Engineering Management Institute

Goals/Goal Setting

Career Fear (And How to Overcome It)

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This is a guest post by Dr. Rae Taylor

In an earlier blog, I alluded to the vicious cycle of thinking you can’t study, which will guarantee that you actually can’t study. Some people messaged me about this and it got me thinking about the games our minds play on us.

A few years back, I made the decision to leave my job and start on a new path. Initially, I was over-excited by all the opportunities out there. At one point I turned down exciting new possibilities simply because I had committed to too many currently exciting possibilities. But then over time, having had to pick a path and stick to it, I froze. It didn’t matter what new opportunity came along — I assumed I would fail at it, so what was the point in trying?

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The Power of Perseverance in Developing a Strong Engineering Career

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This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

perseveranceThe good news is that your beliefs can strengthen your engineering career success, and as you build stronger core beliefs, you will raise your motivation to learn and grow into a more capable engineer. But the bad news is that changing your life and reaching your career goals will not be an easy task. You will likely fail over and over again before you succeed, and the chances are that achieving new levels of success on the job will take longer than you had initially forecasted. 

However, through building new habits, developing your skills, and demonstrating tenacity and grit, you can create a strong engineering career beyond what you initially thought was possible. On the other side, a poor set of personal habits, a low level of aptitude, and a lack of perseverance can explain why most engineers fail to achieve their career goals.

We are going through a very tough job market right now, and since the pandemic began, there have been many engineers who lost their jobs or had to pivot into a new career path so they can survive, keep making an income, and in some cases, to thrive. But you can’t allow job market setbacks, short-term failures, and temporary job losses to take away your energy and take you away from getting what you deserve.

Perseverance

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TECC 217: How to Support the Professional Development of Your Engineering Team

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In this episode of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, our second episode in a series about the four key drivers of great engineering managers, we dive into the key driver of providing your engineering team members with career growth opportunities. In this episode, we talk to Sam Tilakasiri CEng, an integrated project team leader for a large aerospace engineering company. Sam provides us with four action items that he takes to support his engineering team that have not only made him better, but also in the process made him a better manager. 

The four key drivers of successful engineering managers, based on research we have conducted at the Engineering Management Institute through the design of a diagnostic tool we are building called the CMAP (Current Management Ability Potential) Diagnostic Tool, include:

C: Career Growth Opportunities

M: Management Style That’s Inclusive

A: Ability to Manage Projects

P: People or Interpersonal Skills

Engineering Quotes:

Engineering Team

Here Are 4 Action Items You Can Take to Support the Professional Development of Your Engineering Team:

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How to Handle Tough Interview Questions for Engineers

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How to Handle Tough Interview Questions for Engineers is a guest blog by Nader Mowlaee

Interview QuestionsPreparing for an interview is crucial for moving you forward in starting your engineering career. If you get the chance to get to the interview round, luck is already on your side. That’s because research shows that only two percent of applicants get called back for an interview. But it’s important not to throw caution to the wind by being unprepared for your interview.

One of the best ways to get ready for your interview is by tackling the tough questions with a strategy. Luckily, you can take a strategic approach to handle tough interview questions. When it comes to interviewing, practice makes perfect. Here’s how to handle some of the top three common job interview questions that can be difficult to answer: [Read more…] about How to Handle Tough Interview Questions for Engineers

Let’s Rewrite Your 2019 Career Goals

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Let’s Rewrite Your 2019 Career Goals is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

2019 Career Goals

It’s been five weeks since we returned from the holidays. We went quickly back to our jobs, the same old routines, the same old molds. Some of us have already transitioned to a new job or a new company in January, but some still haven’t achieved what they aimed for regardless of how much they tried. If that sounds like you, then this article is for you. Before we get started though, remember that there is nothing wrong with your big 2019 career goals and dreams, so don’t ever lower your expectations. Lowering the target won’t make it easier to hit if you lack the fundamental skills. Your goals aren’t too big; they are not the problem. If you haven’t achieved them yet consider the possibility that there are still other ways that you can persist and pursue your goals. It’s what you deserve.

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The Best New Year’s Career Resolutions for Engineers

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This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee
New Year's Career Resolutions

Working in highly complex and diverse technology fields, being a successful engineer requires the willingness to train extensively and the flexibility to continually upgrade present skill sets by acquiring new sets of knowledge & industry insights, just to stay up to speed with market changes. This takes a big toll on many engineers and requires planning and preparation so that you can successfully hit your career goals within the 12-month period you have in 2019. With the New Year almost upon us, it is time to take inventory of your progress to date, and of your professional career goals as well as to create a new set of goals. That said, the following is an overview of three of the best New Year’s career resolutions for engineers in 2019.

Set New Goals – An Unattainable Job

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What Is Your Ultimate Career Goal?

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What Is Your Ultimate Career Goal?

Did you ever take the time to stop and think, “What is my ultimate career goal?” It’s an open-ended question with tons of possible answers, but it will certainly force you to think about your career and where you are headed.

I am writing this post in response to a question that an engineer asked at one of my career advancement seminars.  The question was something to the effect of, “How does my role fit into the big picture of the world?”  What a great question!  Unfortunately, the only person that can truly answer this question is the person that asked it, however I thought I would share how I would answer this question.

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