How to Succeed at Work? 3

[Lukemood]

I'm fresh out of college (Go Gators!) with a BSME and a minor in Sales Engineering. I have accepted a job as a mechanical management trainee with a major transportation company. I feel very fortunate to have a job right now and look forward to someday being a valued and respected engineer who can offer advice to fellow engineers like you'll hopefully do. I would appreciate any advice you could offer to help me have a great start with my first career. Advice on which organizations to be a part of (i.e. ASME and Toastmasters), exams or classes to take (i.e. FE exam), or anything else you think would be helpful for a new engineer, or new employee to do.
Thanks for your time,
Luke

 

[SacreBleu]

See if there is a local ME club (professional association/society). Dale Carnegie training is pricey but effective, since you mentioned sales. But I do not not know what your Sales education was all about - maybe Dale Carnegie will not be new info to you.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

As you mentioned, join the ASME and participate in your local chapter. There are probably other professional organizations, oriented around transportaion, you may want to consider these too.

Take the FE exam soon; also find out from your state board if your mechanical management career field will qualify as "engineering experience" that meets the requirements for the PE exam. If that's going to be a problem, better to find out now, rather than later.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

 

[svanels]

I hope I do not fall in the Gator Classification

1) Know who is your boss
2) Know who is his boss
3) Know who call the shots (office politics) I have known secretaries where you needed a battle-tank to pass a door.
4) Know who is in charge of stores
5) Know who can find anything you need.
6) Be honest
7) Show interest in what others do
8) Network!!

The rest is technical stuff

 

[epoisses]

Enjoy it! that's the crucial bit. If you don't enjoy your job, why bother to get involved in office politics to get a better job you won't enjoy either.

 

[ctopher]

All above are good advise. But don't forget good communication should be one of top priorities. A lot of people don't communicate well these days. They rely on email and web to do it. It is not the same.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP2.0 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site
FAQ371-376
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-1091
FAQ559-716

 

[sms]

As soon as you are able, write give papers at meetings of the technical societies of most interest to you. Even if you start with a dinner presentation at a ASME meeting. Proven ability in writing and public speaking is a huge plus on a resume.

 

[rhodie]

Never piss off the janitors or secretaries.

 

[SacreBleu]

The secretary is the usually the Office Manager in small companies. 'Nuf said.

 

[Mike2468]

Listen to customers. They will tell you tons about your company, your competition, and the industry.

Do something. If you can't say: "This week I accomplished..." you won't ever be viewed as promotable.

Take chances. Review the facts, think, and then make a decision. Leaders make decisions.

Learn to write. Use a spell checker. Don't ever write when you are angry. E-mail is great but face time and phone time make better long term relations.

If you can, travel. The European and Asian perspective is different. Your future customers will be from around the world.

Avoid gossip. It gains you nothing and wastes too much time.

Be upbeat. Knowledge + positive attitudes = people will follow you.

A technical degree and a sales background offers lots of potential. Best of luck.

 

[Tobalcane]

Buy and read engineering books (and you thought you did not have to buy any more books after college) that specialize in your area and try to practice the techniques described in them. Reading and taking exams are totally different from actually trying to practice engineering on a large scale.

Do not design and make decisions in a vacuum, always involve your boss, coworkers, and customers.

I think in the construction field, a PE will go a long way, so take the EIT now and aim for the PE in four years.

Well that is what I can think of right now.

Congratulations and welcome to engineering, strap your ego down and get ready for an exciting ride on your leaning curve at work.




Go Mechanical Engineering
Tobalcane

 

[JTMcQ]

I find it does help to lean going into a curve, especially at high speeds.

 

[HgTX]

"Sales Engineering"?

Oh.

http://oeep.eng.ufl.edu/saleseng/

Is this a new field?

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines: faq731-376

 

[EngJW]

Tobalcane already said it, but read lots of books and technical papers. Engineering is a lifetime of self-education and you will always be exposed to new situations where you have no knowledge or experience. Screw the internet. Find a good library and use it.

 

[strokersix]

Screw the internet? Did you post that just to get a response? If so, it worked.

The internet is my first choice when looking for technical information. I don't treat the information gleaned from the internet as the truth without confirmation from a known reliable source, depending on the nature of the situation and potential ramifications of erroneous information.

 

[HVAC68]

Screw the internet ? Well, you get another response !!!

The internet is my first choice when looking for any kind of information, not only technical. Of course, you can believe what you read on the internet depending on the source of information.

Going back to the original post - Talk to the some of the more experienced persons in the same field - they may or may not be as qualified as you are, but MOST of them would be quite knowledgeable. SOME of them help out, some don't. They key is to not feel shy about asking questions.

HVAC68

 

[SolderingGunslinger]

Sales Engineering. Hmmmmmmm...

I believe that there is a major flaw in your salesman software. Every one who tries to sell me something can't seem to tell the truth, and many don't seem to ave enough data on the product.

I can name a few sales teams who were at the NAB conferrence last month who ought to get new firmware as well. The new digital Salesmen don't seem to be as usefull as the older analog models.

Come to think of it, the old useful ones used to be called Tech-Reps. Try manufacturing some of those models.

:lol

I remain,
The Old Soldering Gunslinger

 

[whyun]

A third response...

Internet is just so convenient... so quick to obtain technical and non-technical info. Going to the library just seem to take so much time away...

Just like I don't believe everything I read in the papers, see in the news, I don't believe everything I find on the internet.

Welcome the technology and use it to your advantage.

 

[EngJW]

Screw the internet #2-

The internet is just one of many engineering tools. In some cases it is very useful, and worthless in others.

In my field, mechanical engineering in general and engine design in particular, you will not find the best textbooks like Taylor, Heywood, and Ricardo, or any of the SAE papers on the internet unless you want to count all the hits for Amazon. You have to buy them or go to the library. On the other hand, all of the NACA papers are on the internet and much technical data can be found in them.

It is evident from some of the other forums that people are asking some very basic questions that could be answered just by opening a book.

 

[whyun]

By no means did I suggest internet should "replace" the more traditional forms of obtaining information. I completely agree with jlwoodward that there are information in books that simply can't be found online (copyright issues among other things).

Some books are not meant to be checked out in the libraries. By all means buy them. If it is a technical reference book you will use again and again, make that investment.

Internet definitely compliments the other media to obtain any information. One without internet will surely fall behind...