editorial We’ve all wondered at least one time or another throughout our academic or professional careers: Am I really cut out to be an engineer? Do I really want to be doing this for the next 30 years? Should I quit while I’m ahead and start looking for something that I know I’ll enjoy? The truth is, these are all valid questions that don’t have simple answers. In my discussions with a number of students over the years on their reasons for choosing engineering, the majority of answers always came back to the usual things like money, job security, or the idea of working on cool projects with state-of-the-art technology. To be honest, I was more interested in hearing some of the not-so-common answers, like those who said their parents chose their major for them or those that shrugged and admitted to not having a good reason. Frankly, unless you’re one of the lucky ones and really, truly know that you were born to be an engineer, making a firm commitment without any second guesses is not an easy thing to do. But for those of you that are unsure, allow me to play devil’s advocate and give you a taste of a few of the realities I’ve come across through my own experiences. Reality: Engineering jobs may not be as secure as you think. I’ve not only heard but seen firsthand the aftereffects of budget cuts and company downsizing. The worst case was a senior engineer that was handed a pink slip just one year shy of earning a pension, only to be replaced by the next upand-coming college graduate who was hired to do the same job for less pay. In fact, between 2008 and 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that electrical engineering employment will only increase by 2%. Furthermore, many of today’s engineering organizations are run by big wigs with business backgrounds that don’t know squat about engineering. They are hardcore bottom-liners who consider you nothing more than a tool to get the job done. If you underperform, don’t be surprised if you’re reminded of how easily you can be replaced. Reality: All engineers don’t work with state-of-theart technology. In fact, a large percentage of today’s engineers are tasked with some of the most mundane things you can imagine. Probably one of the most depressing things
about engineering jobs today is the amount of time spent on “PowerPoint engineering.” So unless you’re one of the top dogs in your specialty and are able to land a dream job working in a lab on tomorrow’s latest and greatest technology, there’s a good chance you’ll be spending a lot of your time in cubicles and conference rooms. Reality: The money is there, but you’ll probably be putting in long hours to earn it. Sure, it’s true that engineers make decent money and oftentimes end up transitioning to managerial positions with even bigger paychecks. The BLS even lists the 2011 median pay for electrical engineers as US$89,200. Not bad at all, right? Let me tell you, the amount of hours I’ve seen some engineers put in during my internships was downright depressing. Sure, I put in a few extra hours from time to time, but these people were consistently in their offices or cubicles before my day had begun and would leave well after I punched out (not to mention coming in on weekends). The point is, you will most likely be paid handsomely, but you better be ready to earn it. By now you’re probably wondering why I’m bad-mouthing a career that I’ve chosen to pursue myself. In truth, my real intent is to give the inexperienced a reality check and inform them that life as an engineer is not always going to be sunshine and roses. Yes, chances are you will eventually work with or for someone that you can’t stand, or sometimes find yourself doing uneventful and boring tasks, or put in long hours from time to time. In all honesty, though, these are examples of issues that most people deal with in almost any profession. All money, job security, and “cool” factors aside, the most common answer I received while discussing with students their reasons for pursuing a career in engineering was the fact that it provides the opportunity to improve our species’ quality of life and contribute to the betterment of our planet as a whole—truly something that separates us from the rest. Larry K. Martin (
[email protected])
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2013.2246737 Date of publication: 30 April 2013
the way ahead This issue of IEEE Potentials focuses on careers and graduate education. As I reflect on where IEEE Student Members can seek advice for both careers and education, I can think of no better source than the IEEE Student Professional Awareness program. The program has been providing IEEE Student Members with a source of advice and experience on careers and education for over 30 years (it was established in 1979) and is administered by the IEEE-USA Student Professional Awareness Committee (SPAC) in Regions 1–6 and by the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Student Activities Committee (SAC) Student Professional Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2013.2246738 Date of publication: 30 April 2013
May/june 2013
Awareness Activities (SPAA) subcommittee, which covers Regions 1–10 but emphasizes Regions 7–10. The program is organized around the concept that “professional awareness is the emphasizing of the importance of the nontechnical aspects of engineering to engineers and future engineers.” The topics that are addressed in S-PAC/SPAA generally fall into the categories of career growth, working, professional ethics and social responsibility, self-management, engineer and public policy, and the importance of the professional society. Examples of speaker topics include: •• Career Archery—Hitting Your Mark in Your Chosen Field (continued on page 5) 3
the way ahead (continued from page 3) •• Essential Skills to Survive and Thrive in the Present Day Workplace •• Developing the Holistic Engineer •• Developing Leadership Skills to Gain a Competitive Edge •• Networking for the Career You Want •• Scalability of IEEE Membership •• Winning Resumes •• Stuff You Don’t Learn in Engineering School •• The Ball Is In Your Court •• Enjoy the Time of Your Life •• Managing to Manage Your Career—An Engineer’s Career Journey from Individual Contributor to Business General Manager •• Entrepreneurship in Engineering •• Professional Development Through Advanced Degrees •• What Every Graduate Should Know About Intellectual Property And many other topics. Both IEEE-USA SPAC and IEEE MGA SAC SPAA have each grown to the present activity level of 100 total events per year, organized and hosted by IEEE Student Branches worldwide. Also of note, in 2012, IEEE-USA hosted its 1,000th SPAC event within Regions 1–6 in the over 30-year history of the program, and the number of SPAA events in Regions 7–10 was at record levels in 2012.
May/June 2013
Therefore, my encouragement to open this IEEE Potentials issue on the theme of careers and graduate education is to “think S-PAC/SPAA.” If you are a Student Branch leader, I encourage you to organize an S-PAC/SPAA event at your school, if you are a Student Branch member, I encourage you to attend an S-PAC/SPAA event, and if you are a professional-level Section member, I encourage you to support an S-PAC/SPAA event at a Branch in your Section. Such events are a valuable source for careers and graduate education advice as a service to our IEEE Student Members. Refer to www.ieee.org/spac for steps to organize S-PAC/SPAA events and for resources and Regional leaders who can assist your Student Branch in the organizing process. I like to close out each of my columns in the same manner, with a request for you to please drop me a note at j.paserba@ ieee.org anytime to share your thoughts on the value of your IEEE student membership and to share a story or example of what your IEEE membership engagement means to you. You can also post on our Student Activities Facebook page at www.facebook.com/#!/IEEEStudents, the Student Professional Awareness Activities Facebook page at www.facebook. com/#!/groups/ieeeusaspac/, or the IEEE Potentials Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IEEE.Potentials. John Paserba IEEE MGA Chair—Student Activities (
[email protected])
5
