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Develop YOUR Own Winning Team to Boost Your Engineering Career

January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Featured Guest Blogger: Suzanne E. Pylant, EI, A.M. ASCE, Spylant Consulting, LLC

 Aren’t you just sick and tired of articles entitled:

  • 10 things to make you a better engineering manager
  • How to work more efficiently under stress
  • Top 3 ways to manage your boss/staff
  • How to become a successful engineer

And I could go on and on with self help topics, tips and how to’s on every website you visit until you’re regurgitating them on the floor in

Engineering Career Team

full color print like yesterday’s bad news. Most of us are too busy and many of us have LONG surpassed information overload (especially in this current economic environment) so we basically ignore any further published mental molestation of our maxed out days. [Read more...]

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From Design Engineer to Manager in 2012 – You Can Do It!

January 4, 2012 By 2 Comments

I have received many questions recently through the different social media outlets to the effect of, “How do I go from design engineer to manager in my engineering career?”

It’s a great question and one that many engineers ask.  In my career travels as a design engineer, and the last few years as an engineering career coach, I have worked with, coached, and spoken to many engineers about this topic specifically and in this post I want to offer some engineering career advice based on my experiences.

In talking with many successful engineers that have made the transition from design engineer to manager, here are some guidelines that may be helpful in your transition:

From Engineer to Manager

Learn How to Delegate

What do I mean by learn how to delegate?  Well I could have just said, start delegating, but many successful engineers will tell you that it’s not that easy.  As engineers we get so wrapped up in day to day technical aspects of projects that when it’s time to go take on a managerial role, we either don’t want to give up the technical tasks to someone else or we are so involved in our projects, it is hard to take a more “hands-off” role.

Many engineers have the mentality of,  “I want to do it to ensure it gets done correctly.  That’s understandable being that you are a competent project manager, however to make a transition from engineer to manager, you are going to have to let other people help you.  You are going to have to take the time to teach them how to do it, in order to free up your time for other things.  The best way to do this is to start by giving small tasks to your team members to let them gain your trust.  Once they build up your trust, you will feel more comfortable giving them larger tasks until you can remove yourself from the “trenches” and take on more of a managerial role. [Read more...]

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Maintaining a Professional Image Throughout Your Career

December 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Featured Guest Blogger: Gavin Redelman of RedStarResume

Congratulations on securing your job. You have been selected above and beyond the other job applicants because of all the wonderful factors that made you the best fit for the job. Now that you have the job there are many tips to keeping your position and maintaining a professional image.

Understand Your Role and Expectations

You may feel as though you are doing a fantastic job, but if your expectations differ from those of your manager or boss, there is going to be conflict. Be sure to always have a good understanding of what is expected of you. If you feel that the expectations are unrealistic, then you should approach your boss and explain the situation. One of the most important aspects of maintaining a professional image is being a good team player and contributing fairly to the team objectives. No one likes a colleague who does not do his or her fair share of the work.

Expand Your Role and Keep on Learning

Be a team player and look to get involved in more areas of the business. Be willing to share your expertise, but also be willing to learn new skills. If your company offers training courses, put your hand up to get involved. If your company doesn’t offer training courses, you can still take the initiative and invest in your own growth and knowledge by paying for these courses yourself.  After all, it is your career! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Career Development, Positive Attitude, Professional Development Tagged With:

When Looking to Purse an Engineering Undergraduate or Master’s Degree Consider Online Programs

December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Featured Guest Blogger:  Dawn Lovett, Founder of Online Engineering Degrees

Are you interested in getting a degree in engineering but can’t go to a traditional college? Perhaps you don’t think you can afford the costs of college, or maybe you have other responsibilities, such as children or a day job, that would prevent you from being able to take college classes. You might even have a college degree, but would like to further your education in order to advance in your career.

For many people, earning a college degree online is a great alternative. You have the flexibility to take classes at a time that works for you and learn at your own pace. Contrary to popular belief, accredited online colleges provide courses at the same level as traditional colleges and offer many of the same services, such as financial aid and student support. Students even have the chance to interact in online discussion forums or contact their instructor with concerns at any time.

Individuals who succeed in online degree programs are often self-disciplined, assertive, organized, and passionate about earning their degree. If you think you have what it takes, here are some details about online engineering programs.

Programs

There are number of different online degree engineering programs available in engineering. The type of degree you should consider depends on the type of career you are pursuing. An associate’s degree takes about 2 years and can lead to a job as an engineering technician. Most engineering jobs require a bachelor’s degree in a specific field of engineering, which takes four years to complete. Advanced positions in management and research generally require master’s or doctoral degrees.  Some examples include: Mechanical engineering, which involves the design and manufacturing of machines. Electrical and Electronics engineering which involves electrical equipment and technology such as computers and telecommunications systems. Aerospace engineering focuses on building planes, satellites, and other aircraft. [Read more...]

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The Engineer Your Own Success Tour Visits Bethlehem and Raleigh – December 2011

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Students at Work

Over the past week I have had the pleasure of delivering my Engineer Your Own Success (EYOS) seminar to engineers in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina. I started by traveling to the Lehigh Valley area in Pennsylvania on Thursday December 8th.  I stopped off at my Alma mater, Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where I visited some former professors of mine. I also had the opportunity to spend time with my cousin who is currently a senior mechanical engineering student.  He gave me a tour of the laboratory and showed me his senior project, which is a Formula One racing car that he and 12 of his classmates designed and built. This car will be raced in a national contest in the spring against other college team’s vehicles. It’s great to see engineering students engaging in hands on activities as part of their education.

Next I was off to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I had the pleasure of speaking at an event that was held at the

Bethlehem, PA

Hotel Bethlehem, which is a wonderful placed located in beautiful downtown Bethlehem.  The annual American Society of Civil Engineers – Lehigh Valley Section holiday banquet is a very special event as the chapter invites back all of the past-presidents and honors them during the evening festivities. It was a fairly large audience, which consisted of a wide variety of experience levels from the attending engineering students and retired engineers. It was great to see so many students present at this professional function. As I stated in my presentation, you are never too young to begin networking and building relationships. [Read more...]

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Happy Holidays – Without Action in Your Career There is No Forward Motion

December 14, 2011 By 4 Comments

Hello everyone this is Anthony Fasano, founder of Powerful Purpose Associates and Author of Engineer Your Own Success.

I wanted to take few minutes to wish you and your family a happy, healthy holiday season!  I know this can be a very crazy time of the year for many of us between shopping, cooking and working.  Please try to take some time to rest and relax, rejuvenate and re-energize.  Take some downtime, whether it’s by yourself or with your family.  Reflect on the year you’ve had which I hope has been extremely positive and then start thinking about your goals for 2012.

I want to thank all of you for your support over this year, as it’s been amazing year for Powerful Purpose Associates and myself with the launch of my book Engineer Your Own Success.  With your help and support, I’ve been able to get a very positive powerful message out to professionals all over the world and I seriously could not have done it without you and for that I thank you.

It is my goal for this upcoming year to [Read more...]

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Tim Tebow Inspired Me In My Engineering Career and He Can Do the Same For You

December 7, 2011 By 7 Comments

For those of you not familiar with Tim Tebow, he is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, a team in the National Football League (NFL).  However, at the core, he is much more than that and I wanted to share his story with you as I think it will help you look at your skills and your engineering career from a different perspective.  Tim was born in the Philippines to American parents who were serving as Christian Baptist missionaries at the time.  His mother had complications when pregnant with him and almost lost the pregnancy four times.  In fact, it was recommended to her that she have an abortion by her doctor, but she didn’t.

Tim was homeschooled and a change in the law when he was a young teenager permitted homeschooled children in Florida to play high school sports, which they previously weren’t allowed to do.  People told him because of his size and skill level he would never be a good football player.  Tim went on to become one of the best Florida high school football players ever.  He then attended the University of Florida where the experts again questioned his talents.  As quarterback at Florida, he went on to win a national championship, the Heisman Trophy, and became one of the best collegiate quarterbacks ever to play the game.  Tim was then told he would never be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, and guess what happened.  The Denver Broncos selected Tim in the first round of the 2010 draft.  Tim didn’t play much during his first season, however this year, earlier on in the season the Broncos starting quarterback struggled and the fans were calling for Tebow.  Contrary to what all of the experts advised, the Broncos coaching staff promoted Tim to starting quarterback.  Since that time, the Broncos have [Read more...]

Filed Under: Career Development, Career Goals Tagged With: , ,

On-the-Job Experience during College Was the Best Career Decision for an Engineering Manager

November 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Featured Guest Blogger: Erich Lagasse of Career Confessions

Summary: “Adapt or die” has been the most prevalent theme in my career, and I feel that flexibility as a way of life has been the single greatest factor in my success as an engineer.

Currently, I hold the position of Engineering Manager for a multinational aerospace company that specializes in precision bearings. I have been with this company for seven years, ever since they purchased my prior employer. I have worked in the industry for a total of 22 years, in a number of different positions, ranging from R&D to marketing.

I always knew I wanted to be an engineer. I took the expected classes in high school, like physics and calculus, but I also had a penchant for puzzle-solving, which had a beneficial effect on my ability to think creatively. Creativity, flexibility, and the ability to think “outside the box” are, in my opinion, the most important traits an engineer can possess. [Read more...]

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Boosting Engineering Careers Across the Country in October 2011 – Part 3

November 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Anaheim Convention Center

The last leg of the October 2011 Engineer Your Own Success (EYOS) Book Tour brought me to the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) annual conference in sunny Anaheim, California.  I have attended several SHPE events in New York City and their members are full of passion and energy which was displayed at this annual conference.  There were 5,000 attendees, 3,500 of who were engineering students.

I arrived on Thursday morning and attended some very interesting sessions including a great one by Joe Beery of Life Technologies, entitled Lessons from a CIO: The Three Pillars of Success.  Joe’s 3 pillars are: 1 – What you do; 2 – Where you do it (geographically); and 3 – Who you work for.  Joe shared his inspirational journey with us and it was very motivational! I also attended a great seminar entitled Lessons in Leadership: Going Beyond Technical Brilliance, by Roger Pineiro of AMD. Roger listed 6 important components in leading a team which are: [Read more...]

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Engineers Be Grateful for What You Have but Always Know You Can Create What You Don’t – These Extraordinary People Did

November 20, 2011 By 2 Comments

This past weekend I attended the Engineers Without Borders Northeast Regional Conference at Columbia University.  Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a wonderful organization that supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders.  I think so highly of the organization that I donate a portion of the proceeds from my book Engineer Your Own Success to both EWB-USA and EWB Canada.

While at the conference, I attended a very interesting session entitled Local Engineering Culture: How Locals Make Something Out of Nothing presented by Steve Daniels.    Steve was involved with EWB when he attended Brown University and is now a research analyst for IBM.  Steve recently created a free magazine entitled Makeshift which is a quarterly publication and multimedia website about creativity in unlikely places, from the favelas of Rio to the alleys of Delhi. These are environments where resources may be scarce, but where ingenuity is used incessantly for survival, enterprise, and a self-expression. Makeshift is about people, the things they make, and the context they make them in.  Steve walked us through the first edition of the magazine showing us some really amazing accomplishments from people all over the world including these two: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Career Development
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