In the February/March 2024 issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine, one of the feature articles is titled “Choose Your Own Career Adventure.” The authors, Robin Flanigan and Jerry Guerra, present five major choices you face in getting your career on the path you desire. Without going into the details of each choice, here are the five choices:
1) Work in an office or go remote?
2) Better Pay or Better Opportunity?
3) Take on a mentor or mentee?
4) Get savvy at online media or just chill?
5) Go back to school . . . online?
The authors do an engaging comparison of the pros and cons of each choice. These are choices I believe every person, especially engineers, should consider in light of their personal and professional goals and revisit your decisions periodically. Obtaining a copy of this article will be well worth the effort.
The only thing I would add is that there is actually a sixth choice, do I get my PE before or after I work on an advanced degree? Note that I believe strongly a PE is needed, it is just a matter of when. In my case, I got my Masters before my PE. However, with the way the FE and PE exams are currently connected, there is a strong argument to get it before working on a Masters. The FE exam can be taken in your senior year, and when you pass it, and then graduate, you are now eligible to take the PE exam immediately, meaning there is no longer a wait to take the PE exam. You still have to meet the experience requirements for your particular state, but the exams will be behind you. Also, studying for the PE exam will provide you the opportunity to get reacquainted with the material that you will need to get your Masters.
Again, this is an excellent article. I think a great many people who read this article and make the decisions it recommends, look forward to a successful and rewarding career. – Dr. Tom
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