Considering a career in engineering? To ensure you’re successful, make use of these 10 basic principles.

Considering a career in engineering? To ensure you’re successful, make use of these 10 basic principles. 

1. Be business minded: When producing a certain product for your company, work with the budget in mind. In the long run, when your company prospers, you do to and working within your company’s means will save you a lot of headaches later down the line.
   
   
2. Always anticipate a variety of problems. Understand that being an engineer does not necessarily mean that the problems you face will be within your skill set only. Anticipate other problems as well such as design issues and research costs, for example. Be willing to help solve the problems that are not only technically related.
   
   
3. Be a team player. As an engineer you’ll be working with various teams, which is why it’s important to not only have technical skills, but communication skills as well. Be willing to help your team and ensure that your vision is always in line with your team members’. Great engineers understand the importance of team work. 
   
   
4. Focus on what you can offer. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Know your strengths, but pay more attention to your weaknesses as this is where you’ll need the support of others in order to meet the businesses goals and objectives.
   
   
5. Know what your place of employment stands for. If your company lives by honesty, safety and integrity, make sure you live those values to the best of your ability. If you don’t agree with what the company has outlined, it’s best you find a company that you can identify with.
   
   
6. Welcome ideas. Showing interest and welcoming other’s ideas is key to success. A positive attitude can take you far, and if you genuinely think a particular idea won’t help the company, that’s okay. But don’t reject ideas solely because they did not come from you.
   
   
7. Understand that integrity means a lot. As an engineer you have the power to design and create interesting, innovative structures. However, if you’re lazy with your analysis and design, you could cause great harm to your reputation, the environment and your company.
   
   
8. Ensure that your work makes your manager shine. A good manager will want you to succeed. Not only will it add to your company’s success, it also means that your manager looks great.  If you never agree with your manager and you find that the relationship just isn’t working, perhaps it’s time you changed jobs.
   
   
9. Giving back feels good. When you have the chance to, why not give talks about your profession or volunteer as a guest lecturer at universities. Students will welcome the first-hand knowledge and it will give your company a great name.
   
   
10. Enjoy what you do: If you no longer have a love for what you do it’s best to move on. There are plenty of other career paths that you could follow within the engineering industry.