Engineers are fortunate to be able to benefit from a wide range of options to prepare for their professional future and then work in all sectors of activity: aeronautics , chemistry, digital , energy , biodiversity, transport , construction , etc. They are involved in all stages of project implementation: research, analysis, studies, design, implementation, maintenance, etc. 11 major thematic fields have been established by the Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur (CTI). Here is an overview, with key advice to help you in your orientation.
Chemistry, Process Engineering
The chemical engineer develops analysis or test protocols and supervises their execution. He works on the design of new products and interprets the results. To protect the environment, he develops anti-pollution devices , less polluting materials, and waste treatment methods. Process engineering trains engineers capable of designing, operating, improving, managing or marketing eco-industries (water, air, and waste treatment) or processes for various industrial sectors (specialty chemicals, petrochemicals, agri-food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, specialized materials) while taking into account environmental and energy criteria (eco-processes).
Biological engineering, Medical engineering
The Biological Engineering Engineer is a general engineer, capable of analyzing, assessing, inventing, creating and managing production systems for industries related to the use of living material. To do this, he has solid and balanced knowledge in the disciplines of Engineering Sciences (Process Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Industrial Microbiology) and in the disciplines of Life Sciences (Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry, Genetics) as well as a good command of experimental techniques. Medical engineering is an application of the principles and techniques of engineering in the medical field aimed at controlling biological systems or developing devices used for the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Civil engineering, Building, Development, Environment
Designing a building that is self-sufficient in energy, managing its consumption remotely via BIM (Building Information Modeling), designing it fully medicalized… The building engineer innovates to make buildings ever more functional and energy-efficient. Construction of tramways, stations, bridges, factories… All these activities are necessary but obviously generate impacts on the environment. The engineer’s mission is also to combine the preservation of biodiversity with economic issues.
Mechanics, Energy
Connecting territories together, opening up neighborhoods, connecting multimodal platforms, transporting more and more passengers using cars, planes, trains… This is the function of bridges, airports, highways and high-speed lines! The engineer intervenes to design all these infrastructures and transport systems with a concern for sustainability and energy efficiency.
Electronics, Telecoms and Networks
Optical fibers, multimedia, mobile phones and the Internet make up the world of the telecom engineer. A specialist in the transmission of information (voice, data, images), he must find solutions to the problems of addressing, broadcasting, coding, encryption and storage. He can perform extremely varied functions, in the sectors of development, manufacturing of equipment and marketing.
Computer science, Information systems, Mathematics, Modeling
Designing an autonomous driving system, making machines communicate with each other, ensuring the cybersecurity of data in the cloud, digitalizing the healthcare offering… Here are some examples of the missions of engineers who work in the field of technology/business consulting. Resolutely focused on innovation, they work daily with new technologies ( big data , IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning , etc.). Their mission: to bring their clients into the digital age.
Industrial engineering, Production, Logistics
Fixing breakdowns before they even occur, automating production lines, installing cobots (companion robots) to perform dangerous or repetitive tasks, customizing production using big data… industrial engineering is all of this. Its mission is to bring factories into the 4th industrial revolution by making production tools more flexible, integrating tomorrow’s technologies into the heart of industrial processes and optimizing the energy performance of installations.
How to make your choice?
The scope of intervention of engineers tends to expand. Thus, in addition to the fields listed above, other sectors such as health, finance, plastic arts, artistic production, etc. can be added. Choosing your specialty depends above all on you, your interests and what you really like .