Maintaining any lucrative engineering career requires taking a proactive approach all the way to your retirement day. Learning new technical skills definitely helps, but it is only one part of the equation. Earning an advanced degree is something you also need to consider. Does your current employer offer tuition reimbursement as a benefit?
Let’s take a closer look at a few ideas for taking your engineering career to a higher level. Leverage these insights to put your professional life on a path to even greater success. Set a few goals and work hard to achieve them!
Earning a Masters Degree is Now a Must for Engineers
As noted earlier, earning an advanced degree is one obvious way to put your engineering career into overdrive. Depending on your career goals, a Master’s in Engineering or an MBA are both wise choices. The latter degree helps if you imagine a business focus to your career path.
However, an advanced degree in engineering might soon become a prerequisite for becoming a licensed engineer. Some companies essentially require new engineers to further their education to have any true chance of advancement. Whatever you decide, take advantage of any tuition reimbursement benefit.
Soft Skills are Critical for Long-Term Career Success
Of course, companies want engineers with exemplary technical skills. But they increasingly look at an engineer’s soft skills when considering raises and promotions. So ensure your leadership, teamwork, and verbal and written communication abilities are on display at work. Remember, in your career, you get judged for more than your technical acumen.
Build a Professional Network
A robust professional network serves as a helpful resource throughout your engineering career. For example, you might get an answer to a difficult technical question on a current project. Additionally, colleagues within your network are a great source for leads on exciting job opportunities. So always make it a point to connect with like-minded engineers at conferences and other industry events.
Be Open to Interesting Opportunities
Any curious engineer keeps an open mind to any intriguing opportunities in their career. This includes an interesting project at work or a chance to work on a charitable engineering project for a non-profit. Ultimately, always taking a proactive approach to your career benefits you in the long run.
If you want advice on growing your engineering career, speak with the expert recruiters at Venteon. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in the Midwest, we know the companies looking for talented professionals. So make a connection with our team as soon as possible!
