I recently gave a Professional Development presentation to a hundred students at the university. It was an honor and very enjoyable to encourage these amazing students. To prepare, I took the engineering analytical approach. Along the left side of the page I listed the companies or divisions of companies that I have worked for with a brief statement of what I did there; across the top of the page I listed the engineering skills and activities I have performed. Then, in an effort to see patterns of skills that I have applied more frequently, I placed a check mark at the intersection of the company and the skill that I performed. The resulting matrix is included at the following link. I noticed that at some jobs, I performed a wide variety of engineering functions, and at others I performed only a few; some skills I used in all of my company jobs, and other skills I only used at a select few companies. I selected the more frequent companies and more frequent skills to select presentations materials for my seminar. Yep! You can be analytical even when preparing a presentation.
I was pleased with the result and the opportunity to share some of my career experiences with these college seniors. They listened. They asked good questions. They were thoughtful. I hope that they, and you, will have a satisfying journey through engineering. Examine the following link and see what companies, activities, and skills you may be associated with in your career as an engineer. Forward this blog to your associates. ‘Follow’ this blog.
Engineering Stories 