Life is too short to sit through one more boring technical presentation in your engineering career.  Yet there you go, off to another one.

Technical Presenters

It’s a design review or project update, a test planning meeting or a problem solving session, and you know what you’re in for:  an hour in a dimly lit room, staring at projected bullet lists of talking points as well as the occasional “eye chart,” all the while listening to a sincere presenter cram as much information as possible into the little time he or she has.

There’s a perfectly understandable reason we find ourselves, more often than not, at boring technical presentations, and it is this: engineers and technical professionals are subject matter experts in their fields, but not, alas, expert presenters or public speakers.  They know their material, often at a very detailed level, and they’re pressed for time, eager to compress as much knowledge into as little time and space as possible in the name of efficiency.  They value content over form, prefer certainty over uncertainty, and determinism over ambiguity. 

These characteristics make them successful engineers, but being a good presenter calls on a different set of abilities—the ability, for example, to detect confusion in the audience and make adjustments on the fly, or the ability to manage a heated discussion when it erupts. 

What skills help you to do these things?

1.            Listening.  The most important thing a speaker ever does is listen.  Sounds kind of counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?  You might think the most important thing a speaker does is speak, but in fact, it’s more important to listen.  This may mean actually listening to words, like tuning in fully to questions or comments, or it may simply mean being attuned to reactions (Are they bored?  Restless?  Confused?  Argumentative?  Delighted?) and altering course slightly—or a lot—depending on what’s needed. 

2.            Designing your slides.  Your slides should depict information visually that enhances understanding.  Therefore, they should never (ever!) be your cheat sheet, or your list of bullet points to remember to say. “Designing” information means creating visuals that enhance rich content, that articulate information in ways you can’t describe verbally.  Graphic depictions of a technology infrastructure, for example, is a much better way to impart it than trying to describe it could ever be.  Another aspect of good design: omit anything from your slides that doesn’t carry information.  No doo-dads, branding, clip-art or gratuitous swirly lines and color (such as those found in PowerPoint templates).

3.            Organizing your material.  Taking time to think about what your audience needs to know in order to take action helps you arrange material in a sequence they can remember.  It’s rarely the case, for example, that a chronological order of events (…and then we figured this out, and then we figured this out…) is at all effective.  Presenters who have mastered the skill of organizing qualitative information know what the first-, second-, and third-most important points are they’re going to make, and they organize their material to feature those key topics.  This prevents aimless wandering around a subject, and it also helps presenters who know they’re running out of time, figure out quickly what to omit if need be.

If you’re reading this thinking, “Wow, organizing, listening, designing slides…that sure isn’t me, I guess I’m doomed,” cheer up.  Engineers, in my experience, are lifelong learners, and they rarely shy away from a challenge in their engineering career.  You may find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone to venture into this new territory—listening, organizing information and designing visuals—but when your audience is energized and ready to be productive, thanks to your presentation, you’ll know it’s worth it.

Susan de la Vergne helps engineers and technical professionals become better communicators.  An I.T. professional for many years, a career she prepared for by majoring in English in college, today Susan teaches “Effective Technical Presentations” and consults for engineering and tech organizations helping them optimize everything from project deliverables to problem documentation.

Our founder Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

The following is the advice that the three panelists shared:

• You know you are ready to make the leap from engineer to manager when you feel like you are looking for something more; you want to contribute on a larger scale.

• They all had a desire to move into engineering management position; they didn’t “have-to.”

• You have to look at the big picture when you become a manager; look at the forest not the tree.

• Try to get your employees to also look at the big picture.

• You must be prepared to deal with human resources issues.  For example, people’s personal issues and emotions.

• You must learn to delegate so that you have time to deal with these human resources issues.

• Be clear about your expectations when you delegate to your staff.

• Seek advice from other leaders that have transitioned from engineer to manager.

• Lead by example and don’t ask your staff to do something that you wouldn’t.

• Be prepared to take risks like opening up a new office, or leaving your company for a more challenging opportunity.

 The three panel members were:

Paul Holzen, P .E., LEED AP – Engineering Supervisor at City of Franklin, TN
Michael Marassa, P.E. – Business Development Manager at Hayward Baker
Monica Sartain, P.E., CHMM, M. ASCE – Branch Manager at Patriot Engineering and Environmental, Inc.

I know this is a short post, but I have been getting requests on information regarding how to transition from engineer to manager and I thought the information shared here was perfect!

If you would like to get periodic advice on how to make the transition from engineer to manager, our founder Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

During the latest session of my Engineer Your Own Success radio show I had the opportunity to interview Rick De La Guardia owner of DLG Engineering to find out not only how to start an engineering company, but how to run an engineering company that thrives in any economy.

To give you some background, Rick De La Guardia is founder of DLG Engineering, Inc., a structural consulting firm, whose goal is to educate and raise awareness of the importance of the proper design, review and installations of our nation’s building envelopes. He obtained his bachelors of Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Miami and currently serves as president of the University of Miami College of Engineering Alumni Association.

Rick took a job in a very specific field of building envelope consulting out of college and when he realized that he wasn’t being compensated fairly for his abilities he left the company and started his own company.

Below are the questions in bold that I asked Rick as well as his responses directly below the question:

What are the most important attributes of a successful engineering business?
Self-Awareness:  Understand your capabilities, strengths and weaknesses
Foresight:  Be aware of coming trends both economically and in your field
Adaptability:  Do not limit yourself or be afraid to grow or expand
Integrity:  Never sacrifice quality for financial gain
Honesty:  Always be upfront with your clients

What advice do you have on marketing for an engineering company?

Put yourself out there (Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Organizations, University and High School Alma Maters, Blog, and list your company on every free site available).

Network with people outside of your field or profession.

Keep people constantly informed of your progress and what you are working on.

As owner of an engineering company, how have you managed to not only survive but thrive in a down economy?

• Adapting and offering diverse services
• Providing discounted fees with the understanding that you are building a future working relationship
• Aggressive networking and marketing
• Relaxing on the terms and conditions of payment
• Finding a niche and researching and continually learning and staying atop of the trends and changes in that specific field
• Instilling a family like atmosphere and morale with employees and paying myself last
• Developing diverse contacts outside of my field
• Putting myself out there by writing and speaking to raise awareness of what we do and why we do it
• Giving back without asking for something in return just for the sake of self promotion

What are the pitfalls of owning an engineering firm in a tough economy?

• Collections and cash flow issues
• Delicate client relation issues
• Asking your employees to make sacrifices
• Dealing with creditors and obtaining loans

What is your unique insight and strategic plan?

I started my firm when many said it was crazy to do so.  I knew that I was in a niche market and could offer no less or better quality than my competitors at a REDUCED rate due to having a smaller overhead.  I also developed personal relationships with each client.

What advice do you have for someone thinking of starting an engineering company in tough times?

• Make sure you have a niche
• Be prepared to make sacrifices
• Assemble the RIGHT team and do not discount chemistry
• Have a financial backup plan to carry you through the tough times
• Pay yourself last
• Give your employees a say in the direction of the company and make them feel like it is a family

You can listen to the entire show on our radio show archives page.

Our founder Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

During the latest session of my Engineer Your Own Success radio show I had the opportunity to coach a younger engineer (Mary) who was facing the challenge of having to manage or oversee a group of more experienced engineering experts.  This is a challenge that many engineering professionals face when transitioning from engineer to manager.

To give you some detailed background, Mary works for a large engineering company and is in charge of coordinating the preparation of large technical reports.  This includes the oversight of several experienced technical experts to ensure that they all submit their sections of the report on time.

Mary felt disrespected by these experts, and thought that her age and sex may have contributed to their lack of respect.  The experts showed this lack of respect by not submitting their work by the proposed deadline.

Based on our discussion, I provided Mary with the following recommendations:

• Confront the obvious up-front by acknowledging in your initial meeting with the team that they are much more experienced than you and you hope to learn from each of them during this project.

• Make it clear, that while they may be more experienced than you, this deadline is ultimately your responsibility and it is your intention to do whatever it takes to meet the deadline.  This gives you the opportunity to show them that while you respect their experience you will be firm in your pursuit to meet deadlines.

• Look at each of the group members resumes or even some past work that they have performed and mention/commend them in the initial meeting.  This will show them that you are thorough and encourage a positive relationship from the beginning.  This will show them that you care about the people you work with, not just the deadlines you have to meet.

• Lastly, be honest with those that are on your team.  Being the leader doesn’t mean you have to know everything, in fact great leaders admit when they don’t know something and they find the right person or place to get the information.

You can listen to the entire show on our radio show archives page.

Our founder Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

The seemingly go-nowhere job market is making many individuals think twice about pursuing higher education. Those interested in engineering are certainly no exception, as engineering positions waned in an otherwise industrialized world intimidated by a bad economy. But aspiring engineers ought to recognize that, while demand for their potential talents is currently down, their role in the 21st century is anything but irrelevant. The following are five reasons why you can most certainly count on the demand for engineers in the decades to come:

Infrastructure Needs Improvement

Across the United States of America, bridges are disintegrating, sewers are sinking, and other civil necessities continue to degrade with any rehabilitation. Millions of improvements to infrastructure wait to be made when the money to make them becomes available. For every improvement, there will be a team of engineers there making the big on-the-grounds decisions. Extend this worldwide, and it’s easy to see how many engineers are going to be needed.

The Environment is Changing

Whether humans are the cause or not remains a matter of debate, but the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that Earth’s environment is changing, at least as far as human survivability is concerned. Seaside cities will see more floods, while urban areas under arid conditions will continue to heat up. To ensure these places remain inhabitable, engineers will be busy designing new ways to survive the unforgiving forces of Mother Nature.

Labor Data Points to Science and Industry

Don’t let the mere musings of a blogger be the only thing that tells you engineers are sure to become in demand again. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that between now and the end of the decade, opportunities that involve an enhanced understanding of math and science are the ones that will see substantial growth. Engineers will either be involved directly in these industries, or they will contribute to the initial establishment of the machines and structures that will be used.

Access to an Engineering Education is Improving

Not only are the opportunities of employment in engineering expected to improve, but the means to be educated for these positions is already improving. The graphics capabilities of modern computer models means that accredited online degree programs in engineering will be just as sufficient in passing such knowledge along as traditional campus-based models. All the excuses for not getting an engineering degree in the 20th century are ceasing to exist in the 21st century.

Engineering is Tied Into Every Aspect of Tomorrow

Do not let talk of technological, web-based industry fool you into thinking that the real world is a thing of the past. If all the world’s knowledge is to be contained in data centers, then engineers will have to design such data centers. If people move closer to one another into massive cities to save money on transportation, then engineers will have to be involved in the planning process. No matter the technological advancement of tomorrow, engineers are going to be an essential aspect of the development process.

If you had a list of excuses for why it wasn’t smart to pursue an engineering career, hopefully every bullet point has been eliminated. The truth is that of all possible fields you could pursue, engineering is perhaps the most likely to be a critical component of the future, and therefore is the most likely to provide you with opportunity.

Our founder Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

 Aren’t you just sick and tired of articles entitled:

• 10 things to make you a better engineering manager
• How to work more efficiently under stress
• Top 3 ways to manage your boss/staff
• How to become a successful engineer

And I could go on and on with self help topics, tips and how to’s on every website you visit until you’re regurgitating them on the floor in

Engineering Career Team

full color print like yesterday’s bad news. Most of us are too busy and many of us have LONG surpassed information overload (especially in this current economic environment) so we basically ignore any further published mental molestation of our maxed out days.

That being said, it’s a tough work environment these days, and you know you aren’t fulfilled at work. You know it was wrong when upper management overlooked your cube mate for that promotion he or she had well earned, to give to a new hire. You know deep down inside, that somehow your job could simply be more exciting.

It’s amazing how some people just seem to always know what they want, straight out of school, and seem to get all the breaks too. I wish I could be like that. I wish I could do that. Psssttt; you CAN

Let’s talk football. Forget the details…trust the process and let’s talk football.

What we need; what YOU need, is a group of players because you can’t even be IN the game if you don’t have players. YOU CAN’T BE IN THE GAME WITHOUT PLAYERS. HELLO!! “But, Suzanne (you say), I don’t have players… and I’m doing fine at work on my own.” Keep thinking that way, and we’ll see where you are in 10 years. Don’t waste 10 years though to find out. Here’s some research and studies that say so here and here, decide for yourself and get back to me.

So, when I say players, I am referring to an exclusive group of players that share your “brand” (basically similar morals, ethics and business strategies). Young fresh engineering graduates, PAY close attention here! Doing this one thing can save you many horrors, like the ones I endured early on in my career. Often times, we call these players’ mentors, coaches, heroes, lifesavers, and friends. With you as the quarterback, your team only serves to help you achieve goals and win, right? They are also invested in your success, because at the end, everyone on the team gets super bowl rings. And the BIGGEST thing is THEY CAN’T FIRE YOU!!!

But Suzanne, “How do I get players? What do I say to them? I don’t have TIME to “find” players. Do I just start asking random people at my work?” The last place to search is your workplace, because that is your testing ground. Work is the place you are going to APPLY your game plans. While some minuscule number of engineering companies may have a culture that will support your career, the harder truth is if they exist to make money (you are getting paid right?) then there is a conflict of interest for advancing your career. Because, sometimes the best action to advance your career will often NOT be to the benefit of the company’s bottom line. Heard this one before? “As soon as we get a big enough project that has enough money (read: profit to burn) that will be the best time for you to learn that new software program.” Hmmmm, then the project never shows up.

Here are some of the places I found players when I built my engineering career development team:

• Professional organizations (in your field or in a related field)
• Church, other community groups, or similar hobbies (I have many mentors from my karate group)
• Friends and family (only the ones that talk positively)

Select a wide variety of players on your team, so you can draw upon their different talents, including but not limited to: senior level seasoned folks, female perspective (this is essential for BOTH male and females), young and energetic, visionaries, technology Gurus, and players with key industry connections. Often times one player can cover several of these areas, but you should have at least 5 and 10 is not too many, so that you don’t over tax any one player.

That’s it! Play ball! Simple. Well, maybe not so simple…but now you have ideas for building a powerful career team to help guide and support your engineering career. More importantly what you will actually have is a discreet group of people to help you discover WHO you are, so that you can begin to find the work that fits YOU, inspires and motivates you. Get BUSY, because this can take time. Don’t rush it, and often times all you need to do is open your eyes as your future team members are right in front of you.

Suzanne Pylant is an entrepreneur, engineering consultant, and holistic problem solver in a multitude of industries. She has served the civil engineering community for over 12 years, and brings a fresh unique eye to getting things done in difficult environments. Learn more and connect with Suzanne at http://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannepylant or follow her on twitter at @spylantweet

Our founder Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

It’s a great question and one that many engineers ask.  In my career travels as a design engineer, and the last few years as an engineering career coach, I have worked with, coached, and spoken to many engineers about this topic specifically and in this post I want to offer some engineering career advice based on my experiences.

In talking with many successful engineers that have made the transition from design engineer to manager, here are some guidelines that may be helpful in your transition:

From Engineer to Manager

Learn How to Delegate

What do I mean by learn how to delegate?  Well I could have just said, start delegating, but many successful engineers will tell you that it’s not that easy.  As engineers we get so wrapped up in day to day technical aspects of projects that when it’s time to go take on a managerial role, we either don’t want to give up the technical tasks to someone else or we are so involved in our projects, it is hard to take a more “hands-off” role.

Many engineers have the mentality of,  “I want to do it to ensure it gets done correctly.  That’s understandable being that you are a competent project manager, however to make a transition from engineer to manager, you are going to have to let other people help you.  You are going to have to take the time to teach them how to do it, in order to free up your time for other things.  The best way to do this is to start by giving small tasks to your team members to let them gain your trust.  Once they build up your trust, you will feel more comfortable giving them larger tasks until you can remove yourself from the “trenches” and take on more of a managerial role.

Learn How to Talk to People in a Positive Way

I always tell engineers that the way you say something to people is more important than what you say.  As an engineering manager you will have to delegate to your team members and have regular conversations with them about what tasks you would like them to accomplish.

Many engineering managers think only about the success of their project and not the success of their people.  When you delegate tasks to your team members, explain to them why you want them to do something, how it’s going to help the project and also how it is going to help their engineering career development.  I have coached so many engineers that don’t understand why they are not getting the most out of their staff and when I review their e-mails to discuss their conversations, it’s easy to see that their tone and choice of words is anything but inspiring.

No one has time to read a book these days, but to help improve your people skills I recommend listening to the audio version of Dale Carnegie’s bestselling book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Become a Great Presenter

One of the biggest misnomers amongst recent engineering graduates and younger engineers is that you don’t have to be good at writing or presenting.  That is 150% false!  In fact, successful engineers are typically very good writers and/or presenters.

To make a successful transition from engineer to manager, you must be able to present your ideas clearly to a group of people whether it is a group of 2 or 200.  You may have to present at a Town Board meeting in seeking project approvals, make a sales call to a prospective client, or speak in front of one of the local professional engineering societies.  In all of these cases, your ability to present will have a profound impact on your success as an engineering manager.

The good news is that public speaking is not a talent that you are born with or without; it’s a skill that can be learned.  I urge you to develop this skill as early on in your engineering career as possible.  To improve your speaking skills, I recommend joining a local Toastmaster chapter and listening to the audio version of the book entitled Speak to Win by Brian Tracy.

So in response to the question of how to become an engineering manager, I would say: learn how to delegate to others, learn how to talk to people in a positive way always thinking about their success, and last but not least become a great presenter! Please share any advice that you have found to be helpful in your transition from engineer to manager.

Anthony Fasano, P.E., author of Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career sends out free daily career inspiration to engineers through his popular Daily Boosts, you can read about the Daily Boosts or simply sign up below.

Featured Guest Blogger: Gavin Redelman of RedStarResume

Congratulations on securing your job. You have been selected above and beyond the other job applicants because of all the wonderful factors that made you the best fit for the job. Now that you have the job there are many tips to keeping your position and maintaining a professional image.

Understand Your Role and Expectations

You may feel as though you are doing a fantastic job, but if your expectations differ from those of your manager or boss, there is going to be conflict. Be sure to always have a good understanding of what is expected of you. If you feel that the expectations are unrealistic, then you should approach your boss and explain the situation. One of the most important aspects of maintaining a professional image is being a good team player and contributing fairly to the team objectives. No one likes a colleague who does not do his or her fair share of the work.

Expand Your Role and Keep on Learning

Be a team player and look to get involved in more areas of the business. Be willing to share your expertise, but also be willing to learn new skills. If your company offers training courses, put your hand up to get involved. If your company doesn’t offer training courses, you can still take the initiative and invest in your own growth and knowledge by paying for these courses yourself.  After all, it is your career!

Develop Positive Relationships

We all spend so much time at work, that it is important to develop positive relationships with all of our co-workers, managers and bosses. Good relationships are based on trust. Keep commitments. If you promise something, make sure you deliver on time. However, if you find yourself in a situation where something has changed and you cannot keep that commitment, be honest and communicate. Honest communication is the key to building a long-lasting relationship.

Be Visible

Leaving early every day and not attending social gatherings is definitely not the right way to maintain a professional image. Being visible is all part of being a good team player. This does not mean you have to be best friends with every person you work with, but there is no need to isolate yourself either.

Ask for Feedback and Learn From Your Boss

Do not be afraid to ask for feedback. In order to grow and improve ourselves, we need feedback on how we are performing in our jobs. Positive feedback is always fantastic, however don’t let negative feedback get you down and certainly do not hold grudges. Learn from your mistakes and strive to do better going forward.

We spend so many hours at work that we need to enjoy what we are doing. Maintaining a professional image will help you not only build a reputation of someone who is a great team player and can be counted on to add value to the business, but will also make your work life a far greater experience. When the time comes for a promotion or a pay rise, you are far more likely to be considered because of your professional image and positive attitude.

Gavin Redelman is a resume writer for RedStartResume. During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for engineers and other professionals across the globe. From the student or entry-level position to the CEO, their unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of their clients and to help them land jobs.

If you require a Professional Resume Service, contact one of the senior Resume Writers today! http://www.redstarresume.com/

Are you interested in getting a degree in engineering but can’t go to a traditional college? Perhaps you don’t think you can afford the costs of college, or maybe you have other responsibilities, such as children or a day job, that would prevent you from being able to take college classes. You might even have a college degree, but would like to further your education in order to advance in your career.

For many people, earning a college degree online is a great alternative. You have the flexibility to take classes at a time that works for you and learn at your own pace. Contrary to popular belief, accredited online colleges provide courses at the same level as traditional colleges and offer many of the same services, such as financial aid and student support. Students even have the chance to interact in online discussion forums or contact their instructor with concerns at any time.

Individuals who succeed in online degree programs are often self-disciplined, assertive, organized, and passionate about earning their degree. If you think you have what it takes, here are some details about online engineering programs.

Programs

There are number of different online degree engineering programs available in engineering. The type of degree you should consider depends on the type of career you are pursuing. An associate’s degree takes about 2 years and can lead to a job as an engineering technician. Most engineering jobs require a bachelor’s degree in a specific field of engineering, which takes four years to complete. Advanced positions in management and research generally require master’s or doctoral degrees.  Some examples include: Mechanical engineering, which involves the design and manufacturing of machines. Electrical and Electronics engineering which involves electrical equipment and technology such as computers and telecommunications systems. Aerospace engineering focuses on building planes, satellites, and other aircraft.

Classes

The type of classes you can take depends on the engineering specialization that interests you, but most classes will involve physics and mathematics. While some classes will involve theoretical concepts, some will offer practical applications, which are important as well. As a result, you should strongly consider an online program that includes hands-on labs at a local campus. Many online degree programs have campuses all over the country, so it’s likely that there is one near you. As with a normal college class, you will be expected to complete reading and assignments as well as quizzes and tests.

Graduate Degrees

A Masters of Engineering (M. Eng.) degree is a professional degree with more in-depth courses for a specific field of engineering. These degrees might appeal to those who wish to become highly specialized in a specific area of engineering such as civil, chemical, mechanical, or electrical engineering.

A Masters of Science (M.S.) degree is generally more focused on academic research and often includes a thesis requirement. M.S. programs are frequently harder to get into and complete compared to M. Eng. programs. Those who are considering getting a Ph.D. and/or remaining in the academic field tend to choose an M.S.

A Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree would greatly benefit engineers who would like to have more of a background in business. Those who aspire to management or consulting positions or who are considering starting their own business should definitely consider pursuing an MBA.  There is also a new degree that combines engineering and business called Masters in Engineering Management (MEM).

Before You Decide

Before you make the decision to pursue and online degree in engineering, you should be absolutely sure that the program you choose is accredited, so that your degree can be recognized. You may also want to research the specific degree programs you’re interested in and consider your career goals and how the selected program will help you to achieve those goals.

Dawn Lovett has worked in electronic and computer engineering for over 20 years. She also owns the site Online Engineering Degrees, which it makes it easier for students interested in getting an online degree in engineering to find the right program for their career and lifestyle.

Students at Work

Over the past week I have had the pleasure of delivering my Engineer Your Own Success (EYOS) seminar to engineers in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina. I started by traveling to the Lehigh Valley area in Pennsylvania on Thursday December 8^th.  I stopped off at my Alma mater, Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where I visited some former professors of mine. I also had the opportunity to spend time with my cousin who is currently a senior mechanical engineering student.  He gave me a tour of the laboratory and showed me his senior project, which is a Formula One racing car that he and 12 of his classmates designed and built. This car will be raced in a national contest in the spring against other college team’s vehicles. It’s great to see engineering students engaging in hands on activities as part of their education.

Next I was off to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I had the pleasure of speaking at an event that was held at the

Bethlehem, PA

Hotel Bethlehem, which is a wonderful placed located in beautiful downtown Bethlehem.  The annual American Society of Civil Engineers – Lehigh Valley Section holiday banquet is a very special event as the chapter invites back all of the past-presidents and honors them during the evening festivities. It was a fairly large audience, which consisted of a wide variety of experience levels from the attending engineering students and retired engineers. It was great to see so many students present at this professional function. As I stated in my presentation, you are never too young to begin networking and building relationships.

Due to the varied experience levels, I discussed a wide variety of topics. I started off discussing resumes and the interviewing process for the students. I also gave some recommendations for obtaining a professional engineering license including application preparation tips and recommendations on what to bring to the exam. I then discussed strategies for improving communication, networking, and leadership skills applicable to many of the experienced engineers in attendance. Special emphasis was placed on the importance that public speaking can play in creating a successful engineering career. This point was confirmed by several of the experienced engineers in the audience. In fact, one them approached me and told me how a public speaking course in college had a huge impact on his career. I firmly believe that we engineers must have excellent communication and speaking skills to embrace today’s global economy.

A few days later I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at the Professional Engineers of North Carolina annual conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. The event was held at the McKimmon Conference Center on the North Carolina State University campus. The audience consisted mostly of more experienced engineers, so I focused on discussing how they could help their project teams and staff to be successful.

Holiday Banquet

There was a lot of discussion about the importance of the way we communicate with the people that work with and for us. Specifically, the way we say things can have a huge impact on other’s feelings towards us, the project, and the company.  I also spoke about LinkedIn and how important it is in helping to bring in business to your engineering firm. Many of the attendees confirmed that they use LinkedIn daily in an attempt to build relationships in the industry.  I highly recommended that everyone in the room join LinkedIn and complete their profile as soon as possible.

It was a fun week and I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to engineers in these two organizations. I’m now looking forward to my next stop on the tour – Nashville in January!

You can get a FREE chapter of my book Engineer Your Own Success on our facebook fanpage at http://facebook.com/EngineerYourOwnSuccess

To Your Success,
Anthony Fasano, P.E., LEED AP, ACC