“Nothing gives you more agency than an engineering degree.”
The career trajectories of UBC Engineering alumni are proof of this statement from UBC Dean of Engineering James Olson. While many graduates pursue traditional engineering roles, many end up working in other areas – from management consulting and entrepreneurship to medicine and aviation.
The most versatile undergraduate degree
There’s a reason that an engineering degree is one of the best choices you can make if you want to acquire the knowledge, skills and experience that set you up for success in any area.
As an engineering student, you will learn foundational knowledge in a wide range of subjects, including math, science, coding, economics and more.
You will develop crucial skills in systems thinking, problem solving, communication, leadership and teamwork. Finally, you will be acquiring resume-building experience through group projects in your courses, co-op work terms, participation in design teams and extracurricular activities.
When you graduate, you’ll be ready to pursue a career as a professional engineer. This is the path of many of our alumni who are using their knowledge and skills to develop innovative solutions across a range of industries.
Engineering is also an excellent foundation for other career trajectories. It’s interesting to note that the 2021 Census from Statistics Canada shows that only about one-third of Canadians with an engineering degree were working in engineering occupations in 2021.
This is because many engineering degree holders end up advancing into roles in management, education, technology and leadership or other areas where they do not necessarily need to be registered as a professional engineer. Many work in fields like law, medicine, teaching, accounting.
Torn between studying business or engineering? The skills you learn in an engineering undergraduate degree are very transferrable to business environments – in fact one study showed that more Fortune 500 companies are led by engineers than MBAs!
Alumni success stories
Scroll through our profiles of UBC Engineering alumni and you’ll uncover a lot of fascinating career journeys. Many start out in traditional engineering roles and then move into positions where they are succeeding thanks to the knowledge, skills and mindset they learned as undergrads. Here are a few recent highlights.
From mining engineering to business consulting
Denny Tian (Mining Engineering, 2017) is currently working for Boston Consulting Group, where he advises some of the world’s most iconic companies on strategies for growth. He’s also worked at a mine site, founded a company (that he then sold) and worked as a consultant for EY.
“While I haven’t needed to rely on my knowledge of geology lately,” he says, “my background in mining engineering has set me up well to thrive in many different environments and work contexts.“
From civil engineering to biotech entrepreneur
Kunal Sethi (Civil Engineering, 2017) is the CEO and co-founder of UVX Inc., a company developing technology that uses UV light to disinfect a room’s surface and air – making it a potential gamechanger in long-term care homes among other settings .
“Engineering is a great degree if you are interested in launching a company,” he says. “Engineering teaches you the fundamentals of problem solving, which is a crucial skill when you are an entrepreneur. As an engineering student, you will learn how to break problems apart into their discrete components and solve for them individually – and this is definitely a transferable skill in entrepreneurship and other ventures! “
From electrical engineering to public sector leadership
Aditya Chaudhuri (Electrical Engineering, 2017) is the technical advisor and acting deputy director of Global Affairs Canada where he heads up the Grants and Contributions Transformation Initiative.
He says his engineering training has been essential to his success: “[As an engineer] you are not just solving technical problems, you are solving all sorts of problems using a methodical approach of identifying your variables, determining what is in and out of your control, and applying an analytical mindset to find a solution.”
From civil engineering to pilot in training
Stormy Howard (Civil Engineering, 2020) is now training to be a pilot for Delta. Before this, she was the project lead in design and construction at Delta Air Lines where she managed a portfolio of 30 airports in Canada and the US.
She says that engineering “is a very versatile degree that equips you with transferable skills you can use in many different careers – don’t be afraid to do something unique.”
From mechanical engineering to management consultant
After graduating from mechanical engineering, Polly Zou (Mechanical Engineering, 2015) designed life-saving projects for Mustang Survival, including high-performance marine gear and a submarine escape suit (on which she has a patent). She’s now working as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, advising clients on opportunities and developing and executing strategies.
“My engineering background informs my approach, allowing me to leverage analytical skills and bridge gaps between technical expertise and strategic business management,” she says. “Additionally, the data science elements of my degree have been very helpful as I move from industry to industry – here’s a shout out to those linear algebra fundamentals! “
From electrical engineering to entrepreneur
Natik Aggarwal (Electrical Engineering, 2021) is an entrepreneur who co-founded VCJ Venture Studio, a company that is building SaaS products.
“One of the crucial things I learned from engineering is how important it is to understand the problem first before diving into a solution,” he says. “That sounds basic, but it’s not. It’s easy to make things, but to be successful you need to be making something that solves a real problem. “
