Engineering in India: Seats, Salaries, and What It Really Takes to Succeed

When people talk about engineering, a field focused on designing, building, and solving real-world problems using science and math. Also known as technical education, it's one of the most competitive and high-stakes paths in India’s education system. It’s not just about passing JEE Advanced—it’s about understanding where those seats go, who gets them, and what happens after you do.

Every year, around 18,000 undergraduate engineering seats, the total number of spots available across all 23 IITs in India are filled through a brutal ranking system. But here’s the catch: not all seats are equal. IIT Bombay’s Computer Science program has the highest cutoffs, while some newer IITs have lower competition thanks to home state quotas. And if you think getting in is the hard part, wait till you see what comes next. Many engineers end up switching paths—learning to code, taking an MBA, or even leaving tech entirely. That’s because coding, the practical skill used to build software, apps, and systems. Also known as programming, it’s now just as important as your engineering degree. You don’t need to be a math genius to code—most jobs use basic arithmetic and logic. The real skill is solving problems step by step.

And then there’s the MBA, a business degree many engineers pursue to move into management, consulting, or startups. Contrary to what you might think, it’s not about advanced calculus. It’s about reading financial reports, using Excel, and making decisions with data. The average post-MBA salary for engineers in India can jump from ₹6-8 lakh to over ₹15 lakh—but only if you pick the right school and industry. Meanwhile, others are skipping the MBA entirely and going straight into high-paying tech roles or even starting their own companies.

Engineering isn’t a straight line. It’s a fork in the road—leading to coding, to management, to research, or even to teaching. Some engineers become NEET coaches, others build apps, and a few end up in government jobs with salaries over ₹4 lakh a month. The path you take depends less on your degree and more on what you do after it. Below, you’ll find real answers to the questions no one tells you about: how many IIT seats are left, whether you need to be good at math to code, what an MBA actually requires, and which cities are best for preparing for the next big step—whether that’s JEE, NEET, or your first job.