Keys to Becoming a Successful Engineer

Being a complainer is one of the quickest ways to kill your career in the engineering field. In this video we describe the proper way to take issues to your boss so that you will look like a problem solver and not a complainer. Learn more at: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-19-how-to-properly-take-problems-to-your-boss/

Conflict in an organization is almost never related to the surface level issue that appears to be the issue. It almost always is due to deeper and unrelated social issues. Being able to peel back the onion and get to the real core issue almost always presents simple solutions to what seemed like an untenable problem. Learn more at: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-how-to-resolve-conflict/

There are probably more difficult people to work with in the engineering world than in the typical job. This video describes the importance of not getting sucked into silly fights and controversies, and the importance of choosing your battles carefully. Learn more at: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-17-how-to-deal-with-difficult-people/

Often the guy that gets the promotion, bonus or big raise is not the best engineer in the organization, but the competent engineer who can effectively communicate. Sometimes instead of continuing to focus on engineering skills your career could be boosted by working on your communication skills. See more at: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-16-the-importance-of-effective-communication/

Successful Engineers are not people who sit in their office, but go down and get their hands dirty. Go into the fab, go onto the production floor, talk to the machinist, talk to the technologists. This is one of the most important predictors of engineering success. . . a willingness to get your hands dirty. Learn more at: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-15-getting-your-hands-dirty/

A common failure that causes highly educated scientists and engineers to fail is arrogance and disrespecting lesser educated people in the organization, and in particular support technicians and associate level technologists. Showing respect to associate level technologists is key to having a successful career. See more at: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-14-the-importance-of-respect/

One of the greatest characteristics of an effective leader is to be able to give performance feedback and constructive criticism without discouraging a person. Criticism must be given at the right place, at the right time, and in the right amount. Learn More at www.toptechboy.com and visit: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-13-how-effective-leaders-give-performance-feedback/

One of the biggest career killers I saw in the executive engineering positions I had was people not able to take feedback. Engineers tend to have issues with both pride and arrogance, so they are notoriously poor at taking career feedback. Hence, many careers flatline because the person never improves because they can never accept that they are doing something wrong. This is a huge opportunity for the wise engineer. A way for you to differentiate yourself from the pack is to be a person who listens to feedback, takes it with apprecition, and then makes adjustments accordingly. It is as simple as that . . . accept feedback and change. It is not that hard. Learn more at www.toptechboy.com http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-12-the-importance-of-being-able-to-take-constructive-criticism/

In my 30 years in the Engineering field, one of the most common ways I saw people destroy their career was to create too many enemies. Like a guy once told me, "friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate". Learn more at our www.toptechboy.com WEB site: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-11-never-make-enemies/

This is a critically important video. Your first year on the job will make or break your career. Mistakes engineers make in their first year can be difficult or impossible to ever overcome. Start your career strong by following these top ten guidelines for your first year on the job. Learn more at our www.toptechboy.com WEB site: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/keys-to-a-successful-engineering-career-lesson-10-your-first-year-on-the-job-will-make-or-break-your-career/

If you do well in a campus interview they will likely invite you to a site visit interview. This video tells you what to expect in a site visit interview. It is a busy and high pressure day, so be sure to prepare. Learn more at our toptechboy.com web site: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/successful-engineering-career-advice-preparing-for-a-site-visit-interview/

Most engineers are somewhat socially awkward, so this video has how to's on how to make it through a lunch or dinner job interview. Often times there will be chit chat or more social conversation, so you should go in with a plan and strategy. This video will tell you all you need to know. Learn More at our www.toptechboy.com WEB site: http://www.toptechboy.com/success/successful-engineering-career-advice-how-to-handle-a-lunch-or-dinner-interview/

This video gives some tips and advice on dealing with those really tough interview questions

In this lesson we look at some of the biggest mistakes you can make in a job interview. You need to use the interview to convince me I must have you. It is your chance to show your stuff. You should not use the time to start asking questions about salary . . . you dont have the job yet. That can come later.

In this video I describe how to nail that job interview. I am giving you the inside secrets on how to blow away the person you are interviewing with. You want to be confident, but not cocky, and you want to show them that you are technically competent, a hard worker, a team player, and that you understand the difference between being busy and having impact.

This video discusses the importance of a good resume in landing a premium engineering job. We describe how Off-Paper aspects of your resume can be even more important than On-Paper aspects. We talk about the importance of showing the impact of your work. No one cares how busy you were, they care whether your efforts mattered in the end.

Being a happy engineer has a lot to do with choosing the right type of job. Most companies have Research, Development, and Application jobs, often known as R-D-A. Being happy is choosing the type most suited for your personality. In this video I give a description of these types of job to help you decide what you are the most suited for.

This is a quick lesson to help you decide whether you should go to work for a big company or a small company. There are pros and cons to each one, so you need to think carefully about what type of person you are.

If you plan on being a successful engineer, your college years are critical. In this video I describe mistakes to avoid, and secrets to a successful college career. You can not only survive, you can thrive, if you know the tricks.

Many people dream of being a highly paid engineer, but few have what it takes to succeed. The good news is that success in the Engineering Field is not based on how smart you are, but is based on decisions you make. The decisions start in High School, so this video is advice to high school students interested in becoming engineers. Enjoy!