Quote:
Originally Posted by DETRoadster
Good for you!
A piece of advice from an ME whose been out there for a few decades: Think about your 10, 15, 20 year plan. I know that sounds insane right now but hear me out. EVERY engineer eventually faces the same question at some point in their career: Stay an engineer, stay technical, stay focused, or move over into a managerial track. Your career and your salary will eventually top out as an engineer. Some dudes are totally content with that and that's awesome. Often times engineers who are bright but topped out on a technical track will get hustled over into a management track by a company that does not want to lose them but has no more upward technical growth potential. They usually fail miserably.
Personally, I always had more of a natural talent for managing people than I did for engineering. Out of sheer luck I had a series of managers who saw that and took me under their wing to develop my career path. It was nothing I ever considered when I was in school. I got lucky. Many don't.
If you think you may want more from your career than keeping your head down and staying technical for 30 years, find the time to fit in a minor in Business, Management, Engineering Management, etc. Solid engineers who are personable and can lead are hard to find. You'll get a lot of attention from prospective employers if you throw down a resume that has your ME major and a minor in something that shows you see the big picture of how to apply those technical skills to their company.
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This is a really good point.
You top out quick riding the technical side of things but moving over to management or project management can help climb the ladder more and more.