Sean:
These are all highly personal questions that will vary substantially from individual to individual. My advice to young professionals at any stage of their career is to always follow your passion. If you can find something that you want to do, even if its not for the rest of your life, put in the work and gain the credentials that will allow you to do it.
To your specific examples:
Any certifications, licenses, etc. that you can pick up along the path can never hurt and may be more valuable down the road than you expect. One example that is a no-brainer to me is the PE license. This credential requires completion an initial fundamentals examination (FE) followed by experience and a professional test in your specific engineering discipline. I always recommend that new graduates take the FE while still in school or shortly after even if they have no plans for practice in the public sector where a license would be required. The FE covers all areas of engineering. So, passing the FE should be easy right out of undergraduate work, but becomes increasingly difficult as you specialize later in your career. The PE examination should become easier with experience, so could be taken any time if the need arises later when you want to pursue an opportunity where a license is required. I may be biased, but I think a PE license is great mark of professionalism that should be recognized by any organization regardless of whether it is required for your job or not.
There is much value personally in obtaining an advanced degree. Whether it has enough value for you or is financially justified depends on what you want to do. There are certainly career paths that require advanced degrees and where those with the advanced degree are highly favored. If you're career path does not have requirements for an advanced degree or offers no advantage for promotions or advancement, then the degree would only have value for the experience that you gained through the additional study and research. I have done well with just a BS degree in a profession dominated by engineers with advanced degrees. My path may have been easier with a PhD, but I don't think it would have turned out any better for me overall. (Apologies to my colleagues that are university professors trying to recruit grad students.)
I hear that the younger generation is more likely to jump from job to job, but I have not found that to be true for engineers in my world. The answer to this question goes back to my guiding principal: your goal should be to like your job, the company that you work for, and the people you work with. If you think that you could be happier doing something different or working someplace else, then make that change.
Your last question is the easiest. If your passion is to do technical work, stay in a technical role. If you think you would happier doing management, seek the management opportunities.
Good luck with your decisions. Always remember that few decisions are final in your career path. Good employers will almost always find a spot for a good former employee. You can always go back to school for that advanced degree.
Larry D. Hanke, PE FASM
Materials Evaluation and Engineering, Inc.
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Larry Hanke FASM
Principal Engineer
Materials Evaluation And Engineering Inc
Minneapolis MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-10-2020 10:04
From: Sean Piper
Subject: Maximizing career development
What advice do more senior engineers have for younger engineers (early/mid career stage) to maximize their career development and grow quickly? Particularly:
- How valuable do you think industry certifications (PE, CWI, CWE, PMP, CIP, ASNT L2/3, CQE, etc.) are? Do you think they make the difference between getting the job/raise/promotion and not?
- Similarly, how valuable do you consider advanced degrees (either masters or PhD)? Is it worth the cost and time out of the workforce?
- Do you think it's better to change jobs frequently to get more diverse experience, or to stay in one job for longer to specialize and climb the ladder more?
- If the opportunity to branch into management presents itself, is it wise to accept, even if your ultimate aspiration is to remain technical?
I realize the answer to all these questions can be "it depends" (and metallurgists love giving that answer in general), but please offer examples from your personal experience and be specific to explain whether you think these pursuits are worth it or not.
Thank you,
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Sean Piper
Product / Process Metallurgist
Ellwood Texas Forge Houston
Houston TX
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