Can You Become an Engineer Without an Engineering Degree?

Now that we have our ground rules established let's look for the answer to the question!

Can You Become an Engineer Without an Engineering Degree?

Civil Engineering

Focusing first on civil engineering, this is currently one of the harder fields to enter without a degree in engineering. Most civil engineers need to be licensed as Professional Engineers (PEs) to be allowed to stamp official papers. To get this license, at least a bachelor's in engineering is required. That said, it is still plausible that you could become a subset of a civil engineer without a degree. Most of these cases will require years of hard work at one company that allows you to increase throughout the ranks of the field without formal education. For example, construction worker to foreman to drafter to engineer. The occurrences of this advancement in civil engineering will be few and far between.

The most accessible entry to this profession would be a civil engineering degree. There is a good reason for such appropriate high requirements - a person without appropriate knowledge can cause quite a mess during a construction project. 

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineers aren't entirely licensed as regulated of a profession as civil engineering when it comes to licensing. The quick answer is that you could become a mechanical engineer without a degree in that field, but again, a degree in something technical usually requires excellent great news. This is great news for any undergraduate student as it allows you to start working before you finish a university program. 

If you wanted to get into mechanical engineering without any college education, you would need to demonstrate years of proficiency and skill in the field. Some companies even encourage promising graduate and undergraduate students to apply for such a job. It will help the development of your skills while the company will get an experienced worker as soon as they finish university courses. Even then, an employer might still require you to get a formal degree as part of the job. Compared to civil engineering, you can get into mechanical engineering without a degree in the field with ease, but the best way is still to get a degree.

[Image Source: Minority University Research Education Program (MUREP). via Commons]

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is perhaps the most accessible field to get into without a degree in chemical engineering, but also the most challenging degree to get into without a college degree. Part of why chemical engineering is more accessible without a chemical engineering degree is because of how far-reaching chemistry is. One could become a chemical engineer with a chemistry, biology, or other life sciences degree. However, if you don't have some formal education in applied science, becoming a chemical engineer will be pretty challenging. 

Electrical Engineering

Lastly, electrical engineering. We saved this one for last because it is probably the most accessible field to get into without a degree, assuming you can demonstrate proficiency. Electrical engineering is a field that can largely be learned through hard work and experimentation, to a greater extent than other engineering fields. Someone can start building various things in their garage and eventually gain enough proficiency to be hired in the field. This isn't to discount the significant advantage of having an electrical engineering degree. Instead, it is to highlight that hard work can get you into this engineering field more than any other. This makes sense, given that this field depends on your projects' creativity and the final technology you can produce. Unlike other engineering sciences, where the final product has to adhere to specific quality standards, electrical engineering is all about inventing new systems, services, and products—one of the best careers for those who like to tinker but don't like to study. 

Nowadays, you can find lots of engineering resources online. Many people prefer attaining advanced knowledge by reading content on a site. Even though this may help, some areas will be heavily regulated and require an academic degree.

Those of you who would like to skip the traditional learning process and go to a university (due to lack of free time) have in mind there are numerous accredited programs you can complete online. Just make sure that your state (or country) recognizes the degree. 

So, can you become an engineer without a degree? Well, yes ... but it is far easier to get the degree. Engineers are just people who have honed their critical thinking and problem-solving skills beyond standards. If you want to become an engineer, don't let having a degree hold you back. Get out there and learn.

Are any of you engineers without a degree? Have you worked in one of these fields? 

Comment below so others can hear your story!