Bright Future -- R&D? Analyst? Sales? 2

[fglass]

I just graduated and get my first job now.

I look around the company and have no idea which department does fit(and feed)me well. In term of money wise, I wonder which department would have brighter future ($$$). Some people said R&D. Some people said analyst. Others said being a sales engineer would bring us to CEO one day. How about the engineers outthere, what's you all opinion? I am dying hard to retire as early as possible and travel all the around the world with my private plane ... ;-)

 

[GregLocock]

"In general sales, marketing and management are where its at."

No, no, yes, for engineers where I work. S&M is not an engineering field. grin.

" In general, a PE license and ability to work with others and customers will take you a long well."

PE will get you nowhere where I work, and I suppose it depends what you mean by customers. My customers are other engineers, not external people. Yes I have to get on with them, but I don't find that being overly nice or sociable is especially beneficial. I respect their abilities. I attempt to educate the educatable. If they are stupid or lazy then I let them know. I try not to make the useless ones cry.

"In general,looking to better the company and coming up with ideas and presenting them to you superior can be very beneficial. "

Phraseology whinge: I don't have a superior. I have managers etc who give me aims and resources.

The attitude in that quote baffles me. If you have a good idea are you perhaps proposing to keep it to yourself?


Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[ornerynorsk]

You need to do what you enjoy, otherwise, you're throwing your time away. If you do what you enjoy, you will naturally become skilled and proficient, and if you become skilled and proficient, you will reap the reward of good pay. Make sense ??? It worked for me!

 

[IRstuff]

Well said. Worked for me. I just hope they never find out that I would do the same thing for a lot less money ;-)

TTFN

 

[HVACctrl]

Greg,
What attitude baffles you? I don't get it. I was just giving the person who asked the question what I thought to be what he/she wanted- all based on my experience thus far.

Of course, these are truths as I found in my particular niche, in my particular career and industry, etc....

We can all argue as to what works and that this repsonse or that one is correct, this one is BS, etc...

I understand, some of the things I mention that are true in my arena are not true in yours. That's fine. I'm just presenting what I have observed over the years. The things I mentioned are indeed true as I see them in my experience.

Ed

http://www.engineerboards.com

 

[GregLocock]

" coming up with ideas and presenting them to you superior can be very beneficial. "

The attitude in that quote baffles me. If you have a good idea are you perhaps proposing to keep it to yourself?


Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[HVACctrl]

That makes no sense to come up with good ideas and keep them to ourselves. That's akin to filling up our cars with gasoline, leaving them running in our driveway and then walking to work.

I think the "presenting them to your superior" portion of the statement was meant to indicate the importance of follow through. I didn't even scrutinize my own statement until you forced me to do so. Thanks. That was helpful. I see now that subconsciously I meant that follow-through was an integral part of the idea implementation process. Contrary to your suggestion, keeping ideas you one's self is no good. But perhaps thousands, if not millions do it all the time. Lots of people are afraid to come forward with what would be great ideas that could revolutionize things and greatly improve the company for which they work.

Maybe that's what I meant. I didn't realize it when I wrote it. But it makes sense to me. Aside from keeping great ideas to one's self, which is obviously no good, some have been known to try to pass ideas around their superior to sort of one-up them. That would also be no good for obvious reasons.

Its my belief that coming up with ideas and presenting them you one's superior can be beneficial. It will let them (the superior) know that you are clever and creative, that you care for the company (not just their to collect a paycheck) and that you are likely a valuable asset to the company.

For those who don't have superiors or those who don't recognize anyone as a superior, supervisor or boss; those special few (perhaps chairmen of the board, presidents, etc..) could contribute in a similar manner by presenting their good ideas to fellow board members, members of their cabinet, etc.... It doesn't too much matter. As long as everyone is working to benefit the company and make things better for everyone and the proper chain of command or rules of engagement are observed, I believe it can result in very positive outcomes.

Ed

http://www.engineerboards.com

 

[SomptingGuy]

fglas,

If you really want to achieve your stated goals, use your engineering degree to get you into the doors of a law firm and get them to sponsor you through a law qualification (it used to be two years here). Then job-hop from firm to firm until you get to the top. I have a friend who did this and retired at ~35.

 

[HVACctrl]

Somtinguy,
What is that all about? What would you do at the law firm? What is a law qualification? What type of work would one do?

Just curious. Sounds interesting.

Ed

http://www.engineerboards.com

 

[SomptingGuy]

You'd practise law. Not criminal law - the high-flying kind that buys and sells the companies you and I work for.

City (of London) firms attend the recruitment fairs of reknowned engineering schools, hoping to scoop up hard-working, intelligent graduates who see engineering as a non-future for them. I know, I've witnessed it first hand.

I can't say what the qualification was exactly - some kind of conversion course?? Anyway, the law firms attending our careers fairs saw engineering+conversion as better than a pure law degree in terms of getting the best employees.

Bear in mind that I don't advocate all engineers becoming lawyers, I was just asking the OP's question as truthfully as I could. It's not my cup of tea.

 

[kchayfie]

In the UK, you can qualify as a solicitor with any undergraduate degree + 1 year conversion course at law school + [1 year solicitor course at law school + 2 year training contract] - the bit in the brackets is required with a law degree as well. Its different if you want to be a barrister and I forget the distinction between the 2 types of lawyer.

Its no doubt very different in other countries.