How to Be a Successful Engineer

Starting Your Career in School

Prepare early. You should try to get an early start if your goal is to be an engineer, during middle school and high school if you can. Engineers need a grounding in math and science, so plan your schedule around these subjects. Load up on the right classes and enroll in activities that will give you an edge when college admissions roll around. Make sure to take basic math courses like Algebra I &II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. Take science courses like Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, too. Take as many advanced placement or honors classes as possible in these subjects. Success in honors courses will help you get into the program of your choice in college, while preparing you for the work required of engineers. Get involved in extracurricular activities, too. Go to a math or science camp in the summer, for example, or join the robotics club at your school. There are also regional, state, and nation-wide engineering competitions. Do anything that will give you a wider foundation.

Choose a good college. Most major universities have engineering programs. Demand is also fairly high, so you’ll probably be able to get a good job even without a degree from a top-tier school like Caltech or MIT. Still, there are factors to consider when applying. Ideally, pick a school with a good reputation for engineering. All colleges are not created equal, and some programs are weaker than others. A degree from Western Michigan University is OK, but you’d do better at the more highly regarded University of Michigan or Michigan Tech. Some colleges perform better in certain fields of engineering. Purdue and Michigan State University have excellent agricultural engineering programs, for instance, but are weaker in fields like civil and electrical engineering. Engineers earn about $72,000 out of school, but you’ll still want to keep your tuition and debt as low as you can. A solid state school like Illinois Urbana-Champaign might be a better choice than an elite, pricy college like Stanford: $15,000 in-state costs vs. $46,000. You might also look at location (i.e. are you willing to move away from home?) and which colleges offer internships and industry coops, which will give you early on-the-job experience.

Shoot for success in college. Just like high school, it’s important to get good marks in your coursework in college and to build up your resume with an eye to the future. Take the required coursework, see what sort of work suits you best, network, and get involved in extracurricular activities. All the usual advice for school applies: attend lecture and lab, take notes, do your homework, set up a study routine, and apply yourself. Try to participate in engineering-related activities, like your university’s engineering club or math and science competitions. These experiences will help you to get experience working with teams and in informal leadership roles. Consider taking a business class. Engineers don’t just need to be technically proficient, but also able to navigate business relationships with clients, lawyers, and regulatory officials. It may also help you network. Keep busy all year round. If you want to be successful, you shouldn’t expect to spend the summers sitting around. Use them to get practical experience, either working or as an intern.

Picking a Field

Choose a major. At some point, either before or during college, you’ll need to put thought into what KIND of engineer you want to be. There are dozens of fields and subfields in engineering, from aerospace and chemical to nuclear and mining. Each field offers different kinds of work and job possibilities. Do your research. Be aware of the possible fields outside of the major areas of electronic, mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering. You might want to think about what fields will be hiring. At the moment, it looks like renewal resources and energy have a bright future and will create lots of high-income jobs. But the future can be unpredictable. Think also about what gets you excited. Do you like to write code in your spare time? Maybe computer engineering is a good choice for you. Like tinkering? You could be a great mechanical engineer. Keep in mind that your field can affect where you eventually live and work. For instance, many chemical and petrochemical engineering jobs are near oil and natural gas deposits. As an aerospace engineer you might have to move to the major industry hubs in Texas or Florida.

Know the major engineering disciplines. Engineering is split into four main fields or disciplines: civil, chemical, electrical, and mechanical. Each of these disciplines is split again into all sorts of subfields. In deciding on your major and field, take a close look at each of the four. For example, civil engineers create the built environment of modern civilization, i.e. bridges, roads, airports, energy systems, etc. They might also be involved in mining, transit, or traffic engineering, or in designing a better car door or more durable road surface. Chemical engineers deal with materials and material processes – the production, transport, and transformation of materials. In this field you might work for the petro or energy industry or develop new processes to make polymers or drugs. Chemical engineers do much of their work in labs. Mechanical engineers get products from idea to the marketplace. They use physics and math to understand all the forces that go into a product and its production and try to find the best way to build it and prevent failures. Electrical engineers apply physics and the math of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism to electrical systems and processes. They might design electrical components, build communications networks, or work for computer or utilities companies.

Remember other subfields, too! There are countless subfields within the four big disciplines, as well. A chemical engineer can also be a paper engineer, for example, involved in the processes that turn raw materials into paper and ink. A mechanical engineer can be a marine or aerospace engineer, designing ships, planes, or spacecraft. There are even subfields that “engineer” people. Industrial engineers study how people work, using modeling and time-studies to make processes more efficient and productive.

Get an internship. One of the most important things you can do to cement your field in college is to complete an internship. One or more internships will look good to employers in the private sphere. They will also give you a first-hand taste of the field, letting you see whether or not it is really for you. Start early. Internships are competitive. Visit your college’s career and internship center to find out about opportunities. Put together a resume and copies of your college transcripts for applications. Think about your interests and possible locations. Are you willing to take an internship in an area outside of your ideal focus? Are you willing to move for the summer? Cultivate relationships with professors. Network and get to know your instructors. Employers may ask for one or two professional references and you will need their support. Let’s reiterate: internships in engineering are HUGE. In fact, one just might start your career. About 80% of employers see them as a source for full-time hires.

Getting an Engineering Job

Get your professional licensing. Once you graduate from college with an engineering degree, the next step is to work toward professional certification. First, you should take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. This test is given by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and gives you the right to present yourself as an engineer. A passing mark also lets you work as an independent consultant and can be an advantage on in the job hunt. The FE is a computer-based exam tailored to your discipline. You should prep for the test, because it’s not easy: 116 multiple choice questions in an allotted time of 6 hours. After you’ve passed the FE exam and worked in the field for four years, you’ll be eligible to take the professional engineering (PE) exam. Once you complete this step, you’ll be a certified professional engineer and can expect more trust and responsibility from clients.

Start applying for jobs. Even though engineers are in high demand, finding a job won’t necessarily be easy. Prepare yourself for the long-haul. Take the application process seriously, prepare, and tailor your materials to each job. To find opportunities, search company websites and attend career fairs at your college. Apply to jobs in your field and any others you might be qualified for and enjoy. Put thought into your resume. Tweak it to highlight your academic and personal strengths, software proficiencies, and concrete accomplishments. Make sure that the resume looks crisp, clean, and professional. Polish your online presence. This means removing any damaging material from Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts while building up a positive presence. Create a LinkedIn account or perhaps even a slick, professional website. Tailor applications to each job. Employers won’t waste time on a generic cover letter. Make sure to do your research. Know what the company does, what the job entails, and anticipate what they’re looking for – then, sell yourself as someone who fills that gap. EXPERT TIP Ken Koster, MS Ken Koster, MS Software Engineer Ken Koster is the Co-founder and CTO of Ceevra, a medical technology company. He has over 15 years of experience programming and leading software teams at Silicon Valley companies. Ken holds a BS and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University. Ken Koster, MS Ken Koster, MS Software Engineer Think about the direction you want your career to grow. Software professional Ken Koster says: "If you have training as a software engineer, there's a ton of growth opportunity, as well as quite a bit of latitude to take your career in different directions, depending on what you want to do. For instance, you can grow into senior roles where you have more responsibility over technical matters. You can also delve deep into more specific areas, especially if you work in the research end of R&D. If you like the management aspect things, you can also become a manager, which is becoming very common."

Sail through the interviews. Get ready for a series of formal and informal talks and interviews before you get the job, both over the phone and in person. These interviews are your chance to sink or swim. If you prepare ahead of time, however, you are sure to have a higher rate of success. Research and study before each interview. The interviewers will want to see that you understand what their company does and what the job requires. They are also looking for signs that you can fill the role. Try to anticipate. Based on what you know about the job, what questions do you think that the interviewers will ask? Form answers to these beforehand. Interviews can take a variety of shapes. It might be a question and answer session. Or, the interviewers could ask you to talk about situations: i.e., “Tell us about a time when others resisted a procedure you introduced. How did you respond? How did you gain support?” The latter is a popular method right now. Another format is the case approach. Here, the interviewers will present a hypothetical problem and ask you to solve it, step-by-step. A few companies use a “stress” test to gauge how you react to difficult situations. They will ask aggressive questions, interrupt, and change topic suddenly to judge how you handle it. The key is not to get rattled. Always have follow-up questions, i.e. “What are your firm’s priorities for the next five years?” “What is the greatest challenge that you’re facing right now?” or “How do you measure success? Can you give me some examples?” This shows you have put thought into the company and interview.

Staying Current in the Field

Do outside research. Like most science fields, engineering as a profession is constantly evolving. To be a good engineer, it’s important to stay current with developments in the field. Read up on the kind of engineering you practice, for example, and stay abreast of the latest trends. Consider subscribing to a professional magazine, like Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Engineering and Technology. Join a professional organization like the National Society for Professional Engineers and make the newsletters required reading, as well.

Engage in professional development. Staying current means practicing the science. Work on an idea you have outside of work or ask your boss if you can try something new in a project. If you have an exceptionally innovative idea, you can apply for grants offered by organizations that support this kind of work – like those offered by the National Science Foundation. Be aware of professional certification opportunities in your subfield, too. For instance, industrial engineers can take Lean Manufacturing Certification courses, which advise on how to limit waste in manufacturing processes and supply chains.

Publish. Not all engineers need to publish scientific papers. But, you’re more than welcome to try if you’re ambitious or just have an interesting and innovative idea. Write up your idea or case-study and submit it to an engineering magazine or scholarly journal. Try titles like the International Journal of Engineering Science, the Journal of Engineering, or the International Journal for Plasticity. Publishing your paper will usually mean a double-blind peer review. This means that the journal sends your paper out to one or more experts for feedback. You don’t know who they are, and they don’t know who you are. Expect to wait. Peer-review and publishing can take as long as a year. You’ll probably have to revise the paper, even if it’s conditionally accepted (revise and resubmit). It will take several more months to appear in print, but it’s well worth the wait!