Personal Positioning for Engineers

7/31/2019 Personal Positioning for Engineers

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ieee-usa eBookspresents

for Engineers

By Paul J. Kostek


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Published by IEEE-USA.Copyright 2007 by the IEEE. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.Edited and compiled by Georgia C. Stelluto, IEEE-USA Publishing ManagerCover design and layout by Gregory O. Hill, IEEE-USA Electronic Communications Manager

This IEEE-USA publication is made possible through unding provided by a special dues assessment o

IEEE members residing in the United States.Copying this material in any orm is not permitted without prior written approval rom the IEEE.


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Personal Positioning or Engineers 3

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Identifying Your Choices 5

What Employment Option is Right for You? 5

For Students Finding the First Job 6

Direct Employment 7

Contract Employment 8

Consulting 9

Self-Employment/Business Ownership 11

Career Options for Direct Employees 15

Company Size: Do Numbers Equal Career Strength? 16

Making Your Choice Are You Positioned? 18

Sample Business Plan 19

Sample Consulting Contract 20

Sample Resumes 21

Creating a Portfolio 24

References/Resources 25


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4

Introduction

In the 21st century, employment options will obviously be expanding and changing. What we dotoday may not be what we do tomorrow. Globalization, outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions willimpact how we work. We will determine success by our ability to position ourselves to take advan-tage o opportunity and respond to change. In this e-book, well look at several dierent employ-ment and career options or engineers to help you determine which ones will work or you. Not all othe options will work or each person, and the key to succeeding is to understand yoursel, how yourespond to change, and what level o risk you can deal with.

Along with looking at the dierent employment options (direct/contract/consulting/starting a busi-ness), youll be asked to consider a series o questions on each o these options. We will also lookat such career options as moving into management versus staying technical, working or a largecompany versus a small company, and private industry versus government agencies.

And at the end o this e-book, hopeully you will have learned more about employment opportuni-ties or engineers and how they might work or you.

I dedicate this book to Leann or her wit, wisdom and love.

~ Paul J. Kostek

1999 IEEE-USA President,

2007 Vice President, IEEE-USA Technology Policy Activities


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Identifying Your Choices

Think about the past 10 years in the engineering proession. Ater a period o extraordinary growth,the engineering proession hit some turbulence, with demand or engineers slowing, and now it isbeginning to surge again. The lesson learned or anyone in the proession or just beginning theircareer: opportunities still exist during a downturn; they just may not be exact matches to what weseek. As engineers in todays marketplace, we need to take responsibility or our careers and adjustto changes in the employment environment. We need to practice personal positioning exploringthe options available and then determining which best suit our individual needs.

We all pursue dierent goals in our careers and dene success in dierent ways. Traditionally, mostengineers have opted or direct employment with a company, government agency or academic in-stitution. But today, employment options have expanded; opportunities exist in:

Direct Employment

Contract Employment

Consulting

Sel-Employment

Within these broad areas, engineers can consider management or technical paths in large, me-dium-sized, or small companies, and they can even choose between start-ups and establishedorganizations.

What Employment Option is Right for You?

Beore we start looking at each o the options, youll need to start with a sel-assessment. The rstquestion is: Where am I in my career? As you think about this question, ask yoursel: Am I where Iwant to be? Am I going in the direction I want to? Or am I moving in the direction everyone thinksI should?

Next, you might ask yoursel: Where am I going? Is this where I want to be? I not, how do I changedirections? Do I have the skills I need? Should I stay with my current employer or remain in the sameindustry? Should I pursue a new direction perhaps with a new employer in a new industry?

To help you answer these questions, and identiy others, you need one or several mentors. Depend-

ing on where we are in lie, we have all used our parents as mentors, maybe with the initial decisionto go into engineering. In college, a proessor might have been a mentor helping us decide oninternships, grad school, and that rst job. In industry, our mentor could be a senior associate, man-ager, or even our college proessor. You need not limit yoursel in terms o the number o mentors you really just need people with experience that know you and your strengths and weaknesses,who can help you make decisions.


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6

For Students Finding the First Job

Interviews

As you approach your senior year o college, or are completing grad school, youll need to add anothertask to your daily schedule, interviewing or jobs. Check with the career center on campus to learnwhen companies are coming in. Start to use the contacts youve developed over the past ew years.

Dont want to wait too long, because the job market is so cyclical or engineers that a market that wasbooming when you started school may have cooled when you graduate or vice versa. No matter whatthe market, you need to develop a plan to nd the job you want.

Start interviewing early and oten when youre getting ready to join the job market. I you are targetinga particular company, you should also interview with other companies or practice, and to get comort-able with the process. And you never know, one o these interviews could result in an opportunitythat interests you. Even i it is just a practice interview, make sure you research the company. As a

proessional courtesy to the person doing the interview you should understand what their companydoes. Practice doesnt mean unprepared. You never know what an interview will uncover.

I youre not sure what industry or company you might be interested in, take some time to think aboutwhich classes you enjoyed in school, and what industries and companies might be a match.

Another good practice is to ollow up contacts rom internships have requently companies use intern-ships as a means to select candidates or direct employment. As you wrap up an internship, make sureyou keep in contact with the manager you worked or and with your other team members. They maybe able to help you nd an opportunity with that employer.

Use contacts rom proessors, classmates, proessional associations (such as the IEEE), and amily to

nd opportunities. I a proessor is involved in research with a company you are interested in, makean appointment to meet and discuss the company. I youve been an active member o a proessionalassociation branch chapter, like IEEE Student Branch or IEEE-USA S-PAC, use the contacts youve gainedto nd out which companies are hiring in the local area. And i you have a particular area o the coun-try you want to work in, contact the IEEE Section there and ask or assistance. Talk with classmates tolearn where they are interviewing. You may nd someone with an oer and no interest in the positionor the company. Talk to your amily about what you are interested in doing. Sometimes, its all about

who you know.

Check out company Websites, newspaper ads and Jobsites (e.g. IEEE Job Site, IEEE-USA EmploymentNavigator, Monster). Youve got nothing to lose by posting your resume, but its more about learning

what is going on in particular industries rom these sites than it is about getting a job oer. Look orsites with a specic ocus. Many companies use the IEEE Job Site because they know its members willhave the particular background they are looking or. Company sites can give you an idea o what ishappening at a company, what skills are in demand, and those that are not. I you have an interest in acertain company dont let the lack o an opening that ts your experience stop you rom applying. You

never know when you might be a match.


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Direct Employment

Most direct employees those working or a company, agency or organization can expect toreceive regular paychecks; some career guidance; medical, vacation and retirement benets; andtraining support. While all o these perks are nice even necessary training support is a benetevery direct employee should take advantage o. I you are a direct employee, pursue an advanceddegree or complete a certicate program; attend seminars and conerences; or simply take coursesthat will help you build your skills set. Your employer will reap the benets o employees who gainand use new knowledge. Whats more, increasing your personal intellectual property will be one o

the most important things youll do or yoursel. Ater all, your knowledge is the one thing youll takewith you when you leave an employer.

So, what kind o benets can you expect rom a company? Some might include a pension plan;401(k); medical, dental; and vision benets. In todays market, you may not get the traditional De-ned Benet pension plan; rather, you could end up with a cash balance plan, along with a 401(k).

What is the dierence rom years past? The onus is now on you to save or your retirement and makethe selections o where to invest. For engineers who are years into their careers, this change can havea negative impact on plans or retirement. For anyone just starting out, it is a chance to grow dollars

or your uture. I you work or an employer oering a 401(k) match make sure you take advantageo this ree money, invest at least the minimum to ensure you received the match, you never want toleave money on the table, or pass up the tax advantages.

Remember: Access and study your companys benets plans to maximize any additional health andamily unds you can set aside.

What is one negative o working or a company? Youll be signing over intellectual property (IP)

rights to anything you might invent while in the company employ. I you pursue ideas outside owork, make sure you know the limits on the company IP agreement. That way, you dont have anysurprises later.

As I mentioned earlier, you should use every dollar you can on education benets -- graduate school,courses, seminars, conerences, etc. Take everything you can -- its better to have employers say nomore, than have them wonder why you never take any classes.

Here are some questions to think about when you are considering working for

any type of organization:

Do you preer a sense o stability?(For example, do you need to know where your next paycheck iscoming rom?)

Do you need benets?

Do you like being part o an organization?


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Contract Employment

Some engineers choose to work as contract (or temporary) employees. These proessionals otenreceive assignments through a contract rm that pays them an hourly rate. The contract rm usu-ally keeps a percentage o the total ee charged to the company or their overhead. Some contractrms provide 401(k) plans, paid vacations, and have medical plans. However, in most cases, contractemployees are responsible or providing their own benets. And they must seek and participate intraining and continuing education activities on their own.

While many contract companies now oer access to 401(k)s youll want to explore individual pen-

sion planning urther, including setting up a Simplied Employee Pension Plan (SEP-IRA). Youll alsoneed to look at your personal costs or medical, dental, and vision coverage. In addition to whatthe contract company is oering, you should check out IEEE membership benets, benets romother proessional organizations you may belong to, and benets available through your spousesemployer, i applicable.

While some contract rms will provide some training to assist you in meeting the requirements oa particular assignment, or the most part youre on your own. As a contract worker, youll need toinvest in your own training and skills development. So, be sure to ollow current trends to ensure you

have the right skills. Youll need to allocate time out o the oce and without pay, and attend trainingclasses, seminars and conerences. But the time out o the oce doesnt have to be a loss: add valueto your training time by networking and marketing yoursel. Even i you have a solid work assign-ment, you still want to know whats happening at other companies, and become acquainted with asmany people as possible. I youre in the inormation technology eld (IT) youll need to expand yourcredentials through certain certications. Some companies base their hiring on certications; othersdont. Make sure you have the right credentials the any situation.

So, why do people contract? Some people like working with ever-changing assignments and or

dierent companies. They enjoy selecting their assignments and the opportunity to learn new skills.For others, money is the motivator a higher rate and the ability to incorporate means you canwrite-o many expenses at tax time. And employers like to use the contract to direct hire methodto ensure employees will be a good t or their organization.

As a contractor, contract companies, or shops will pay you. The contract company usually pays anhourly rate, and some companies will oer to split out part o the rate as a per diem (i.e. tax ree).

This per diem will be yours to cover expenses. Contractors working out o town can use the perdiem to cover housing, ood, transportation and any other incidentals. Make sure you always plan

ahead beore taking an out-o-town assignment. I the rate isnt high enough, you may end up losingmoney on an assignment. Not good or succeeding in business! So, know your value and negotiatea rate that will cover expenses, plus allow you to make a prot.

I you bypass the contracting shops, and contract directly with a company, the employers may payyou and then issue a 1099 like a W-2 orm or contractors. It will list what you were paid or theassignment, and you must keep it or tax purposes. Companies can also issue purchase orders to pay


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you but it is not the norm or people contracting in the technical elds.

A great resource or anyone thinking about contracting is CE Weekly (http://www.ceweekly.com/).This publication gives you exposure to many contract rms and contracting opportunities. I youhave questions about contracting, pick one o the companies that lists a position you are interested

in and call. Talk about the position, duration, location, rate, etc. A good relationship with a contractrm can keep you employed, and it will also allow you to learn about industry trends.

Questions to ask yourself about the contracting assignment:

Are you fexible?The assignment you were brought in or may change.

Are you a quick-learner? Company employers are not interested in training you, and expect you to

be ready to go to work. Youll need to have a list o core questions: What standards or processes arewe using? Where can I get copies?

Are you a sel-motivator? Dont expect to be rewarded like direct employees, or included in their

activities.Are you comortable*not* being part o an organization?

Are you willing to spend time and money to update your skills?

Consulting

The undamental dierence between consultants and contractors is that consultants are responsibleor nding their own assignments and covering such expenses as taxes. Consultants can be mem-

bers o a large or small rm, or can be independent practitioners. Either way, they must oten pursuelicensing and registration. Registration is legally required or all consultants who call themselvesengineers, and who sell their services to the public or to companies. Corporations are covered by an

industrial exemption -- as long as at least one employee has a PE license, the other engineers on staare exempt rom licensing. Both consultants and contractors are responsible or their own benetsand training.

Issues relating to pension planning (SEP-IRA) and other benets are similar to what a contract em-ployee has to deal with ditto or training and skills development.

The biggest dierence between contracting and consulting will be in nding assignments. You wont

have the luxury o a contract company bringing you oers. Youll need to nd your own assignments so, that means you must network more and do more sel-marketing,. Even while working an as-signment youll need to allocate time during every week to market your services. You can wait untilyou complete an assignment, but to delay could mean time without income so more planningahead. For many engineers, sel-marketing is the hardest part o being a consultant, and its aboutmore than just having a prepared elevator speech. It means having an exact knowledge o what it is


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you bring to a company. What can you oer that their current employees cant?

You Need a License

To call yoursel an engineer in the United States, you need a license. Licensing is done state-by-state

and state licensing boards control it. Once you get your license, you can sell engineering services.Not being licenses doesnt mean you cant do business as a systems architect or designer just real-ize i a drawing needs to be signed or you need liability insurance, a proessional engineering (P.E.)license is essential. Licensing will also require you to get a certain amount o training hours per year.

This requirement also varies by state, so youll need to allocate time and money to keep your licensecurrent. I you work in sotware development, some states are still struggling with the concept ohow to license a sotware engineer.

Ever taken the Fundamentals o Engineering (FE) exam? Not many computer science majors areready to take a test with thermodynamics. Students will want to consider taking the FE during yoursenior year while the inormation is still resh in your mind. Ater a ew years, youll need a re-

resher course to remember much o the test content. Tests are oered or EEs (with power anddigital emphasis), MEs, CEs, Structurals, etc. Check out www. ncees.org or inormation on the FE andthe other exams.

Also, Insurance

Youll need some level o liability insurance, and most companies will expect you to have at least onemillion dollars. Thats a $4,000 investment -- or more, depending on your specialty. Besides your owninsurance agent, investigate how the IEEE can help its members with insurance needs.

Getting paid is one o the biggest issues or independent consultants. Expect that many large com-

panies will wait as long as possible to pay your bill. How can you work around payment delays?

Oer a discount on your ees or payment within 30 days. But, be aware that at some point youll endup talking to your lawyer about taking action to get a bill paid. How can you prevent a lot o legalhassles over getting paid? Vet your clients. Find out what other consultants have experienced whentrying to get paid networking can help you more than just getting your next assignment.

Check on the health o a company ahead o time. Hesitate beore taking a gig with a company hov-ering on ailure. Youll need to provide a contract to any company you do business with. Appendix Ahas a sample contract you can review, and you can also nd a sample on IEEE-USAs Website at www.

ieeeusa.org/business. In addition to the rates youll be charging, the contract should also include adescription o the deliverables, the schedule, and identiy a point o contact within the company.

Setting your rate will be one o the rst steps youll need to take. How much you charge will dependon your skills and experience, the marketplace youll be serving, and the type o industry in whichyou will be working. You need to set a rate that will not only cover expenses, but also allow you tomake a prot. I you are a typical engineer employed by a company, your pay rate might be $45/hour.But the loaded rate can be $110/hour and that will cover acilities, overhead, benets and prot. Youcan gain some ideas on what rate to charge by talking with other consultants and checking out the


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IEEE-USA Consultants Prole 2006 survey on the IEEE-USA Website. Talk with other consultants. Andask someone to mentor you through these initial stages o establishing your practice. Mentors canhelp you with setting rates and nding rst clients.

You will also need to develop your Website, as it will become one o the key marketing tools or

your practice. Your website will hold valuable inormation or potential clients, such as skills, rates,services, a client database and reerences.

As mentioned earlier, its also always wise to have good legal counsel or anyone considering becom-ing a consultant. Sit down with a lawyer, and explore what option would be best suited to setting upyour company: incorporation, S-corporation, limited liability company, partnership, sole proprietor-ship, etc. Each type has tax implications, and its best to work with your lawyer and accountant todetermine what makes the most sense or you. How you set up the business will determine whetheryou can write o the home oce.

When rst starting out, consider partnering with an established consultant on projects, or just tomeet with and talk about how business is progressing. Take a look at what the IEEE-USA Consultants

Network can oer you in terms o nding assignments and partnering with others. Also, read TheBest o Todays Engineer on Consulting, an e-book that addresses many o the topics raised in thischapter, available or only $4.95 to IEEE members at www.ieeeusa.org/e-books.

Consider joining the IEEE-USA Consultants Database (www.ieeeusa.org/consultants) to advertiseyour services to potential clients. And take ull advantage o the IEEE-USA Consultants Network toobtain the resources and contacts you need to get started in consulting.

Questions to ask yourself:

Do I have skills that are needed and companies are willing to pay or?

Do I have contacts to get business?

Do I have/am I willing to develop the marketing skills required to sell mysel?

Am I sel-motivating?

Am I willing to spend time and money to update my skills?

Self-Employment/Business Ownership

Sel-employment is generally dened as owning ones own business and providing either a productor service. During the dot.com revolution o the 1990s, unding or new businesses or in mostcases, good ideas was easy to obtain.

So why do engineers not pursue starting their own businesses? One reason is risk. To be an entre-preneur is too undertake risk, and to understand the probability o ailure and still proceed. Engi-


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neers are trained to identiy risks and nd ways to stay away rom them, eliminate them, or, at least,reduce them.

Risks can make starting a company a huge problem. But venture capitalists are more than willingto und interesting ideas that might or might not pan out. In todays market, venture capitalists are

looking much more closely at ideas, and then going beyond the ideas themselves. They want toknow how large the market is; i the company already viable; how much company ounders have

invested; etc. I youre interested in starting your own business and want or need unding, then youmust develop relationships with venture capitalists (VCs). Consider whether you have the nancialresources to support yoursel, as well as provide benets or yoursel and your amily. VC unding romwill come ater youve invested your own and perhaps even amily money. Then, you might considerseeing about angel investors, people with money willing to invest smaller amounts ($25,000 to$100K) in a business.

Business Plan

Youll need a business plan to get started. Your plan should address what your company will do,can do, and what it will produce; the team that will run the company; and what nancing you needand have. Use this opportunity to identiy your strengths and weaknesses, and make sure you havepeople working with you that have skills you dont. Go to http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html or a business plan template and other planning tools. A business plan needs to include the

ollowing:

Mission Statement

- Overview o the business model and strategy

Background

- Companys history, nances, ownership, key personnel

Marketing

- Competitive environment, customers, strategies

Production and Manuacturing

- Processes to make a product or develop a service

Finances

- Funding sources, projected sales and costs, returns, cash fow, break-even analysis

Human Resource

- Who will handle which jobs, and compensation

Other Resources/Funding

Check out the IEEE-USA Entrepreneurs Village (www.ieeeusa.org/careers/entrepreneurs/), a support


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network and resource directory or those involved in entrepreneurial businesses.

Another great resource or inormation and resources is the Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov/starting_business/index).

Other organizations, such as the Service Corps o Retired Executives (SCORE) at www.score.org canalso provide assistance with developing a business plan.

Your local Small Business Administration oce can also assist you they typically oer classes tohelp you get started.

Also check out local colleges and community colleges. In my home town o Seattle, the Universityo Washington and Seattle University business schools provide assistance to small businesses. Manyschools also have entrepreneurial centers. The Small Business Development Center at Bellevue Com-munity College, www.conted.bcc.ctc.edu/sbdc/index, in the suburbs o Seattle, is one example osuch a resource.

And you can see additional unding through grants via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Program. SBIR grants will help und an idea rom concept development to production, in three di-erent unding stages beginning at $50,000. You can also submit such proposals to selected govern-ment agencies:

Department o Agriculture

Department o Commerce

Department o Deense

Department o Education

Department o Energy

Department o Health and Human Services

Department o Transportation

Environmental Protection Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Science Foundation

These agencies have set aside unds or SBIR grants.

Go to www.sba.gov/SBIR/indexsbir-sttr or more inormation.

Another way to receive unding is to consider partnering with large rms. For example In Situ Group

has partnered with Boeing on the Scan Eagle. Partnering will allow you to expand the reach oyour company, provide unding, while keeping control o your business. You can work with dier-ent companies in many ways, depending on your experience and contacts. Many companies havesmall business development organizations that youll want to explore. Its a virtual alphabet soup odenitions or small businesses:


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SB (Small Business)

SDB (Small Disadvantaged Business)

WOSB (Women-Owned Small Business)

SBHZ (Small Business HUB Zone)

HBCU (Historically Black College/University)

MI (Minority Institution)

I you can t your business into one o these categories, then you can increase your opportunities orsuccess. Making partnering contacts at large companies can be as easy as using an existing contactat a company, or checking out Commerce Business Daily, which lists current contract awards andbidding opportunities. Much like consulting, youll need to begin to attend the meetings and coner-ences that company business development managers attend.

Then, theres venture capital (VC). We all hear about it and want it, but how do you really get it? The

days o unding good ideas are gone, and many VCs expect you to have already tapped your savings,home mortgage(s), credit cards, parents and riends beore they will provide unding. Youll need totarget a VC that works in the area youre interested in? How? It takes networking and also ollowinglocal business news. Once you nd the VC, i you have someone that can make an intro, then youllhave a better chance o getting your business plan read. I not, locate the trade association that bestts your business model, and nd out i they can help you.

Here are several Websites to check out: The National Venture Capital Association (www.nvca.org/)and the Venture Capital Resource Directory (www.vnance.com/home).

In the Seattle area, the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (www.nwen.org/Northwest) helps startups

to nd capital and sta. Check out local business papers to see what organizations are active in yourarea.

You could also consider angel investors. Again youll need contacts to nd those individuals whomay be willing to invest in your company.

O course, depending on the nature o the business you start you may not need any unding. I youreproducing a service or sotware product, the costs or hardware has dropped enough or you to be

able to go it alone.

Besides unding, the next steps will be nding sta and a place to do business. Addressing the latterrst, depending on the nature o your business, you may want to have employees work rom virtualoces. As or sta meetings, as we say here in Seattle, What else is Starbucks or?

Finding sta and knowing when to add sta is one o the most important decisions youll have tomake about your business. You dont want to take this step too soon.


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Questions to ask yourself:

Do you have a product or service?

Have you investigated the market or your product/service?

Do you have the nancial resources to support the business and yoursel?

Career Options for Direct Employees

I, ater considering your options, you think direct employment is right or you, you will have severaladditional options to consider. Do you ollow a technical or a management path? Do you seek out alarge, mid-sized or small company? Is an established organization preerable to a start-up?

Management versus Technical Tracks

One positive change in todays marketplace is that it has become ar more fexible. It is now mucheasier to move back and orth between management and technical roles. Because the marketplacehas become so competitive, companies cannot aord to have people in the wrong positions. Andeven with restructuring and the penchant or outsourcing seen in companies today, managementopportunities do still exist. You just have to be open about your objectives and you have to be willingto make a change perhaps to a new company to achieve your management goals.

You will need to make choices on a technical track, too. For example, will you be a generalist or aspecialist? This decision will be a key to the career and skills development decisions you will makethroughout your career. When pursuing the technical route, be sure to monitor industry trends to

determine whether change along the way is necessary.Going into management requires dierent skills and training than staying technical. Dont pursuean MBA degree until youve worked a ew years. Many o the amous programs wont accept you inwithout experience. But do consider it, once you have a little time invested with a company. I youreinterested in joining one o the large consulting rms, an MBA can be required to move up.

For most engineers, whether you are pursuing the management or technical track, you would bewise to take some project management training. Youll learn about schedules, budgets and sta-ing. Especially or young engineers, such skills will help you to better understand how a project isorganized, and why meeting your schedule within budget is so important. I you are interested inpursuing a management track within your company, make sure your let your current manager know.

Ask or opportunities to lead projects and teams. The experience will give you a better understand-ing o what it takes to manage, and at the same time give you visibility within your organization.

I you are planning to stay technical you should look at an MS degree. A PhD makes sense i you areinterested in pursuing an academic career, or will be working in research. Employers in our industryhave diering views about PhDs, and you should learn about a companys culture beore joining


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them.

Most employers do not require licensing, with the exception o the power industry. However, in somecompanies movement, into senior positions cannot happen i you are not licensed.

Questions to ask yourself about management:Do you enjoy working with people and enjoy helping them to learn and grow in their careers?

Are you interested in the business side o the industry?

Questions to ask yourself about staying technical:

Do I like solving technical problems?

Do I enjoy working with the latest technologies?

Do people issues interest me?

Company Size: Do Numbers Equal Career Strength?

In addition to deciding which path to ollow, you must also consider the size o the organization youwant to join. Large companies can provide a wealth o options in terms o exposure to technologies,projects and management positions. However, such companies tend to be bureaucratic, and youmay not be exposed to the work o dierent groups within the organization. In a small company, youmay have limited technologies at your disposal and ewer project and management choices, but you

will have the opportunity to work with many dierent groups in a more intimate environment.

Lets talk more about company size. Large companies can allow movement and better supportattempts to position yoursel. They also have better education, healthcare and retirement benets.

Small companies may not be able to support education and training.

In addition to working or a company, many engineers also work or ederal, state and local govern-ments. Traditionally, civil service jobs have not paid as well as private sector jobs, but they did oer

job security and the opportunity or early retirement. Though more work is being outsourced to

contractors, opportunities can still be ound. And with the looming retirement o a large percentageo employees, opportunities will increase even more.

So why work or the government side? Well, speaking or many o us that became aware that theopportunity to work or NASA during the space race in the 60s, provided an opportunity not oeredby private rms.

The excitement o space resulted in an attraction that built todays engineering workorce. The dra-matic X-Prize competition has recently changed the competition or the X-Prize. Richard Bransonand Paul Allen now oer commercial tourist fights into space. And Je Bezos (Blue Origin) has other


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space projects in the works.

Besides NASA, such organizations such as the Department o Deense (DOD) and the Department oEnergy (DOE), and entities such as NIST, oer interesting opportunities or engineers that they mightnot nd in a commercial venture. The national labs have been expanding their mission beyond

weapons to energy, nanotechnology and communications. Working or a state or local entity canalso provide fexibility in terms o picking where you want to live, and also a greater amount o stabil-

ity. You are also making your state/city/county a better place to live by contributing to the quality olie there.

Is the Cornerstone Date Important?

Beyond sheer size, company age is also a consideration. Should you join an established organization

or a start-up?

The dramatic growth o start-ups in the 1990s and the availability o venture capital provided a win-dow or quick wealth that was not previously available to most technical proessionals. Start-ups

were a career choice ew engineers would have considered previously. The bust in 2000 broughtmany proessionals back to reality, but opportunities do still exist with start-ups.

Who joins start-ups? In the 90s it seemed everyone was jumping rom established companies tojoin a start-up, pursuing the get-rich opportunities oered by options. The dot.com implosion led to

a decrease in people willing to pursue this option. In many cases today, we see new college gradstaking the plunge. The mode o thinking is something like, Well, i Im already carrying $100,000in student loans, why not take the risk? And who are the other players in this new environment?Retired engineers -- with a pension in place, many are willing to take the risk. And sometimes the riskends up being a good t -- high energy, tech-savvy, new grads, alongside individuals experiencedwith delivering high-end products.

Questions to ask yourself about start-ups:

How much risk can I live with?

Will I be able to sleep at night not knowing i my company will be in business tomorrow?

Can I survive on a reduced salary and do without benets, while I experience the excitement o

being able to contribute to a new venture?

How About Academia?

Some engineers will consider an academic career track. For this particular route, youll need a PhDand a ocused area o interest. For a PhD, youll be looking at a ve- to seven-year commitment.During this time, youll be teaching and assisting with research. Publishing and presenting at coner-

ences and symposiums will also be necessary. Ater you complete your degree, youll need to decidewhether youre interested in the teaching or the research track.


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No matter which track you select, all proessors are looking at nding unding or projects. Many othe same skills needed to start a business apply to academics. Your selection o research or teachingwill determine at what school youll end up. Large universities will be looking or researchers, whilesmaller schools will want someone ocused on teaching. One o the challenges o the academicroute is achieving tenure. New PhDs will begin their careers as assistant proessors. Successulteaching records, research and administrative duties lead to tenure. The tenure process typicallytakes ve-seven years to achieve, and leads to one becoming an Associate Proessor. The nal step

is being named a ull Proessor. One o the challenges or anyone pursuing an academic career isnding a university to join that will provide the opportunities needed to reach tenure. Because ounding problems at some state-run universities, sometimes achieving tenure can be dicult.

Making Your Choice Are You Positioned?

The keys to positioning yoursel or success are understanding where you are in your career andwhere you want to go; determining the level o risk you can live with; and accepting the act that intodays marketplace, change is the only given. From there, the options are yours or the choosing. Askyoursel why you are interested in the option you are considering pursuing. Work with your mentorto determine i this option is the best one or you. The ollowing additional questions should beconsidered as you move orward with positioning yoursel:

What have I learned about myself from answering the questions in this book?

Am I a risk taker?

Am I conservative?

What are my present responsibilities?

How open to change am I?

How would I react to a sudden change?

Do I know the current market conditions?

Do I have the skills I need?

Do I have a network in place?

You must respond as quickly as possible to opportunities and challenges to succeed in todays mar-

ketplace. Whether its a new job, promotion, or unemployment, we must be positioned to respond.And responding means understanding what we need rom a job; what we can give up; and whetherthe solution is long- or short-term.

I hope you nd the ideas and questions in this e-book useul today and throughout your career.The questions should be able to help you think about what youre looking or in your career and


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identiy the best options. We can only ensure we have successul careers and are able to develop andrespond to opportunities by learning how to position ourselves best or success.

Sample Business Plan

Following is a Business Plan outline. Business plan orms are available rom the SBA, and there aremany online services. The ollowing are the seven items that any plan should address, especially iyou are looking or unding.:

Summary

Highlights

1.1 Objectives1.2 Mission

1.3 Keys to Success

2.0 Company Summary

3.0 Services

4.0 Market Analysis Summary

5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary

6.0 Management Summary7.0 Financial Plan


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Sample Consulting Contract

Sample contracts and contract services are available ree at the IEEE-USAs Consultants Website(www.ieeeusa.org/business), and or a ee rom such rms as www.digicontracts.com and www.contractedge.com. The sample that ollows is rom Contract Edge.


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Sample Resumes

Following are examples o resumes or direct employment (chronological and unctional), contract/consulting.


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Creating a Portfolio

No matter what your career path, consider developing a career portolio. This portolio is analogousto the one architects would bring with them when meeting about work. In this case, youd develop aportolio o employment: education (degrees, certicates, conerence and seminars attended; com-pany training, etc); projects youve worked on, your role; samples o design; proessional activities;awards; patents; copyrights; trademarks; publications; papers written and presented; reerences;community activities; and any other activity you want to track.

You can go to the IEEE-USA Website (www.ieeeusa.org/careers/cam) and use the Career Asset Man-

ager Index (CAMindex) or create your own using a database tool. Numerous books abound on thistopic, and it is well worth considering developing a portolio. Portolios can be a great resourcewhen youre putting together a resume, contract proposal, or looking or a promotion.


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References/Resources

The Best o Todays Engineer on Consulting (E-Book) Georgia C. Stelluto, Editor (www.1)ieeeusa/communications/ebooks

IEEE Job Site (careers.ieee.org)2)

IEEE-USA Employment Navigator (www.ieeeusa.org/careers/employmentnavigator)3)

IEEE-USA Consultants Services (www.ieeeusa.org/database)4)

IEEE-USA Consultants Database (www.ieeeusa.org/consultants5)

IEEE-USA Consultants Prole 2006 (www.ieeeusa.org/communications/eBooks/)6)

IEEE-USA P.E. Exam Review Courses (salaryapp.ieeeusa.org/rt/salary_database/shop)7)

IEEE-USA Salary Service (salary.ieee.org)8)

Industry Associations and other contacts:9)

Commerce Business Daily (www.cbd-net.com)

Listing o contract awards, bidding opportunities

Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov)Advice, business plan, contacts, unding

SCORE Service Corps o Retired Executives (www.score.org)

Can help with business plan, contacts

Aerospace Industries Association (www.aia-aerospace.org)

Supplier Management Council Working Groups

The National Venture Capital Association (www.nvca.org/)

Venture Capital Resource Directory (www.vnance.com/home.asp?ToolPage=venca.asp)

American Electronics Association (www.aeanet.org)

Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) (www.sia.org)


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Documents

Personal Positioning for Engineers