Many of our Institute for Engineering Career Development (IECD) members seek coaching when they have found new job opportunities. They seek guidance on whether or not to leave their current jobs and take the leap.
The one recurring theme in all of these instances is that the new job offers a higher salary than the old one, which makes the opportunity extremely enticing. Just recently, one of our members told me, “I need to talk. I have an opportunity to take one of the highest paying engineering jobs in the industry, but I want to discuss it with an Engineering Management Institute first.” Good idea, I thought. This post will offer some questions you should ask yourself even when one of the highest paying engineering jobs is staring you in the face.
Does this job give me a better opportunity to achieve my goals?
This is the most important question you can ask yourself. As an engineer, you should have clearly defined goals; this is something we instill in our members here at the IECD. Without clearly defined goals, your career may lack direction, and you may lack engagement and motivation. A new career opportunity should always put you in a better position to achieve your goals; if it doesn’t, then how much of a career opportunity is it? If one of your goals is to go from engineer to manager and the new opportunity will facilitate that, then I would consider it a good opportunity—unless you are simply chasing an engineering manager salary. [Read more…] about Be Cautious, Even When You Find One of the Highest Paying Engineering Jobs