From era to era and culture to culture, the love for superheroes has always been ever-present. It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t daydreamed about being one at some point in their lives.

They’re the people (or beings, if we’re being technical) crazy enough to sweep in and save the day, forces of good that help change the world for the better. Not forgetting the other incentives — their mad cool equipment and powers would make our lives so much easier.

Unfortunately, [superhero] isn’t a job listing commonplace in this particular dimension; if it was, most schools and offices would surely be empty spaces by now. So how do we find a career that comes close? Where are the jobs that can give us a taste of that superhero life?

Where can I start from?

Coincidentally, some can be found within an industry which many superheroes simply cannot operate without…

Any guesses yet? *drumrolls….*

Engineering! To say that behind every successful superhero lies a team of engineers wouldn’t be a gross exaggeration. Why?

Engineers are creators…

Engineers are the people that help develop all the cool stuff your superheroes need before they can carry out their world-changing duties efficiently.

We all know, for example, that Tony Stark develops his own Iron Man suits… but did you know that they’re partly the result of an electrical engineering education

Whether it’s Mark IV or Mark 50, these suits need numerous sensors, microchips, and lots of soldering to work. Tony Stark actually holds Master Degrees in both Engineering and physics, and this competency and knowledge definitely help him greatly in this task.

Credit: Marvel Studios

Without high-tech engineering and his suits, Iron Man would probably be out of the superhero business. So would Batman without his Batmobile. That’s how important engineers are!

In fact, engineers have actually been tasked to build a real-life Iron Man suit for the U.S Military! That’s something cool to look out for and something to aspire to.

… that also solve real-world problems

Engineers are also problem solvers that help us tackle very real problems across countless industries, and helps society to progress and advance. We haven’t forgotten how the success and strength of Black Panther’s home nation, Wakanda, owes itself largely to T’Challa’s younger sister: the tech whiz Shuri.

Remember Wakanda’s trains, which blitzed past movie screens so quickly that you’d miss them if you blinked? One of Shuri’s many masterpieces, they run on magnetic levitation (maglev) technology so advanced that they leave Earth’s fastest train in the dust (that’s Japan’s Shinkansen, by the way; its fastest speed is 603 km/hr).

While we don’t have access to the near indestructible Vibranium that’s so crucial to Wakanda’s technology, our world is still constantly in the midst of innovation. Attempts to create a working hyperloop are underway, and the team currently at the forefront, Virgin Hyperloop One, shows how engineers are indispensable in this effort:

Imagine being in such a team, working to bring exciting possibilities to life! You can change the world while taking pride in the knowledge that without you, superheroes can’t have cool fight scenes and cooler backdrops for said fights to happen in.

Closer to home….

In small and sunny Singapore, “[also] built on the backs of engineers” (PM Lee Hsien Loong, 2016)” just like Wakanda, there’s plenty for engineers to make a difference in!

The ongoing Smart Nation initiative is one avenue that you can explore: the amount of engineers needed to maintain and improve Singapore’s infrastructure is anticipated to increase by 1,000 yearly, for the next few years. The types of technology that are expected to arise include smart home solutions and assistive robotics in healthcare.

To fulfil the ambitious visions this initiative hopes to achieve, the Government is also taking steps to ensure engineers have adequate support. These steps include the newly established PSC (Engineering) Scholarship as well as an increase in pay for engineers in the Public Service, for example.

You can also make use of a solid engineering foundation to make waves in an industry: did you know that the Bloomberg terminal, used by more than 300,000 financial analysts/professionals across the globe, was the product of Michael Bloomberg’s electrical engineering degree? This was confirmed by the man himself:

Raring to start?

You’ll need some hands-on practice first, which you can get through the electrical and electronic engineering degree offered by MDIS!

Awarded by the University of Teesside — a leader in engineering research areas such as engineering sustainability, as well as manufacturing and process engineering — the degree equips graduates with the skills and knowledge needed to explore various electrical and electronical engineering activities like digital electronics and power distribution.

Modules taught include embedded systems and power systems, which you’ll need knowledge in if you’re dying to build your own Mark 16 (the one with the advanced cloaking system *drools*).

Fortune favours the brave: like your favourite superheroes, will you step up to change the world through engineering today?

Take a virtual tour of the MDIS Engineering facilities today!

This article has been sponsored by MDIS.