Engineering Career
When you begin your first engineering career, you will be learning new things and will be starting to build an image for yourself.
In the long run of your engineering career, how can you stand out?
Reinvent Yourself!
First of all, re-invent yourself!
Remember that the job you are hired for today isn’t going to be the job you’re going to be doing for the next two years, since you could be promoted and be given new responsibilities.
This is why you will have to step it up a notch. You need to communicate your reinvention to other people or else, they’ll keep thinking of you in the same way as they thought about you from the start. Remember, self-improvement outlasts first impressions.
So how does one reinvent oneself?
Continuous Learning
Begin by pushing yourself to learn and grow. Learn new software, sign up for seminars that boost your knowledge, enhance your skills and apply it in your daily job. Take control of your reputation so that people will see that you can contribute in the job.
Many engineers who have been working for more than 2 years–especially those working in offices–tend to get tired of their routinary work. This leads to boredom, and sometimes getting the feeling of being ‘tired’ of doing the same thing over and over. They tend to feel a sense that they are not professionally growing.
In many office-based engineering jobs, this type of work can be normal. That’s why it’s important to spruce up your boring tasks with new ideas, and where do we get better ideas than by learning new skills.
Don’t think that once you’ve graduated and passed your licensure examinations, you don’t need to learn new things anymore. Learning is continuous, and will never end ‘till the day you die.
Build Your Networks
Another important point so you can stand out in your engineering career, is you should start building your networks! Be at the front lines, and meet new people!
This may be a difficult task for engineers who are shy, but if you want to stand out in your career–this is one of the most basic skills you need to improve.
This will not only help you stand out in your career, but it will also train you to improve your communication and social skills. That way you’ll learn to handle different situations with different people in the future.
Have a mentor group
Have a mentor group. This will be a group of people you can turn to for trusted advice and insights. You can also find online communities that can give you support.
These are just some tips to help you get at the top of your game in your engineering career! I hope it helps. If you have more tips you’d like to share, do tell us in the comment section below.
