There Will Be Meetings

"I was surprised by how much of the work day is taken up by non-engineering: there are meetings, schedule, budget...

Networking Matters

"Your network is always going to be your biggest asset. Many of my career moves were possible only because I had already established professional relationships. Engineers tend to hear 'network work' and misconstrue that as 'you need to...

It's Not the Most Diverse — Yet

"The particular team I work on has a lot of women, but I have done some remote support for other projects where I was the only woman. Generally, I have found people to be respectful, but I know that's not a universal exper...

Stay Nimble

"I wish I'd have spent more time learning the many variations of the engineering process and where those processes are used. Having practice at picking up new processes and jargon would have made it much easier to integrate into new work envi...

There Are a Lot of Opportunities

"One thing I didn't realize is that all products and industries need engineers. Obviously cars, aircraft, and spacecraft need e...

"It's surprising how few of us there really are in comparison to the amount of work that needs to be done. A lot of engineers are retiring right now. At the same time, there are a lot of design, infrastructure, and robotics jobs coming up."

People Skills Are Required

"As for what has surprised me the most, I would have to say how people-oriented the career actually is. You spend a lot of time working closely with others — not just in the field, but overall. I'd also tell my younger self to ...

"You have to make connections. Someone you meet on one project might not be the most helpful, but for another project, they are the go-to for information!"

Dive Into Real-World Practice

"Knowing a lot of stuff is essential for an engineer in any field, but being able to apply the knowledge in real life is important. The best way to create a strong bridge between the things you know and the things you can pe...