Tips for Young Manufacturing Engineers
Posted June 19th, 2014
So you’re fresh out of school and ready to start your career as a manufacturing engineer. Wouldn’t you like to find a great job faster, make more money from the start, and work your way up the ladder as quickly as possible? Hit the ground running by following these tips from manufacturing engineers that have come before you.
Take Advice from a Mentor
Partnering with an experience manufacturing engineer at the start of your career is a step that will pay dividends for years to come. Resist the idea that older more experienced engineers work with outdated technologies and irrelevant strategies, and learn as much as you can from their hard won experience. They have made and overcome the mistakes that you are bound to make yourself.
Cultivate Management Skills
Many young manufacturing engineers get too wrapped up in technical skills and neglect to develop people skills. But if you plan on advancing, your will eventually be in a position far removed from the factory floor. Learn how to build and motivate a team, set and meet goals, and promote innovation, and you will instantly be more valuable to your organization.
Be Willing to Ask Questions
Learning never stops, and in the ever-changing manufacturing sphere, it is a necessity. Never be afraid to ask questions, even if your are worried about looking inadequate. In the end, embarrassment is a lot easier to deal with than failure, and your employer will appreciate the initiative you show by being curious. If you are ever uncertain, the resolution is easy.
Seek Our Professional Development
Instead of focusing on the skills you possess today, focus on the skills you will lack tomorrow. Manufacturing processes are in a constant state of evolution, and by staying ahead of the curve, you increase your value to your current employer, attract the attention of future employers, and increase your chances to be innovative.
Follow Along with Other Engineering Disciplines
Manufacturing engineering incorporates a number of other engineering disciplines. You never know where the next big breakthrough will come from. By making yourself a student of engineering broadly, you ensure that great ideas don’t go overlooked. Read engineering journals, join professional networks, and keep in touch with your colleagues from school.
The choices you make early in your career will have a major impact on where you end up decades down the road. Position yourself for success early, and reap the rewards later. Work with the engineering employment specialists at Bayside Solutions to help you throughout your career in manufacturing engineering.
