What Every Engineer Should Know About Career Management

Thanks to their education, experience, and general philosophical orientation, many engineers fail to notice critical issues in the workplace that can directly impact their career advancement and day-to-day job satisfaction. This text focuses on career management, and the accompanying importance of human and social interactions in the office. Although framed in the engineering environment, it provides observations on people skills relevant to all occupations. Using an informal, yet professional style, the author takes a mentorship approach by offering suggestions and anecdotes devoid of lecturing. Broken Into Two Distinct Parts Part I specifically addresses the life and career advancement of the engineer, beginning with school student and advancing to the seasoned professional. Along the way, it explores various stops, diversions, and alternatives, including a view of the corporation as a living organism with its own unique personality that responds to stimuli of the world. Part II discusses engineering projects, product development, schedules, budgets, and related topics. This portion of the book is not about project management, but rather the interaction of engineers and managers working on projects in a corporate environment.