How to become a Computer Engineer: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Top Colleges, Entrance Exams, Jobs, Scope, Salary

Types of Computer Engineers 

The job as a computer engineer is competitive yet rewarding. There are multiple opportunities both in India and abroad. Some of the most popular profiles of computer engineers are :

Big Data Engineer

Know More: Big Data Courses

Data Scientists

Also Check: Data Science Courses 

Machine Learning Engineers

Read More: Machine Learning Courses

Software Testing Engineer 

DevOps Engineer 

Computer System Analysts

Steps to Become a Computer Engineer 

Computer Engineering is one of the most sought after engineering disciplines in India. In India on an average over 880,000 people apply in different colleges to study computer engineering.

Diploma Degree

• Step 1: Interested candidates must clear the Entrance Exams administered by the Technical Education Boards of various state governments, post which selected candidates are eligible to pursue Diploma courses as per their ranks scored in the Entrance Exams. 
• Step 2: After finishing the three-year Diploma programme, students can either seek employment as a Junior Engineer or, Diploma students can also choose to complete their Engineering degree by getting enrolled in AIME (Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers). The government of India, the union public service commission, state governments, and public/private sector enterprises recognise the successful completion of AMIE's non-formal engineering education programme as compared to a degree in engineering.

Bachelor’s Degree

Students aspiring to become Computer Engineers, must first clear class 12 board exams with a mandatory subject combination of Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics along with an aggregate score of 60% and above from a recognised board. Listed below are the steps that must be followed in order to become a Computer Engineer by pursuing Bachelors degree for your reference,

• Step 1: Eligible students must clear various entrance exams such as JEE Main and JEE Advanced, BITSAT etc which are held by various state universities, central government organisations, and private institutions (such as IITs, BITS Pilani, and others) across India. Candidates are admitted to these colleges for a four-year degree programme based on their performance in the examination and their choice of a stream of interest.
• Step 2: After completing the degree programme and pursuing appropriate internship, the candidate is qualified to work as an assistant computer engineer in the government, semi-government, or private sector. Computer engineering graduates are mostly employed by software and IT organisations. They can also work at universities, research institutions, private and public companies, government offices, business and commercial organisations, and so on.

How to Become a Computer Engineer After 10th

Candidates have the opportunity to become Computer Engineers after clearing class 10 boards or equivalent examination. For this the candidates are required to pass their Diploma in Computer Engineering or Diploma in Computer Science and Engineering . The following are a few of the steps that the candidates are required to follow after their 10th or equivalent.

• Candidates are required to visit the various colleges offering Diploma in Computer Science or Diploma in Computer science and engineering and see what are the eligibility criteria and admission procedure.
• Most of the colleges provide admission on the basis of entrance examinations such as AP POLYCET, Delhi CET, HP PAT, MP PAT, JEXPO, etc.
• If the candidates crack the entrance examination then they would be called for the counselling process where they are required to select the desired colleges. 

• Candidates who wish to pursue higher education can take the various lateral entry exams and take up admission in the second year of the Btech Course.

How to Become a Computer Engineer after 12th

Computer Engineering after 12th is a much more common path that is taken up by the candidates who want to pursue a career as a computer engineer. The steps on how to become a computer Engineer after 12th can be divided into 2 ways. One is the UG level and the other is the PG level.

UG level 

Here are some of the steps that the candidates must follow to become a computer engineer after 12th. 

• For the UG level, the candidates are required to take up science in their 12th or equivalent level. The candidates need to have physics, chemistry and mathematics as core subjects.
• The candidates are required to visit the various university pt college website to understand the various entrance scores that are accepted by the college. 
• The popular entrance examination for the UG level are JEE Mains, JEE advanced, BITSAT, WBJEE, OJEE, etc
• If the candidate qualifies for the entrances then they need to appear for the counselling process by paying a minimum amount of counselling fees. 
• Candidates should maintain a DGPA of 7.5 or a minimum aggregate of 60% in the degree exam.

• Candidates who seek to get placed at PSUs should start preparing for the GATE entrance exam.

PG Level

• After the completion of the UG courses the candidates can go for the various PG Courses such as MTech in Computer Science Engineering, MTech Computer Engineering, MTech Computer Science and Technology, etc. 
• GATE is the Main entrance examination that the candidates avail at the PG level, Other entrance exams are WBUT PGET, Karnataka PGCET, BITSHD etc
• The preparation of GATE would require more sincere efforts as only 15-20% qualify. The cut off of computer science for GATE 2021 is 26.1. The Gate scores are valid for 3 years.
• Candidates are required to maintain an average score of 55-60% in the PG level. 
• The candidates should look to get an internship ption in a top company so that it adds value to their degree. 

Computer Engineering Courses 

The most sought after stream to be a computer engineer is B.Tech in Computer Science. Ii is a 4 year UG level course. There are government, private as well as self-financing institutes offering the program. Candidates have to pass the entrance exam to gain entry.

BTech in Computer Science 

B.Tech course is a 4 year program offered at undergraduate level. The course offers insight to hardware and software aspects including the techniques of programming, algorithms, designing etc. The program can be offered in full time as well as part time mode. 

BTech Entrance exams

JEE Mains and JEE Advanced are the national level entrance exams a candidate must sit for to seek admission to undergraduate BTech courses.

JEE Mains 

Qualifying JEE Main exam is the first step towards a career as a computer engineer The JEE Mains is the main entrance exam conducted by the National Testing agency (NTA). The exam is used as a benchmark for admission to different NITS,IIITs, central universities and state universities.

JEE Mains Important Dates 

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M.Tech in Computer Science 

Master of Technology or M.Tech in Computer Science is a PG course that enables the candidates to learn about computer architecture, VLSI, cloud computing, etc in depth. The M.Tech in Computer Engineering at IITs is a highly sought-after course for computer engineers

M.Tech in Computer Science Course Details 

Entrance Exam 

The candidates must pass the GATE entrance exam to study M.Tech In Computer Engineering. 

GATE Entrance Exam details 

Related Course

Here are some related courses that candidates can take up to become computer engineers in India.

B.Tech IT 

Bachelor of technology in Information Technology (IT) is another course that the candidates can follow to become computer engineer in India. BTech IT allows the candidates to get trained in the various computer systems, such as the software and hardware, so that they are able to troubleshoot the various networking errors.

BSc in Computer Science 

The course teaches the students about the different software and programming languages, computer application and services. B.Sc in Computer Science course is offered on a full time and part time basis.

BCA 

Bachelor of computer application is the undergraduate course that allows the students to learn about the different operating systems, data structures, User interface design, etc.BCA course allows the student to understand and develop different computer applications.

How to become a Computer Engineer Abroad 

However, the candidates need to keep the following things in mind before seeking admission to the foreign universities and should keep in mind the following criteria before applying for the relevant course. 

• Choosing Universities: The candidates are required to choose the right universities for admission to various degree level programs. The candidates are required to go through the rankings of the institutes released by various agencies such as QS world rankings, US News Ranking, etc. They are required to conduct a thorough research on the tuition fees, cost of living expenses as well as the return on investment before zeroing into a particular university.
• Educational Requirements : The foreign Universities follow strict entry criteria. The cutoff scores are declared separately by individual universities. Apart from that, computer engineering requirements include the candidates  to pass english proficiency tests such as TOEFL, IELTS or PTE. Candidates are also required to pass the various entrance examinations such as SAT, GMAT, GRE, etc.
• Other Requirements: Apart from the educational requirements the candidates are required to submit their work experience, letter(s) of recommendation, list of references, bank statements , proof of passport and visa for their admission process. 

USA 

• Computer Engineering requirements for undergraduate admission the candidates need to pass their 12th or equivalent examination from a recognized board. The cutoffs are declared by individual universities. The candidates must have math as one of their compulsory subjects.
• In the case of PG admission, the candidate needs to have a GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 (between 83-88%), in their UG level  to get admission to top universities in the USA.
• The average salary computer engineer in the USA is INR 3,924,310
• The top recruiters for Computer engineers in the USA are Microsoft, Verizon, Capital One, Northrop Grumman, Cisco, etc.

Top Colleges in the USA

See:

UK 

• In case of admission to the UG Courses the candidates are required to pass their 12th or equivalent examination with a minimum score of 60%. In case of admission to the top colleges the cutoff score can go up to 90%.
• For PG admission the candidates are required to pass their UG course with a minimum aggregate score of 60-70% from a recognized board 
• The top recruiters for Computer engineers in the UK are Microsoft, Amazon, Google, ASOS, IBM, Apple, etc
• The average salary for computer engineers in the UKis INR 3,867,714.

Top Colleges in UK

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Canada 

• Candidates are required to have math and English as their compulsory subjects in their 12th or equivalent. The candidates are required to score 70% in the Math and English and maintain an aggregate score of 65% in their boards.
• For PG admission the candidates must pass their UG course with around 60% score from a recognized university
• The top recruiters for Computer engineers in Canada are Siemens EDA, Amdocs, Mosaic , Samsung Electronics , Presto, etc
• The average salary for computer engineer in Canada is INR 4,590,761

Top Colleges in Canada

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Australia 

• For admission to the UG courses, the candidates must pass their 12th exam from a recognized board with a minimum score of 75%.
• In the case of PG admission the candidates are required to pass their UG level course in computer engineering or IT Courses with at least 50% score.
• The top recruiters for Computer engineers in Australia are Canva, PairTree, Snowyhydro, Tyro  etc.
• The average salary range for computer engineer in Australia is INR 4,135,007

Top Colleges in Australia 

See:

Benefits of Career as Computer Engineer 

The world is witnessing a digital age which has been powered by the rapid changes in the field of computer science. A computer engineering degree is prefered by the Indian youth due to the plethora of opportunities available to them. Here are some of the benefits of being a computer engineer:

• Competitive Salary: The computer engineers get paid a decent amount of money. The average salary of computer engineers in India is INR 840,000. With decent experience, the computer engineer can get a salary of up to INR 20,00,000 with 10 years of experience.
• Job Security: Computer engineers have a scope of growth as the industry is in constant need of such skilled professionals in every domain. Apart from salary, additional perks are also provided by many MNCs. There are growth opportunities in India as well as abroad. Computer Engineers with little or no experience can get hired in different Startups in India.
• Positive Impact of the Career: The career ensures growth not only professionally but personally as well, hence the job has a positive impact for those undertaking it. The prospect of constant innovation and the opportunity to learn new things increases the job engagement of the engineers.
• Higher Studies: After completion of the UG degree, one can always pursue PG courses by appearing in the GATE exam. After Masters, an individual can seek a PhD course from a repeated university or institute. After completion of the UG course, the candidates can also pursue an MBA degree in IT or Operations.
• Unique Experience: The challenge of creating something new that can help in solving the different hardships of the common man offers unique experience to the computer engineers. Similarly, the development of new software allows computer engineer to have the opportunity to grow their knowledge every day.

Top Computer Engineers Recruiters

Top recruiting companies are:

Skills Required To Become a Computer Engineer 

To work as a computer engineer one needs to possess certain skill sets, tabulated below are a few of the skills that must be inculcated to become a Computer Engineer,

Salary of a Computer Engineer

The average starting salary for an entry-level engineer is INR 2 lakhs to INR 2.50 lakhs, which increases with experience. The average salary of computer engineers in India is INR 840,000.