Message to Early Career Engineers

A senior colleague shared a blog post with me called A forty-year career, and I think it's worth reading for every early-career engineer trying to find their footing in this world of technology while imagining what the future might look like. The blog covered five really important themes I've had in my mind for a long time but never quite knew how to categorize – pace, people, prestige, profit, and learning. Read the blog, and then come back to this post.

I later had a call with this senior colleague to discuss the post, among other things. I summarized some of the discussions we had during the session, and every time I return to them, I can't help but feel the weight and clarity of the below four points – how they'll be useful not just for me, but for anyone.

The summary goes like this;

• Think abstractly about what you want – not exactly how you'll get there. If you know what you want, we can identify the different paths that lead to that destination.
• Identify what you enjoy doing, and like every experiment, test the hypothesis. For example, if you enjoy teaching, try mentoring an intern and see how the experience feels for you.
• Identify what you like and what you dislike. While it's good to train your mind to enjoy whatever you're doing, also notice when you have to convince yourself to keep doing something. It's okay for now, but forty years down the road, you'll probably want to be doing things you truly enjoy.
• Remember that your desires and passions will evolve. What you love in ten years may be different from what you love now.

Well, that's it. I'm probably crazy to think so highly of these words, but I'll keep writing as I discover more truths – for myself, and for you. Now smile.