Lam
What are some mistakes that engineers make in their early careers?
I want to know what to look out for when I start working. #engineering
6 answers
Peter Sturtevant
Peter’s Answer
Lam:
I can answer your question more effectively by giving you a couple of tips to get your engineering career off to a good start and keep it that way:
Join a professional society be become an active member. This is an excellent way to meet your peers in a Field. It also offers a path to distinguish yourself, regionally, or even nationally, which can be invaluable in advancing your career.
Do not get into the trap of doing ONLY technical work such as calculations or design work. This can hold you back later in your career.To advance, an Engineer must be able to communicate well, particularly in writing. Take on a good share of report writing early in your career. And seek review and suggestions on your reports from successful senior engineers.
Good luck, Pete Sturtevant, PE
Nicole Baillie
Nicole’s Answer
Good for you Lam for attempting to prepare yourself! A few things to be mindful of. It is important to be attentive to the question you are being asked...not the question you want to answer :) It is important to learn how to become anticipatory..meaning, you will know that you are getting the hang of your job, in a good way, if you can anticipate what will be asked before it actually is. Most bosses I have worked for have been very appreciative of getting early warnings, whether that early warning is for something good or not so good.
It is important to remain curious. Taking the time to understand why something happens can be HUGE. That curiosity will always be a good muscle to develop and maintain.
It is just as important to listen, particularly to partners who work in different spaces, as it is to verbally share. I have learned tons from the clients and partners that I am required to support, just by sitting and listening to their input, challenges and successes.
Hope you find this guidance helpful. Best of luck to you!
Great advice Nicole and I love your suggestion to remain curious, which can also lead to helping find solutions to problems and lead to more innovation! Thanks for sharing your knowledge on CV and helping provide great suggestions for students navigating their future careers.
Melisa Cameron
vineet Selvaraj
vineet’s Answer
I think they would like to relax after studying so much and do not plan their carrier and after a long time they start planning it which will tae time.
Thejas Prasad
Thejas’s Answer
That's a common situation where in a lot of engineers graduate in a year and not a lot of companies would take a fresher.
And most important factor would be competition wherein we would have limited opportunity.
Zach Friedland
Zach’s Answer
One of the biggest mistakes that I have seen people make in their early engineering careers is settling. I know many people who are very intelligent and have settled in their first job and have decided to work a 9 to 5 job for the rest of their lives. While this may ensure stability, I think it is extremely important that you go out and try new things! I am a computer science major and I actually didn't even start coding until my senior year of high school. Had I not taken a computer science class during my senior year, I would have never majored in it and I wouldn't be here today.
Best of luck and remember that there is always something more you can learn!
Kevin Friedman
Kevin’s Answer
Hi Lam!
Some of the most common mistakes I have seen are around patience and perspective, which sort of lead to the same ending.
patience: young engineers and technicians are so eager to get to the final end product or result that they will throw something together and scratch their heads when it doesn’t work. You need to build one piece at a time and carefully measure along the way to make sure the pieces work; THEN you can assemble them. You might end up rebuilding something 5 times if you rush, instead of slowing down to do it right the first time.
perspective: thinking you know what is required or expected can be dangerous! You should capture the requirements and expectations, in writing, before moving forward with a project or design. This isn’t to wave in someone’s face later. This is to make sure you and your customer both understand what the final thing will look like. Note: your customer could be your boss, a person buying a product, or even the next person after you on an assembly line. Be very intentful about what is expected, and very clear with your communication. This will prevent rework, frustration, and disappointment.
Keep asking great questions like this to people you trust and respect and you’re going to be an awesome engineer!!