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One
of the major pitfalls engineering students fall into is
they forget - or never knew - why they decided to major
in engineering or what it takes to be successful. Are
you planning to be an engineer just because that is what
other members of your family have done? Do you know the
steps on the path that leads to a degree in engineering?
Will your future goals benefit from your engineering education?
In his book, "Studying Engineering," Raymond Landis recommends
that as you approach your engineering studies, you feel
confident in the following:
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You
know why you want to be an engineer and appreciate
the value of a technical education |
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You
have clarified your goals and developed a "road
map" to lead you to them |
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You
are strongly committed to achieving your goals,
even in the face of adversity |
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You
have gotten your life situation together, so that
you are not overburdened with problems and distractions-and
that you are prepared to make the necessary choices
and personal sacrifices if you have personal complications |
The last point may be most important, yet the easiest
to overlook. Do not underestimate the time and focus required
to excel in your engineering education. Talk to current
engineering students and recent graduates to find out
what kind of personal commitment you'll need to make as
an engineering student. It would be a shame to under-perform
in your studies or have to leave a four-year program in
engineering, after three years of hard work, because of
external pressures stemming from your personal life.
It is also important to maintain a vision of what you
want to get from your time at college. Krista Donaldson
gives her perspective on what you might want to get from
college in her book, "The Engineering Student Survival
Guide:"
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A solid understanding of what was taught (which
is hopefully reflected in your grades) |
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Confidence
at graduation that you are academically prepared
for your next adventure, whether it is in the work
world or graduate school |
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Great
friends |
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More
"growing experiences" than you were prepared for |
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Memories
to tell repeatedly to your kids-and grandkids |
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Time
and opportunity to develop random interests |
Yet
for most engineering students, the ultimate goal of all
of their hard work is to make themselves as marketable
to prospective employers as possible. The qualities of
the ideal candidate for a specific employer will vary,
depending on the position to be filled, the specific area
of work, and the culture and values held by the company.
But most positions will seek a candidate who has:
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Technical
competence |
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Perspective
of how their work fits into the "big picture" |
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Communication
skills |
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Ability
to work well with others |
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Integrity
and sound ethical judgment |
Consider
the more comprehensive list of "desired attributes of
an engineer" given by Boeing, the U.S.-based aerospace
corporation:
Notice that the engineering knowledge gained through academic
training satisfies only two of ten attributes desired
by Boeing. As a student of an engineering discipline,
it is important to periodically reevaluate your coursework
and activities to make sure that they are preparing you
for all aspects of engineering in the workplace. It is
perhaps even more important to demonstrate this kind of
well-roundedness as an entrepreneur, as you will likely
need to wear many hats-in different fields, such as marketing,
sales, advertising, customer service-in addition to that
of an engineer.
The ASME Professional Practice Curriculum can provide
you with the added information you need to acquire many
of these attributes. Your willingness to take action to
find that information, through the PPC and other sources,
demonstrates yet other traits - curiosity and a desire
to learn.
Later in this module we'll explore how you can use the
PPC most effectively during your engineering studies.
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