Early Life as an Engineer and my path to Entrepreneurship
I started my bachelor’s in civil engineering in 2001, more than 15 years ago. I wanted to become a civil engineer, design new roads, buildings, power plants, and fancy high-rise buildings. “Design” is a core concept in the civil engineering curriculum, where students learn to calculate loads, predict capacities, and optimize their precise solutions […]
Recognizing the Time for Change in your Engineering Career
How do you know when it’s time to move on from your engineering job? It’s something that most of us have asked ourselves at some point in our careers, or will at some time in the future. Earlier this week, a coaching client asked me what I thought. Honestly, I didn’t have a solid answer right […]
5 Tips To Move Beyond Being A Perfectionist In Your Engineering Career
Hi, I’m Chris and I’m a recovering perfectionist. It all started when, well, when I was a young child. Blame it on genetics, but I’m afflicted with the ‘perfectionist-gene’; the necessity for every action, every event, and every aspect to be just…perfect. It’s come in handy in some cases, like developing a logistics plan with […]
Why Rest and Relaxation Are Vital for a Successful Engineering Career
You learn that you’ve been selected to take on a leadership position within your firm. While the extra salary and corner office are what you’ve sought, you feel a little tight in the chest when you think about the responsibilities you’ll be taking on. Until now you’ve been responsible for yourself, your work and being […]
3 Great Ways to Develop Your Engineering Career Overseas
The global job crisis is a challenging fact that many of us will have to face in our engineering career. This is most especially true to those engineers seeking career advancements outside of their chosen field or current country. Here are three ways you can develop and advance your engineering career outside of your home […]
The Civil Engineering Compilation Episode – Ep 050
In episode 50 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, we have prepared a special compilation episode to reinforce some of the career tips given in the first 50 episodes of The Civil Engineering Podcast (wow — can’t believe we’re at 50). Engineering Quotes Here are the key points discussed in the compilation episode:
Top 5 Things NOT To Do in a Job Interview for Engineers
1. Be unprepared…know the role you are interviewing for , basics about the company, their products (a general understanding is sufficient) and as much info about the interviewers as you can get (most of this information can be found on social media). I heard the story of a candidate interviewing with General Mills and was […]
What are Your Leverage Points in Your Engineering Career?
There are several definitions in the dictionary for the word leverage, but the one I like the most is: use (something) to maximum advantage. Because your most limited resource is time, I would recommend that in your engineering career and life, you leverage your time. In other words, you use your time to gain maximum […]
Top 5 Things To Do in An Interview to Ensure Success
1. Above all else, the best advice my mentor gave me when I was getting ready to interview was “Do the job in the interview”. Simply put, you should know what the job description calls…all you have to do is use examples from your experience to SHOW how you have done the job before, performed […]
If Goal Setting Isn’t Working, Try Going With A Theme
It’s pretty standard fare here on TECC to espouse the benefits of setting goals. The reason we come back to goal setting over and over is because it works. Goals: Define a future intended situation. Focus resource application. Highlight what is important. Can help bring what we want most in life into reality. Goals can […]
