A career takes time, effort, and commitment. It will occupy your days and in some cases, when the situation demands, your nights. It might take you to exciting places and bring you into contact with a wide variety of people. It can be life changing and life defining, so it's important to find an engineering career that you enjoy.

Our Industry Series is designed to provide an introduction to some of the most exciting industries today - aerospace, automotive, energy, healthcare, and consumer sporting goods. These are industries where engineers and their particular skill sets are in high demand. Each module highlights the impact and role of engineers in the industry, recommends strategies for pursuing a career in the field, and offers a wealth of references and resources to get you started.

Career Potential
The future for those pursuing an engineering career is a bright one. The global presence of engineers is at an all-time high. According to the American Society for Engineering Education, more than 1.2 million engineers work in the United States today. Add that to the over 3 million engineers working in the European Union, the almost 1 million graduating in China and India annually and you might think there would be plenty of supply to meet demand. But in fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the job market for engineers will increase faster than the overall market average through 2014. Why is the need for engineering skills and abilities so great?

Because innovations and technological advances are becoming increasingly important to success in the market place, and it is engineers that push the technological and creative boundaries that result in those innovations. They produce cleaner transport, improved medical treatments, new fuel sources, more cost-effective manufacturing plants, streamlined, safer sports equipment, and much more. Engineers helped define the 20th century - developing everything from automobiles to computers to heart valves - and it will be engineers that do the same in the 21st century.

Job vs. Career
There is a difference between developing a career and just getting a job. You can get an engineering position by completing an engineering degree, responding to job ads, and successfully interviewing. Developing a career - working in a field that excites you and that brings you job satisfaction - requires a more complete plan of action. This module, along with the others in the Industry Series, can help you map out that plan and offer advice both on important job-hunting tactics to get you started on the right career path and on strategies on getting ahead.

A job search is exciting, time-consuming, and unsettling all at the same time. The first thing to think about is what sort of work you envision doing. Then you need a plan to go out and get it. You always need to keep your next step in mind. Each position you have will serve as a launch pad for the next phase of your life. Our Industry Series can help you plan ahead. Having a strategy in place will make your job hunt more manageable, more enjoyable, and ultimately more rewarding.