When you first leave engineering school and get your first job, it’s not unusual to be a little overwhelmed. Navigating the ins and outs of a finding and managing a corporate job, along with studying for your PE exam can be stressful. Here are 16 tips to help make the rookie engineer’s life a little more manageable.
- Network. Whether you have a job or not, it’s important to network. You’ll make friends and some of your most important business contacts this way. An association for engineers is a good starting point.
- Have a good resume. Pay a professional to help you. If you have good grades, showcase them on the resume. Until you have more experience, your grades are the best indication to employers of how you’ll perform.
- Focus on your accomplishments. When listing your experience on your resume or in a conversation, focus on what you’ve accomplished rather than what you’ve been asked to do.
- Learn to manage your time. Now that you’re in the workplace, managing your time is critical. Work deadlines are serious, and must be met. But, you need time for other things, too, like socializing and studying for your PE. Use calendars and other technology tools to help you parse out your time and to ensure you don’t forget anything.
- Schedule study time. If you’re preparing to take your PE exam, you need to schedule regularly study time. Put it on your calendar like any other appointment, so that it doesn’t get forgotten.
- Join a study group. Finding a study group for your PE exam is a great way to combine networking with other engineers with studying for your exam. Study group meetings also make you less likely to blow off studying since other people are counting on you to be there.
- Find a mentor. If you know what specific area of engineering you’re focusing on in your career, it’s a good idea to find a mentor in that specific area. Maybe it’s your boss, or a professor or a colleague. A good mentor can help you ensure you’re taking the steps you need to work toward the career you want.
- Use social media to network. We’ve talked a lot about networking, and most of what we’ve recommended has been networking in person. But, don’t underestimate the power of Twitter, Facebook and Linked In to help you network professionally and personally.
- Make finding a job your job. If you don’t have a job yet; finding one should be your full time occupation. Spend business hours searching for jobs, submitting resumes and making follow up calls. In a bad economy, it takes more effort than ever to make your name stand out among the many applicants.
- Watch your money. For many new engineers, having a bit of money is a very novel thing. Sure, it’s fine to spend a little more now that you have a little more. But, it’s also important to begin saving, both in a 401k and a regular savings account as soon as you have a job. It’s also important to start thinking about buying your first home.
- Stay up to speed educationally. Taking more classes may be the last thing you want to think about right now. But, keep in mind that continuing education classes are how you stay up to date on new technology. They’ll also be required to keep your PE certification up to date once you get it.
- Spend some money on clothes. Ok, we just told you to save money. But, once you’re out of college; your college wardrobe won’t cut it for the work world. If you don’t have a job yet, just get a few good pieces and then add more as you have more money.
- Know your possible areas of employment. Be certain you’ve discovered all the possible avenues for employment. For example, electrical engineers often work in the cellular phone and RF engineering fields, as well as in traditional electrical engineering jobs.
- Learn the buzz words. We’re not suggesting that you spout words you don’t understand. However, it’s important for both your resume and your conversations that you understand and properly use the terms that are important in your industry (or the industry you want to be in).
- Have good references. Get a good list of references before you’re asked for them. Your references should be people who know about your skill, your work ethic and your character.
- Make time for fun. Life is not all about work. Work hard and play hard. When you make time for fun, work is more fun, too.