Engineers who switched careers

On National Engineers’ Day, city folks talk about how they adapt engineering to other domains

Metrolife spoke to engineers who switched fields and found their calling in other professions. They talk to us about their journey, their reasons behind making the switch and how they continue to put their degree to use.

‘I correlate what I studied with music’

Singer Priyadarshini has worked over 150 films. She also has a PhD in Indian film music from the University of Mysore. Her engineering degree has helped her music career, she tells Metrolife. “I studied electronics and electrical engineering. Since electronics is common in both fields, I always correlate what I learned during my engineering degree with music. I can understand the production and technology of music better because of my degree,” says the playback singer.

‘A logical framework to look at the world’

Ajay Chandran, a professor at St Joseph’s University, Langford Road, believes that engineering equipped him with a logical outlook on life. “Engineering gives you a sense of logic as to how things are done. I have used that in many areas of my life,” says Ajay. Having developed an interest in photography, Ajay switched fields to film studies and cinematography. “Engineering gave me an understanding of computers and technology which significantly helped me in the digital aspect of cinematography,” he adds.

‘Explored interests outside the classroom’

“Teachers in school explained concepts in a way that made me curious but that was not the case in college,” says Vikas aka Vicky Pedia, a popular content creator. Vikas found that theatre satisfied his curiosity. “I believe that only if you do something for 10 years, will you get good at it. And I was looking for a field where I would be happy spending those 10 years.” However, Vicky adds, “Engineering has helped me integrate the newest technology into my content creation process.”

‘Art and math are similar at heart’

The gaps in the education system pushed Nevin Thomas away from engineering. “In the 4 years of college, the practical use of the concepts being taught were never demonstrated,” says Nevin, creative head at Analytics India Magazine. 

However, he continues to use parts of his engineering degree in his daily life. “That mathematics and art are unrelated is a misconception. For example, when you break down fonts and colours, they’re all numbers,” he adds.  

‘Difficult to find jobs based on what you studied’

“The discipline and precision I learned during engineering and my knowledge of software applications has helped me in my current field,” says indie filmmaker Jaishankar Aryar.

“Getting a job based on what you have studied is a little difficult and I didn’t like that aspect of engineering. I studied automobile engineering and the payscale for that domain was very low. Plus, I wanted to do something creative. So, I made the switch to filmmaking,” he says.

‘I didn’t like mathematics’

Raunak Nandi has always loved machines. However, he didn’t like mathematics and chemistry, which came with engineering. “I realised I couldn’t be an engineer in the field I liked without mathematics and that made me change careers,” he says. Employed at an ed-tech firm, Raunak’s work involves designing modules and lessons for children, “Since this content is geared for kids, there is a lot of interaction with animation studios. Thus, the software applications I picked up during engineering still apply to what I do,” Raunak adds.