As an engineer, you are probably busy designing, analyzing, building, inventing or testing machines, structures, systems or materials while having to take into consideration the restrictions imposed by various factors such as safety and legal requirements. It is a lot! But do you ever take the time out to think about your career trajectory and the factors that play an influencing role in it? Here are a few essential guidelines to help you take your career to the next stage, safely.
Get Acclimatized to the Business
However, distanced you may feel from the macroeconomics that governs your organization, take the time out to understand how they work. For example, find out about how the total costs to manufacture the product or service dictates the decision-making process. In addition, try and delve into how your salary, entitlements, perks, and overheads play into the overall workings of your company and then add equivalent value.
By figuring out how executives play within financial budgets and time constraints to drive the success in your company, will better prepare you for future roles higher up the ladder. Plus, this knowledge will even come in handy if you are contemplating starting up your own business somewhere further down the line.
Bolster Your Portfolio
Regardless of whether you work for a company or even if you own small engineering business, you’ve probably already completed a significant amount of work. But have you recorded all your achievements, products, designs, results, and challenges overcome?
Every time you complete a project, create your own case study on it, highlighting your accomplishments. Then mesh this information in with your resume, update your online profile, write a blog post, or update your LinkedIn group. The more people who view your posts, the more your credibility will grow. But remember don’t divulge specific details because chances are you will be bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
Back Your Work With Engineer Liability Insurance
In today’s litigious society, professional engineer liability insurance is increasingly becoming more the norm. Irrespective of your area of specialization be it mechanical, civil, environmental, structural, software or electrical, you are susceptible to having a suit filed against you if your work doesn’t live up to expectations.
Regardless of how you perceive your low-risk job, if a client is not satisfied with your work, they can file a claim against you or your company or both, at any time. Even if you haven’t made an error! So it’s vital that you back your work with Engineer Professional Liability Insurance which is designed to cover attorney fees and other legal related costs and may even cover loss of income incurred during the defense time period as well as pay part or the full settlement amount that the court might award a claimant.
Design Your Career Path
You probably excel at designing products and services, but one area you need to focus on is figuring out where your career will go. Are you interested in learning a new discipline, do you have your sights set on a larger organization, do you want to utilize your experience and skills in establishing a startup, or take on a leadership role? Documenting your plans and setting stepping-stones to achieve your goals will provide you the impetus and drive to advance your career trajectory in an organized manner.
Never Stop Learning
With technology evolving at the rate it is, to create a successful career path, ensure you keep up with the latest engineering trends in your area of specialization as well those in related engineering spheres. You may want to consider new training courses, certifications, webinars, or keep abreast with the latest research.
By broadening your knowledge, you will expand your horizons significantly making you a good fit for larger projects or higher roles that require multi-disciplinary expertise or familiarity at the very least.
