that it may be examined by a data scientist.

Source

The roles of a software engineer and data engineer are often confused for one another. While they might be complementary, the roles are somewhat different. A software engineer is required to build systems. These apps and software create data that is then retrieved and collected by the data engineers.

No wonder that most of the data engineers today start as software engineers first. A quick run-through of job sites suggest that on an average, a big data engineer can earn anywhere between 7 lakhs and 12 lakhs in India making it one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India, depending on the experience of the candidate. Read more about data engineer salary in India.

How to become a data engineer?

Graduates / Engineers can opt for PG Diploma in Data Science, an 11-month program and is offered jointly by upGrad and IIIT-B.

3. Full Stack Engineer

It is 2019 and computer systems are more complex. From web to mobile, you are as good as your program or application. And while front-end and back-end developers are crucial to keeping things up and running, companies are increasingly investing in full-stack engineers so that project management can be more efficient.

A full-stack engineer knows about working on the front-end and back-end of a website. They may even be equipped with web designing skills. They are not only involved in the execution of a project but also actively participate with the client during the planning stages. In short, they are “fully stacked” to deal with everything that is needed to keep your system running. Be on your toes, at all times. After all, in addition to being one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India, it is also a fast-paced one.

They need to know everything from JavaScript and HTML to Ruby and Python. According to a survey conducted by Indeed last year, the average salary of a Full Stack Development Engineer can be around 5 – 9 lakhs per annum in India making it one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India. which makes it one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India. 

However, if you can get a degree for the same, this figure will go up. More and more businesses today prefer to hire a full-stack engineer instead of having front-end and back-end experts separately. Read more about the full stack developer salary in India.

Source

How to become a Full Stack Software Developer?

If you’re interested to learn more about software development, full-stack development, check out upGrad & IIIT-B’s PG Diploma in Full-stack Software Development which is designed for working professionals and offers 500+ hours of rigorous training, 9+ projects and assignments, IIIT-B Alumni status, practical hands-on capstone projects & job assistance with top firms.

4. Petroleum Engineer

The demand for natural gas and petroleum being high around the world means that a petroleum engineer will always be valued. A petroleum engineer must devise ways to force oil out of the crust of the earth through ingenious methods using water, gas, air, etc.

It requires in-depth research, knowledge of the oil wells, and at times an engineer has to also come up with designs that connect these reservoirs to other oil wells. With a global inclination for clean energy, petroleum engineers also have to figure out how to use these natural oil deposits to generate energy-efficient fuel.

Source

Interestingly enough, the number of people qualified for such jobs is barely enough to meet the actual demand. This makes it a genuinely sought after job. The initial salary of a petroleum engineer in India can hover between 4 lakhs and 4.5 lakhs per year making it one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India. However, with about 12 years experience, this number could also touch 40 lakhs per annum landing petroleum engineers in the top five highest-paying engineering jobs in India.

5. Aerospace Engineer

Perhaps one of the most exciting jobs in engineering would be that of an aerospace engineer. Dealing with planes, satellites, spacecraft, military space missions, and such other projects are definitely not your everyday job. Right from conceptualizing to design to development, aerospace engineers are responsible for the construction of space technology for commercial, military or private use.

Source

It isn’t just about creating spacecraft but also being able to provide solutions for damages. The niche and highly skilled nature of the job automatically translate into a higher paycheck.

Source

An aerospace engineer could earn anything between 8 lakhs and 30 lakhs as per the level of seniority makes it one of the highest paying engineering jobs in India. However, as a job that is high in demand around the world, candidates may also consider countries like the U.S., Switzerland or Iceland, where the pay scale is definitely higher. The specialized skills required for jobs make it one of the highest paying engineering jobs in the world.

Conclusion

These are the top 5 highest paying engineering jobs in India – that will help you grow financially / that will be in demand. Engineering as a field isn’t restricted to tinkering about with machines. It involves creativity in conceptualization and designing. It also rests heavily upon sound analytical skills. While Mechanical engineering is the most common choice for most people, some of the best paying engineering jobs are those that require niche skills.

Plan well so that you are not just another engineer but one that is sought after. In an increasingly digitalized, data-oriented, and automated world, it is these skills that will prove to be more vital and indispensable. And that’s what you need to focus upon more.