The search for engineering positions is more
complex and challenging today than ever before.

For the foreseeable future, improvements in process technology, shorter product life-cycles, and increased product variation will continue to be the factors most likely to make or break careers in this field.

To ensure your career stays viable, not only must you stay abreast of advances in your field, continually update your education, and maintain membership in professional associations, you must be able to:

• increase efficiency by cutting costs in the design, development, applications, production, or service phase of the product cycle

• work effectively in a team environment with other professionals, demonstrating both good interpersonal skills and a knowledge of overall company operations

• show creativity in developing innovative solutions to problems and to maintaining the competitiveness of product lines

Overall demand for engineers continues to grow. Why?

     -  the trend toward smaller companies
     -  increasing complexity of manufacturing processes
     -  aging national infrastructures
     -  population expansion
     -  higher frequency of natural disasters
     -  rapid advances in bio-technology
     -  emphasis on quality as key factor in cost-containment

The factors that often prevent engineers from capitalizing on the demand for their expertise are complex as well. Globalization, corporate downsizing, and a requirement for cross-functional skill sets is resulting in many professionals losing their positions in the domestic market.

Couple that with the fact that many engineers have no expertise in marketing themselves, largely because they never had to before, and you have a large number of high quality positions being filled by foreign engineers or being performed by under third-party contracts. The opportunities exist, but how to find and acquire the best one for your personal career design is the challenge.

What’s it mean to you? If you know how to manage your career, having a stable, sustainable, successful one is within your control. If you don’t…
 

©2004 R.L.Stevens & Associates, Inc.