OSPE - The Voice - March 2018 - 34

careerS

Career questions
engineers ask

- and how to answer them
by Mark Franklin, P.Eng.

hat should I do next in my career that will be more
meaningful? How can I advance in my job or workplace?
How can I navigate this employment transition and find a
good job? How can I leverage my international engineering
experience toward a career in Ontario? I don't yet have my
P.Eng. license, but if I got it, how would it help my career?
These are just a few of the questions we've heard from
engineers in our career management practice. Together with
a talented team of career professionals - we help them make
well-informed career choices.
The answers to these career questions emerge from building
a critical 21st century skill: career management. Knowledge and
career management skills are critical success factors for engineers
to develop their own careers. Especially in engineering where
career engagement influences innovation and productivity,
career management is arguably the most important learning
to bridge the gap between an engineering education and an
engineer's ability to apply their learning in the real world.
How do career professionals help engineers answer their
career questions?
It's understandable if you're unfamiliar with the notion of a
'career professional.' Research says that most Canadians seek
career advice first from family and friends, and then from
co-workers. But if you have a toothache, would you take it to
your friends or co-workers? No - dentists are the professionals
to relieve your toothache. Likewise, career professionals can
help to relieve your 'career ache.'
By working with a career professional, engineers can answer
their career questions and in so doing build career management
skills.
Let's take that first question about 'meaningful work,' which
is common, especially among those early in their career.
Meaningful work is a desire for work that complies with a
subjective measure of meaningfulness. But Sid's definition of
meaningful may differ from Karina's. So, we need to clarify
desires: meaningful work according to Sid is work that has
a positive impact on the health of the community, such as
wastewater treatment. Karina wants work that will make a
difference to the individual lives of people with whom she's
in contact, such as teaching. Sid and Karina both have further
desires for their work - Sid also wants advancement and variety,
whereas Karina wants travel and continuous learning.

Desires are what you want more of, and what's important to
you, sometimes called 'values.' This is a good place to start to
clarify next steps in your career. It's not always easy to name
what we want, but it's usually quite easy to say what we don't
want. So often this is exactly where career conversations begin.
Desires and values, however, are only one element of six that
are important to clarify to make well-informed career choices.
Your strengths, which are the skills and knowledge you want to
use, are the next key element. Power distribution system design,
building science, project management, CAD, and supply chain
network optimization are examples of strengths drawn from
different engineering disciplines. Distinguishing between skills
you want and like to use, versus skills you possess though want
to use less, (say, spreadsheet analysis) is vital for making a wellinformed and satisfying career choice. Many engineers get stuck
in their careers because they gained proficiency in a skill they
no longer enjoy using.
To make well-informed career choices, clarify these other
four elements. 'Personal qualities' refer to your personality and
how others describe you. For example, Sid is hardworking and
focused. Karina is friendly and easygoing. Natural interests such
as space and astronomy, or business and law, can be rich sources
of career ideas. Other people can have a significant impact on
career decision making, such as a spouse whose career takes
her to another province. Assets such as degrees, diplomas, and
certifications (PMP, P.Eng. to name two common ones) also
influence which career doors may be easier to open.
Career clarification is the 'backswing' before exploration and
job search
Making well informed choices is a process of clarification
followed by career exploration. Consider a backswing which
literally is the wind-up before a strong follow through.
Metaphorically, clarification through stories and experiences
is the 'backswing' required for a thorough and successful career
exploration or job search.
Few take the time to reflect on their experiences and conduct
an effective career clarification. Most engineers I hear from
begin and end their career management experience by searching
through job postings, isolated and online. Sure, job postings
are rich sources of career information, and we encourage
clients to learn about jobs, requirements, and employers from
information sources such as postings. However, there are other
March 2018

The VOICe

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - March 2018