Transition from Student Life to Professional Career Dialogue with experienced engineers Frank Fong,...

Transition from Student Life to Professional Career

Dialogue with experienced engineersFrank Fong, P.E. Retired

Stan Horwitz, P.E.

http://www.csun.edu/

2Transition Student -> Professional

Agenda

• Career Paths and Engineering Skills• Working World Realities• Engineering Professional• Career Habits• Lessons Learned


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.


Agenda



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


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


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



• 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



• 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


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.


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


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


Agenda



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


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


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


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


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


Agenda



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


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


Agenda



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.


Grateful Thanks

• Kind attentive audience• Professors Amini and Hashimoto

Transition from Student Life to Professional Career Dialogue with experienced engineers Frank Fong,...

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