Suzie Key Tima

So, you finished engineering school, and you passed your fundamentals of engineering exam. That’s a great accomplishment and I’m proud of you. Maybe you think things will be easy from now on, that was me about a year ago. As you enter the engineering industry, you might feel as if you’re thrown off a cliff without learning to fly. Here are some tips to help you navigate the very first year after college:

1. Set goals

You might think your career will kind of happen on its own if you just show up and it might, but you shouldn’t leave that to chance. Set a few short-term and long-term goals to help you stay on track. It’s also important to remind yourself of your goals and reflect on them as you achieve milestones. A few things to keep in mind as you do this:

• Be realistic
• Keep track of your goals
• Share your goals with a supervisor or a mentor

2. Ask questions and ask for help

This one is very important to help you grow faster. Instead of spending hours looking for an FDOT specification, find someone who has done this before and get their help. This will not only help you develop relationships, and save you time, but it will also paint you as someone who is curious.

3. Ask for more work

This one is particularly important if you find yourself with a lot of downtime at work. Ask for some more work to challenge yourself and showcase your dedication.

4. Be professional

This is a no-brainer. There are plenty of articles on the internet to teach you how to dress professionally, send emails, etc. There is no excuse for unprofessionalism.

5. Build your network

Meet people. Introduce yourself around the office and take an interest in what people do. Offer to help them if that is okay with your supervisor. It’s important to build those weak ties because they can lead to more/different internships, more knowledge, and opportunities.

6. Develop a growth mindset

Use your downtime to learn new software or take a course. Continue to improve your skills to make yourself more valuable and marketable.

8. Be willing to help

Yes. Be that person. Take every opportunity—within reason—to add value to your supervisor, co-worker, etc.

9. Try out new things

If you’ve done every project with one software, try helping with a project that uses different software.

10. Stay positive

Even if everything seems hard at the beginning, stay positive. You’ll get it!