Moving from engineering student to engineering employee can be a challenge, but there are strategies to help facilitate the transition
New college graduates provide a continued source of engineering talent to companies, government agencies and other organizations. However, integrating new talent into an organization can present challenges for both the organizations and for new engineers. Because organizations often face unprecedented tight schedules and stringent financial requirements, they need employees who are productive immediately upon joining. For students making the leap from academia to productive engineering work, there may be a steep learning curve. This article compares the work typically completed in academic settings to that found in industrial work environments, and offers opportunities to facilitate the process of transitioning from one to the other. New technologies can enhance the process, but can also exasperate incoming new college graduates. Success will be measured by a seamless job entry for the company and a rewarding experience for incoming college graduates.
School versus work
Within the academic world, the primary goals are discovery and knowledge-building. In industry, the primary goal of the organization is to grow the business profitably. In both settings, there are other important goals, such as environmental and social responsibility. However, a new employee in industry should recognize this basic difference and adjust their mental attitude accordingly (Figure 1).
FIGURE 1. The shift from academia to work requires a mindset shift toward the goals of business
In academia, the focus is on solving complex problems using elegant scientific and engineering techniques. Developing new and novel solutions is often emphasized and valued. In contrast, the industrial world values speed to market to gain a competitive advantage is paramount. Usually, speed and cost-competitiveness can be as valuable as a unique patent.
It is possible to excel in academia through sheer brute force, by mastering a certain discipline and regurgitating that information in an examination. In industry, it is necessary to apply practical skills across various disciplines, working with experts from different functional areas and leading cross-functional teams to deliver results in a cost-effective manner. In addition, the essentials of sound contract management must be carefully considered.
“People skills” are paramount in industrial organizations, in terms of leading teams internally and selling concepts to customers externally. Some of the critical people skills required to succeed in industrial settings include teamwork, leadership, networking, creativity and communication.
The saying “it is not what you know, but who you know” often applies in this situation — knowledge is not always the most important aspect. Establishing relationships with others is often just as crucial.
Modesty is not a virtue in the industrial workplace. A person must be willing to “blow their own trumpet,” or tout their own knowledge and skills, in a reasonable and responsible manner, without resorting to crass publicity. In industry settings, it is not simply a matter of getting the highest grade in an exam.
In academia, very often a person’s intelligence quotient is a key determinant of success. In industry, emotional intelligence is equally crucial. Nuanced understanding of company politics, culture and power structure are extremely important. These skills can be learned. Some people are born with natural sense for “street smarts,” while most others can learn these skills in ways similar to the ways they acquired “book smarts” during college.
Company needs
Existing employees of organizations are already stretched in their duties and responsibilities, so providing training to new employees often takes a backseat to other, more pressing tasks. That makes it very important that new college graduates seek to be quick learners who can operate independently on some tasks with little supervision. Larger companies have structured training programs to condition new hires, but many other organizations rely on on-the-job training. Sometimes a company mentor is assigned to a new employee, but in general, getting up to speed on the operations of the organization is the responsibility of the new employees. This requires new engineers to be quick starters with a lot of initiative. In simpler terms, an ideal new hire acts as a “sponge,” who learns the landscape of a company and finds where to go for information and informal training.
Learning to handle multiple tasks or projects simultaneously is a key function for new hires. Balancing a few college courses cannot compare to the common need in companies to work on several tasks at the same time. The pressure can become intense when multiple deadlines overlap. Developing and maintaining schedules for completing tasks becomes an important new aspect of daily functions, and is at the heart of achieving successful projects or tasks.
Working to a budget is likely a new constraint for most new hires, particularly with many contracts being fixed-price (lump-sum) contracts. Achieving a technically strong project that is late and over budget cannot be considered a successful project. Key execution metrics must be met to achieve a successful project. New hires can and should work with experienced people in a company to start to master these new and necessary work requirements.
Every organization is unique, and learning to work with others and lead teams informally are essential skills (Figure 2). Understanding office politics is key to knowing where to go to obtain answers and to complete tasks. In the current global business world, it is essential that new hires quickly learn to relate to people from different countries and cultures. Working successfully in a multi-cultural environment facilitates ease of work and reduces misunderstandings.
FIGURE 2. Learning to work with others and lead teams are essential skills within organizations
How to facilitate transition
Students can explore many opportunities to develop the skills needed to succeed in industry. The onus is on the individual to take the initiative for an effective transition to industry. Different work settings might come into play for new hires — typically, industry jobs involve a combination of office meetings and field work (Figure 3).
FIGURE 3. Typical industry jobs require a mixture of office work and field settings
Some practical ideas to ease the transition are listed below.
Cross-disciplinary projects. To gain a better understanding of how problems can be solved, it is a good idea to undertake projects that span across different disciplines. For example, a chemical engineering student might consider a project to manage inventory effectively by undertaking a project in the school’s industrial engineering department. This can be done as a part of the senior-year curriculum. Cross-discipline projects will help a student appreciate that “real world” problems are rarely limited to a single discipline or department.
Consider internships. The idea of supplementing education with work experience has been discussed in other articles [1]. An internship is typically not part of the official academic curriculum, but students can and should take the initiative during off times from school to work within a company. Internships can be paid or unpaid, but the idea is to gain valuable work experience. Co-op programs are similar to internships, but are generally considered part of the student’s curriculum, and can extend the time spent in school. For both work experiences, the company receives labor for low-level tasks and has the opportunity to evaluate possible long-term hires. Most importantly, the student starts on-the-job training before leaving school. These experiences make students more productive when they enter the workforce.
Connect with an industry mentor. Industry mentors are a viable means of helping students prepare for the workforce [2]. Mentorship situations are voluntary for students and are dependent on the availability of industry mentors. Some colleges and universities offer assistance in matching students to mentors. After matching, the mentor offers guidance based on his or her industry experience to the student. This guidance could include which types of internships would best benefit the student, and possibly suggesting whether or not graduate courses would be advisable. The mentor helps the student achieve his or her work aspirations, which in turn makes the student better equipped to enter the workforce.
Develop communication and coaching skills. International Toastmasters (Englewood, Colo.; www.toastmasters.org) is a worldwide organization focused on developing communication and leadership skills. Nearly every major town has a Toastmasters chapter, and students can search for a nearly group through the Toastmasters website. The organization’s membership includes people from across a wide range of occupations, all with the shared interest of advancing their communication and leadership skills. Members with varying years of Toastmasters experience permit training from within the organization. A defined program from Toastmasters International keeps the training on track. Both authors of this article have experience with Toastmasters, and have found its training to be an invaluable resource in advancing their careers.
Learn a foreign language, travel, seek a diverse friend group. Technical people by nature are often introverted and close-minded in their thinking. Maintaining diverse friends and even learning a foreign language are ways to leave one’s “comfort zone” and step into new experiences. Travel is an excellent way to broaden viewpoints. Specifically, international travel is a means to gain perspectives that help in integrating into a company or other work organization. The more broadly a person observes the world, the easier it will be to quickly integrate into a new organization. Setting up a LinkedIn account will help in interfacing with others in the industry.
Concluding remarks
Engineering companies are facing challenging times and need top-notch performers on their staffs to achieve their goals and create further business. Acquiring new talent is a must for businesses, and this involves hiring new college graduates. College graduates face the formidable task of becoming quickly productive in new roles. There are steps that can be taken to facilitate the integration process. Internships and co-ops are a hands-on method to gain experience. Industry mentors offer guidance to students as they plan their work future. Ultimately, the student should take self-initiative to absorb the knowledge of experienced engineers to close the loop on all questions and become fully productive in the shortest possible time. Success of orientation will be measured by the independence of the new engineer and the success of assigned projects.
Edited by Scott Jenkins
References
1. Shahani, G. and Rentschler, C., An Engineer’s Guide to Networking,” Hydrocarbon Processing, pp 21–23, August 2016.
2. Rentschler, C. and Capitano, P., Industry Mentors: An Integral Part of Education,” Chemical Engineering, May 2020.
3. Rentschler, C., Career Guidelines for Young Engineers, Chemical Engineering, pp 56–59, January 2018.
4. McCormack, M., “What they Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School,” Bantam, 1986.
Authors
Carl Rentschler, P.E., is an engineering consultant specializing in project management, business development, client relationship management and procedure development (116 Barn Owl Road, Lititz, PA 17543; Phone: 717-951 4772; email: rentschl@ptd.net) He has more than 40 years of varied engineering and management experience (in the power and petrochemical fields) with three international EPC companies. He is a licensed professional engineer, holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Penn State University and an M.Eng. from Cornell University. Rentschler has been the author or co-author of numerous industry articles.
Goutam Shahani is an adjunct professor of business and mathematics at Lehigh University and Rutgers University. He retired as VP of Sales and Marketing at ShureLine Construction in 2020. Shahani has 40 years’ experience in industrial marketing, business development and asset management at Air Products, Linde and ShureLine Construction. He has over 60 publications and patents in the energy and environmental sectors. Shahani holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering, as well as an MBA.