If you are a mechanical engineering student or you are planning to move to Germany for your higher studies in mechanical engineering, here is essential advice for you. Germany or any major country, for that matter, is not looking very promising for those who want to secure a career in mechanical engineering. There have been some significant changes in the entire ecosystem and, especially if you are going towards automotive engineering, this could be something that is going to hit you at the time when you might not expect it at all.
Job Cuts!
The talk on recession and the job cuts are not just in Germany but everywhere around the world, and all of those countries are going to be affected by some percentage of job cuts.
Why are the job cuts happening?
Lesser demand from the companies.
Needless to say, Elon Musk’s Tesla has heavily disrupted the auto industry. The government is also promoting the electromotive side of the industry, and some major companies are also going to ban diesel engines in a few decades altogether. Some of them are planning to do so in ten years; few are aiming to ban diesel engines even in five years! Few global cities have particular regulations and some have already banned diesel vehicles.
The first thing that is going to be banned is the fossil-fuel reliant engines. You will slowly see the price of the diesel vehicle is going down because, especially in Europe, fossil fuels are going to have lesser and lesser importance in the automotive industry.
Carbon dioxide emission tax has a lot to do
European Union imposes hefty “carbon dioxide emission tax” on the companies that promote combustion engines in autos. The fee made major companies quickly closing down their manufacturing plants and the production units that deal with diesel and petrol engines, and are instead trying to restructure their way towards electric vehicles.
Be in the Trend!
If you are a student of mechanical engineering, or if you are planning to come to Germany for mechanical engineering, you should be very careful about the coursework you choose. Primarily for the automotive studies that are inclined more towards combustion engines, it is going to be difficult because there is already going to be a heavy emphasis on the electromotive side of the industry.
The most important thing is you add relevant courses in your CV that matches the industry inclination. It won’t only be helpful for your admission process; it will keep you in better space when you apply for the jobs. You will have something to show that you were already aware of the trends in the industry. Employers love to know that you are aware of the trends, how the industry is shifting, where it is going to go further.
If you are an electronics student and you want to study automotive or mechatronics, then try to think about pursuing something in the mechanical front as well. But keep a more substantial focus towards the electrical aspect, because that’s pretty much the only way the companies are seeing how they can reduce their carbon dioxide emission taxes. So, there is no wonder they are trying to restructure everything in that way.
For students who are already studying automotive engineering in Germany, it’s great that you are already studying in Germany, but again it’s better to be aware of the trends. Try to figure out some other courses that you can take within your bachelor or even masters, which are related more towards the electronics side.
If automotive engineering is not your aim, then planes are still going to keep using fossil fuels. There are so many other fields that are going to continue the usage of fossil fuels. But in the longer run, it is mostly going to decline because of the continuously changing climate. Also, more and more actions are taken to slow down, if not stop, the usage of fossil fuels. So many electric vehicles, including electric cars, electric busses, and e-scooters, etc. are popping up continuously. That’s how so far things have gone! And things are going to keep moving in that direction!
You have to accept that all of these changes are happening in the industry. Brace yourself, and also try to already adapt yourself for that. Your future is still in your hands, make the best out of the opportunities you have.
