Transition from Student Life to Professional Career Dialogue with experienced engineers Frank Fong, P.E. Retired Stan Horwitz, P.E.
Dec 26, 2015
Transition from Student Life to Professional Career
Dialogue with experienced engineersFrank Fong, P.E. Retired
Stan Horwitz, P.E.
2Transition Student -> Professional
Agenda
• Career Paths and Engineering Skills• Working World Realities• Engineering Professional• Career Habits• Lessons Learned
3Transition Student -> Professional
Engineering Career Paths
• Industry• Government• Academia• Entrepreneur – product, service• Non-engineering – business, entertainment,
medicine, law, etc.
Paths may change, overlap, or repeat over a career.
Explore to grow and find your passion.
Transition Student -> Professional 4
Your Engineering Skills
Student Life
• Breaking problems into smaller pieces
• Analysis based on full facts / data
• Tradeoff choices for best solution
• Innovate and explore
Professional Life• Map system requirements
to system architecture and flow down to next levels
• Analysis based on partial information available now
• Tradeoff choices early. Revisit again after having more information later
• Innovate enough to solve problem within constraints
Strong problem solving and analysis skills are valuable.
5Transition Student -> Professional
Agenda
• Career Paths and Engineering Skills• Working World Realities• Engineering Professional• Career Habits• Lessons Learned
6Transition Student -> Professional
Career Ladders in Industry
• Technical specialist– Lead and contribute to critical technical
capabilities• Program / project management– Lead technical and business efforts to meet
customer needs• Organizational management– Lead engineering organizations, major business
units, or corporations
7Transition Student -> Professional
New Experiences in Working World
• Competing with engineers globally– Challenge and stretch yourself to adapt and embrace change
• Working with greater diversity among team members– Show flexibility to accept shades of gray and opposing
opinions while working to build team consensus
• Meeting project goals– Handle obstacles like resource constraints, costs, schedule
and changing priorities that will pop up
• Being prepared for performance evaluations, layoffs, and continuing efforts tomanage own career
8Transition Student -> Professional
Keys for Successful Career (1 of 3)
• Adaptability– Learn new things and apply knowledge from other fields– Take on new challenges– Embrace changes
• Flexibility– Work well with others to achieve goals (building teams)– Appreciate other perspectives– Explore other feasible options
• Capability to handle obstacles– Expect changes / challenges / constraints– Work with others to solve problems creatively– Raise problems early and offer suggested resolutions
9Transition Student -> Professional
Keys for Successful Career (2 of 3)
• Self-assessment– Honestly know your strengths and weaknesses– Build strengths and reduce impact of weaknesses– Work with mentors
• Using your time wisely– Set priorities, not just react to urgent problems / requests– Limit handling personal tasks at work– Take time to build relationships and networks
• Managing perceptions by bosses and team members– Dress successfully and conduct yourself professionally– Learn the ropes and expectations of your work organization– Avoid negative reactions and attacks on others
10Transition Student -> Professional
Keys for Successful Career (3 of 3)
• Successful career skills– Maintain positive can-do attitude– Keep learning through classes, seminars, meetings or
experimenting– Communicate clearly and effectively from audience’s
perspective– Treat others with respect even when you have different
opinions– Save (pay yourself first) early and regularly to let money
grow with time for financial independence and retirement
11Transition Student -> Professional
Communication Skills
• Write status reports, technical memoranda, or detailed recommendations– Organize your thoughts– Adapt the message to your audience’s preference and
concerns
• Present current status, technical review of accomplishments and issues, recommendations
• Negotiate schedules, costs, resources and expectations for tasksDevelop inter-personal and technical communication skills.
12Transition Student -> Professional
Leadership Skills
• J.D. Hokoyama’s 3 Ps of leadership: – Passionate, persistent, people-focused
• Inspire others to become better, and teams to achieve greater goals together
• Can lead even without a formal title• Volunteer to get practical experience with low risks – Employee affinity or technical groups
• Demonstrate by developing your effective teams– Build relationships and trust with others
13Transition Student -> Professional
Mentoring
• Seek mentors throughout your career– Get honest feedback and advice– Gain benefits when mentors introduce your name as
candidates to new opportunities– Seek people you respect and want to imitate
• At least two levels above you to provide broader perspective
• Mentor others throughout your career– Share your knowledge and skills with young and old– Develop others to backfill for you when you move up
14Transition Student -> Professional
Agenda
• Career Paths and Engineering Skills• Working World Realities• Engineering Professional• Career Habits• Lessons Learned
15Transition Student -> Professional
Engineering Professional
• Apply science, math, economics, and broad experience to solve problems– Satisfaction in seeing own/team design become reality
• Evaluate different solutions to solve problem– Find that one best matching requirements, real
constraints (schedule, cost, risk, etc), and expected performance
• Directly impact general welfare and society– Will not cause unintended harm to the public health or
safety
16Transition Student -> Professional
Engineering Professional Traits
• Learn continuously – Develop depth and breath– Expand tool chest of knowledge and experience
• Provide unbiased assessment based on facts• Demonstrate integrity and trustworthiness– Accept responsibility for our tasks and actions
• Communicate clearly to gain support for technical recommendations
17Transition Student -> Professional
Engineering Professional Ethics
• Know your technical society’s code of ethics and consider joining Order of the Engineer– Serve the public good before personal gain– Uphold dignity / honor of the profession– Provide fair efforts to employer / customer
• Conduct myself in manner to earn public and team trust
• In conflicting situations, proceed based on principles– fairness, honesty, integrity, duty, etc
18Transition Student -> Professional
Toyota Ethics Case Study
• Toyota found liable for wrongful death caused by sudden acceleration in a Camry (Bookout vs Toyota Motor Corp)
• Liability found based on embedded systems experts testimony – Found electronic throttle source code to have bugs that can cause
unintended acceleration. In particular, critical variables were not protected from corruption in noisy environment.
– Demonstrated that a single bit flip can cause losing control of engine speed due to “software malfunction that is not reliably detected by any fail-safe.” (Michael Barr, CTO of Barr Group)
• Engineers cannot anticipate all possible defects or faults, but – Can test all paths as thoroughly as possible– Can test for off-nominal and stress conditions as much as possible
19Transition Student -> Professional
Engineering Professional Licensing
• Demonstrate level of technical competence typically recognized by other states– Pass two exams: Fundamentals of Engineering, Practice
of Engineering– Show extra commitment as professional
• Legally recognized and obligated as engineer to protect public health, safety and welfare
• Career flexibility in keeping options open to work for government or regulated industries
• Could be valuable competing in global economy
20Transition Student -> Professional
Agenda
• Career Paths and Engineering Skills• Working World Realities• Engineering Professional• Career Habits• Lessons Learned
21Transition Student -> Professional
Recommended Career Habits (1 of 2)
• Be patient with others and your expectations– Take time to build relationships
• Listen first openly and then respond• Learn from past, live in present, prepare for
future• Acknowledge and apologize for own mistakes• Forgive yourself and others without anger
22Transition Student -> Professional
Recommended Career Habits (2 of 2)
• Show respect to others even when they disagree or act unprofessionally
• Use kind words rather than angry /critical comments
• Look for common grounds rather than differences
• Renew yourself physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially
23Transition Student -> Professional
Agenda
• Career Paths and Engineering Skills• Working World Realities• Engineering Professional• Career Habits• Lessons Learned
24Transition Student -> Professional
Lessons from One Further along the Engineering Career Road
• Follow the Golden Rule– Treat your fellow travelers in your life and career
with kindness and respect• Find your destiny / passion• Frustrations, setbacks, and disappointments are
small compared to what is inside you• Be ready to offer thanks and forgiveness openly
Leaving a positive legacy is the final measure of success.
25Transition Student -> Professional
Grateful Thanks
• Kind attentive audience• Professors Amini and Hashimoto