If you're interested in engineering, there are many ways to learn about it and become an engineer all over the country.
There are also lots of places in and around Perth offering courses in engineering and related disciplines.
But before you rush off to study engineering in Perth, let's look at why you should, how easy it is to find jobs as an engineer, how much engineers earn, and where you can study engineering.
Reasons to Study Engineering
So why should you study engineering?
Before we talk about the logistics of being an engineer, finding jobs, and how much you get paid, let's see what draws people into studying engineering in the first place.
Engineering Teaches You STEM
After all, the E in STEM is for engineering, but you can't study engineering without learning about science, technology, and mathematics, too (the other letters in STEM).
Engineering is where STEM disciplines come together to be applied in solving real-world problems and while all of them are related, engineering is likely where everyday people get to see them in action.
Engineering Lets You Be Creative
Most people will probably think of the arts as creative and STEM as more scientific, but engineering requires creative thinking as well as STEM. Engineers use their creativity to come up with solutions that use science, technology, and maths.
If you like science and maths but find they don't scratch that creative itch, you should look to engineering as a possible career path.
Engineering is Challenging
Engineering is difficult and while that mightn't sound like a bonus for some, engineers relish a challenge. The more difficult a problem is, the more rewarding it is when you work out the solution to it.
Engineering Offers Lots of Career Options
No matter what you're interested in, you can find a specialist career in engineering for it. As you'll see when we start going through engineering courses and degrees, engineers can specialise in everything from aeronautics to robots.
With most courses starting out as general engineering courses before allowing students to specialise, you have time to work out exactly what kind of engineer you can become.
There Are Lots of Jobs In Engineering
Traditionally, engineers haven't ever struggled to find work in Australia or around the world and that's still true today.
In Australia, engineering jobs are growing twice as fast as the average across all jobs and engineering jobs are close to 4% of all jobs posted in Australia.
This has led to such a shortage of engineers that the government is implementing measures to make it easier for more engineers from abroad to move to Australia for work.
For Australian citizens, this is even better news because there are so many engineering jobs that no qualified engineer, at least not in the coming years, will struggle to find work.
Naturally, certain fields and specialisations are better than others, but choosing to study engineering is a great decision for your career.
Find out more about becoming an engineer in Australia.
Engineers Earn Good Salaries
While the median income in Australia is around $65,000 a year, the average engineer earns $112,000, which is nearly double.
This isn't the salary you can expect to start on, but the lower range of salary for engineers is still above the national average at $94,000.
As with most careers, engineers can expect to earn more as they gain experience and the upper range for engineers' salaries is $155,000.
All of these salaries are also very similar to other careers with similar education levels.
There Are Lots of Educational Options for Aspiring Engineers
Whether you want to study to become an engineer on a university campus or do professional training at a vocational college, there are lots of options for engineers. You can learn and gain whatever technical knowledge and skills you need through a wide range of different courses.
You could study a vocational diploma and learn a trade or spend more time working towards an advanced qualification in engineering. It's really up to you and how you like to learn.
Where Are The Best Places to Study Engineering in Perth?
As we've mentioned, there are a lot of different specialisations and jobs in engineering so the right course for one person mightn't be the best course for another.
For our list, we've included a list of the educational establishments offering the best courses across a range of levels and specialisations.
It's also important to consider your own aspirations, how you like to learn, and the kind of engineer you'd like to become before starting a course, but these places could all act as a starting point for your research.
Check out some of the great engineering courses in Melbourne.
North Metropolitan TAFE
In Australia, TAFE (Technical and Further Education) courses are post-high school vocational courses offered for a range of different disciplines including engineering.
The courses are run by the government across the different states and North Metropolitan TAFE offers courses across the following locations:
- Balga
- Clarkson
- East Perth
- Joondalup (Kendrew Crescent)
- Joondalup (McLarty Avenue)
- Leederville
- Midland
- Mount Lawley
- Nedlands (Oral Health Centre)
- Perth
Their courses for engineering and mining cover sub-industries such as civil construction, electrical and electrotechnology, engineering, mechanical, metal fabrication, mining, process plant ops and technology, surveying, and telecommunications.
The advantage of these kinds of courses is that they're more vocational and very cheap or even free.
Discover the best engineering courses in Sydney.
South Metropolitan TAFE
You couldn't have a North Metropolitan without a South Metropolitan, which has campuses in the following places:
- Armadale
- Bentley
- Carlisle
- Fremantle
- Jandakot
- Kwinana
- Mandurah
- Munster
- Murdoch
- Naval Base
- Rockingham
- Thornlie
Much like North Metropolitan, South Metropolitan also offers courses in engineering and mining for occupations such as fitters, machinists, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, welders, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, engineering technicians, detailed drafters, and maintenance technicians.
The courses cover things like advanced mathematics, engineering calculus, drawing and CAD, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, autonomous control and remote operations, civil construction design, etc.
Much like at North Metropolitan TAFE, not every course is offered at every campus and where you study will depend on the course you take so make sure to take note of where each course is delivered.
Curtin College
Curtin College is part of Curtin University (more on that later) which offers college-level education and educational pathways to Curtin University courses.
You can study diplomas and masters qualifying programs to get you on to bachelor's degrees and master's degrees respectively.
For engineering, you can study the Diploma of Engineering to get you onto the Bachelor of Engineering course at Curtin University.
The course will cover things like programming, calculus, mechanics, electrical systems, algebra and statistics, etc. to prepare you for a degree in engineering.
Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public university in Joondalup to the north of Perth. Founded as a college in 1902, it was granted university status in 1991.
There are many different engineering and technology courses offered at ECU including diplomas, bachelor's degrees, graduate certificates, and master's degrees.
The bachelor's degrees in engineering also offer options to specialise in things like mechatronics, civil engineering, electrical power, petroleum engineering, etc.
There are also double degrees offered where you can study engineering alongside things like computer science, technology, commerce, laws, or science.
Postgraduate courses include graduate certificates in environmental engineering, industrial automation engineering, and renewable energy engineering, and a graduate diploma in petroleum engineering.
You can also study master's degrees in engineering, engineering science, or technology or a PhD.
There are also excellent engineering courses in Brisbane.
Murdoch University
Murdoch University was the second to be founded in Perth in 1975. It's currently ranked #1 in WA for median graduate salary for engineering and technology at $75,500. It currently offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
It offers a Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree with majors in electrical and renewable energy, environmental engineering, and industrial control and automation engineering.
Postgraduate options include graduate certificates in energy and carbon studies, energy and the environment, and extractive metallurgy. Master's degrees in engineering practice and renewable and sustainable energy are also available.
Curtin University
Curtin University was once the Western Australian Institute of Technology. Following several mergers with local occupational and vocational schools and finally became a university in 1986 and changed its name to Curtin University.
They also offer a bachelor's degree in engineering that will start the first year as a general engineering course before allowing students to major in areas like chemical engineering, mining engineering, electrical and computer engineering, etc.
Don't forget that a lot of engineering courses are also offered online.
University of Western Australia
Last but not least, we have one of the best universities in Australia and the School of Engineering is the best in the country for mining and mineral engineering, marine and ocean engineering, environmental science and engineering.
Specialisations for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree include mining engineering, civil engineering, automation and robotics engineering, etc.
Postgraduate students can study master's degrees in professional engineering, ocean leadership, or renewable and future energy.
There are also research master's degrees and PhDs available.
Get Help Studying Engineering
As we mentioned earlier in this article, engineering isn't the easiest thing in the world to study and it's not uncommon for students to struggle on their courses, even when attending some of the best academic institutions in the country.
If you need help while studying engineering, don't forget that private tutors can help. There are tutors for all budgets and specialisations so you're bound to find one that's right for you! Whether you're studying for a certificate, diploma, industry-recognised qualification, or degree, private tutors will take the time to adapt their sessions to you.
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