Engineering Career Discovery
So now that you’ve got (or are on track to getting) an engineering degree, what’s next? There are so many possibilities for your future career!
We invited founders, CFOs, lawyers, doctors, an Emmy-nominated writer, and other phenomenal engineering grads to share their experiences after university. This post summarizes key takeaways from our Engineering Discovery Panel from Feb 24th, 2021. A recording of the event is available here.
How did your engineering degree(s) prepare you for your current career?
Although you might not necessarily use the technical skills Dynamics, Calculus II or Materials Science taught you, the diversity in courses you take helps you develop a framework to think logically.
So, engineering really teaches you how to identify, think about, and solve problems. Sometimes, these problems themselves are vague and abstract, so being able to pinpoint the issue itself is critical — and this ability is what really becomes useful in ‘the real world.’
Many people don’t end up in a strictly engineering field after a few years, but the mindset developed to tackle logical problems from many perspectives sticks, no matter the role or industry.
Were there any defining moments in your career path?
One of our panelists mentioned their experience landing a lucrative job in finance — friends and family would congratulate them in achieving what many people dream of. However, it took years of working in this role for the individual to realize it wasn’t for them, as life outside work suffered considerably.
Many of our panelists had similar revelations in their journey. The career path they thought they wanted didn’t turn out to be what was sustainable for them. Doing something they didn’t like made them feel miserable, tired after work, and chipped away at them.
How will you know if you need a change? This can require much reflection on who you are and what you want, frequently. It’s possible you won’t like the first career path you find, and it will take a lot of courage to leave what you had dreamed to become. Ultimately, you’ll be the most successful where you’re happiest.
Did you see you see yourself in the role you are in today?
“Nope!” was the most popular answer here. Some of our panelists didn’t know about their job until they got into it, and others hadn’t imagined themselves pursuing a graduate degree (or multiple) until they fell in love with a particular topic.
Personality stereotypes of certain roles also deterred one of our panelists, who didn’t think they had the traits to be a lawyer. What they realized later, is that a role isn’t restricted to one particular type of person — in fact, diversity can prove advantageous in practice.
Finally, take advantage of the opportunity to learn about different roles and fields through exploring diverse courses and meeting new people. Don’t be afraid to reach out to potential mentors for guidance, as your position as a curious student lends you these special opportunities.
Looking back, what piece of advice would you wish to have received?
Here are a couple tips our panelists wished they heard (or followed!) earlier:
- In engineering, we often want a concrete answer — but in the industry, oftentimes there is no right answer, or the perfect answer isn’t worth it in the long term.
- Look at the COVID-19 pandemic situation as an opportunity to expand your mind and expand horizons. You won’t have as much time as you get older!
- Don’t underestimate your ability to learn.
- Finally, if you ask for a job, you might get advice; but if you ask for advice, you might land a job.
What advice would you give students who feel lost and don’t know what to do with their future?
Firstly, change is constant. Even if you think you know what you want, there is constant change in who you are, what you want, and change in the world. So it could be better to focus less on what you want to do in the future, and instead develop skills to be confident in your abilities to add value to wherever you go.
That being said, do explore things you like. Put yourself in various positions and take on various roles. Remember that you have the opportunity to switch, and that you’re never locked in! Your degree is your ticket to a role where the real learning begins.
We’d like to thank our panelists, Charles Horn, Ashley Lawrence, Mason Laschyna, Steph Tzanis, Gary Leung, Laura Delemere, and Hanna Janossy for sharing their wisdom and expertise with us.
