Q: What happens if your engineering company is not letting you do what love doing in your engineering careers?
Welcome to Episode #6 of Engineering Career TV. The topic for this episode is Doing what you Love Doing in your Engineering Careers.
I will spend most of the Engineering Career TV episodes answering questions that have been submitted from engineers around the world on how to rapidly advance their careers and live the lives they want to live.
You can submit questions for the show by clicking here.
Let’s jump into today’s topic, Doing what you Love Doing in your Engineering Careers, which is the second part to a question we answered in the last episode from Tessa who’s a recent graduate, where she asks the following:
Q: Since graduation through multiple companies I’ve been struggling to get opportunities in my career that actually qualify as engineering experience. It is extremely frustrating, especially because my male counterparts are constantly given design work while I am given what I would consider administrative tasks. I have expressed this frustration to multiple bosses and others in my office that influence the work that is given to me and the situation still has not changed.
I had even emphasized my need to do more design work because of my need for experience to apply to sit for the PE exam, which I know is a mutually beneficial milestone for the company and myself. How else do I approach this situation so that I am heard and taken seriously? Do I need to accept that the core values of the company do not reflect my own and find a job elsewhere. How do I make sure that the other young female engineers are not going to receive the same treatment?”
A: The full answer can be seen in the video, but here are a few of the main points:
- Have a conversation with your supervisor, and explain the situation.
- Send a follow up email reiterating what you have discussed with your supervisor.
- If you’re still not getting the work you want by the timeline promised, consider going to work for another employer.
I hope you found this episode of Engineering Career TV helpful.
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What questions do you have about letting you do what love doing in your engineering careers?
To your success,
Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
