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What would be the hardest part about being a Electrical Engineer?
What did you do to get on the right track to where you are? Thank you for the advice.
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Mike’s Answer
The hardest for me is accepting that I cannot be an expert in all the areas I want to. As my career has grown and I took on more responsibility, I need to contribute in many more areas. But I am not able to be the expert I want to be in all the areas that interest me. This means I need to reach out to others more often and find those with the expertise. I do enjoy the collaboration but ego takes a hit.
Dan Wolf
Retired Electrical/Software Engineer and part-time College Professor (BSEET and MS Engineering Management)
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Dan’s Answer
I will say that there were times when I had to travel or work long hours because of project needs. If this went for extended periods or if it was interfering with personal/family needs then the discomfort was increased. i.e. balancing family and work.
Sometimes, I was prevented from doing what I felt was required, usually because of budget and time constraints but occasionally because of management desires.
Sometimes, I was stressed because the technical progress was slower than desired. Many times, there is not enough workers for the required amount of work (common in many careers). A good team and management are the best solutions for this.
I think there are “hard parts” to any job and many are not unique to a specific profession. As with any career, the learning doesn’t end when you finish college. There will always be a need for learning new things, especially the soft/people skills like learning how to manage the stressful issues. In all cases, never give up and always strive for good relationships with everyone. Be professional and have good ethics. Being a “good human being” will increase the amount of cooperation that you receive from others, thus mitigating the stress.
Engineering is a lot of fun!
Sometimes, I was prevented from doing what I felt was required, usually because of budget and time constraints but occasionally because of management desires.
Sometimes, I was stressed because the technical progress was slower than desired. Many times, there is not enough workers for the required amount of work (common in many careers). A good team and management are the best solutions for this.
I think there are “hard parts” to any job and many are not unique to a specific profession. As with any career, the learning doesn’t end when you finish college. There will always be a need for learning new things, especially the soft/people skills like learning how to manage the stressful issues. In all cases, never give up and always strive for good relationships with everyone. Be professional and have good ethics. Being a “good human being” will increase the amount of cooperation that you receive from others, thus mitigating the stress.
Engineering is a lot of fun!