There ’s more to being a successful engineer than
being good at math and science . Regardless of
whether you graduated in May or 20 years ago ,
there are tips and strategies you can employ to
increase your chances of career advancement ,
some of which might be surprising. So let’ s take a
look at some of these tips that all engineers can use
to assure themselves that their careers remain on
the right path .

1 . Think like a businessman. This one might
surprise many of you, but the reality is that
engineering firms are increasingly seeking out
engineers who can think like businesspeople . They
want engineers who have been involved with
strategy and planning and know their way around a
balance sheet and income statements . All engineers
need to understand how the total costs to produce
your company’ s products affect business decisions.


2 . Think outside the box . In this case , the “box ” is
your respective discipline . You might have gone to
college to study mechanical engineering, but many
of today’ s complex products contain software and
embedded electronics so there will be times when
design issues will confront you that fall outside of
your technical discipline . Learn the basics of other
relevant disciplines , such as electronic and software
design .


3 . Be a team player . Collaborative design is a part
of reality for today’s product development efforts
and design teams have now been expanded to
include more and more people , many of which are
outside of engineering. All these disciplines must
come together to resolve complex issues and
formulate solutions to bring products to market. As
a result , communication and other “soft ” skills are
as important as technical expertise.

4 . Be an innovator . Innovation in new products is
what sets successful companies apart from their
competitors . Always be open to new ideas , even if
they come from sources outside your group .
Beware of the “Not -Invented -Here” bias that exists
at some companies . Companies will reward
engineers who encourage innovative ideas ,
regardless of where they originated.

5 . Be an active alum. Keep in touch with your alma
mater by offering to participate in technical societies
to increase your networking reach and writing
technical papers and/or organizing technical
sessions at association conferences to enhance
both your experience and your company ’s
reputation .

6 . Keep learning. This is crucial as the tools used to
do product design and analysis are constantly
changing and improving. Stay ahead of the curve
and seek out new assignments and opportunities to
learn new technologies , sign up for training
programs and make the most of company - paid
educational benefits . Also , if possible , attend events
put on by professional organizations, such as the
American Society of Civil Engineers or the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers .


7 . Work on your “soft ” skills. All forms of
communication –written and verbal – are critical to
advancement in engineering. If you’ re an engineer
who wants to eventually advance into a
management role, you’ll need to be comfortable
talking to customers , giving presentations and
working with outside suppliers, agencies , etc . So
developing these “soft ” skills is vital . Toastmasters
International , a non - profit organization , is a great
place to get your feet wet in public speaking.

http://www.designworldonline.com/7-career-advancement-tips-engineers/

Ok. Thank you.

Fantastic. Let have more of purpose drive post like this.

But this is not limited to engineers alone. Learn whatever comes ur way and be good at it.

Kinggenesis, Order this post properly, it may just hit the front page.

Oh well, One key take away here is: What most Engineers fail to understand is that, Engineering goes beyond calculations and designs, one has to also understand the politics of the board room, how to influence your superiors and how to make your voice heard as you perform.

Now an advice to YP's, you have to learn how to present your product to the public (Management and Clients alike) else you'll remain the man behind the scene (Kept in the lab working out solutions without being noticed) while others take the glory for your work.

Little wonder engineers in most firms complain of being sidelined during managerial lifts, Lol (How will they hear you when you always hide behind machine when there is need to speak out?)

This is Very Ok OP, Nice Job.

Nice one

Fascinating