4 Words of Wisdom for Newly Minted Engineers

1. First day, understand your boss's expectations

It's your first day of your first real job, nervous excitement is in the air.  What is it going to be like, as a real engineer?  Maybe you're in orientation today and just received your badge with ten other people of all ages and backgrounds.  Perhaps it's a smaller company with no real orientation and you're sitting at your desk anticipating what comes next.  Either way this piece of advice holds true:  After greeting your boss on the first day, in your first one-on-one meeting the first question ought to be "What are your expectations of me?"

Two people who understood their boss's ever-changing expectations

It's a question that is so crucial, "What are your expectations of me?" but more often than not it doesn't even get discussed unless you (the new gal/guy) brings it up.  Whatever words follow in answer to that question are paramount, and should be your principles when doing work.  Your boss hired you to make themselves look good.  Didn't they?  Your job is to: i) not add to Friday evening stress your boss started with on Monday, and ii) manage and meet their expectations.  A key part of that is under-selling and over-delivering.

Under-selling, what's that mean?  If there's a task given to you and you can knock it out in an hour, don't say that.  Bad engineer, bad!  Over-promising like that is dangerous, what if the work is more involved that you expected?  What if the test you were supposed to do goes wrong, or the equipment is booked solid for the day - that's egg on your face because now the boss is expecting results.  Over-promising gets you nowhere fast and nothing but trouble.  Instead, under-sell.  State that the one hour task will be done by the end of the day, or the two day task will be done at the end of the week.

Under-selling sets you up for success and allows you to then over-deliver by exceeding the expectations that you just set when the two day task that was promised in a week gets done in just two days.  Way to go.  You look good, your boss looks good.

2. Regular meetings on performance, ask for the feedback or you won't get it

You can't know what you don't ask.  Don't wait until your end of year review to find out that you've been lacking in key development areas.  Not every boss has their employee's development on their mind, but most will help out if asked.  If you wait until the yearly merit-review time to get your performance feedback, chances are it isn't going to be good!  You want that big raise and bonus, don't you?  Understand your boss's expectations, and get regular feedback on your performance and where you need to improve.  Use phrases like "what areas could I be spending more effort on?" and then do it!  This serves the benefit of helping you improve as an engineer, but also sets the expectation in your boss's mind that you give a damn and can only help you out at the yearly merit-review.

3. Find a mentor outside of your department

This is so crucial.  Find a wise, gray beard that you don't work directly with or for and introduce yourself then ask for a chance to meet and pick their brain and get some mentoring.  Gray beards usually love doing this stuff!  Passing on knowledge and lessons learned is fun.  Choosing a mentor outside of your department matters because you're going to have a chance to get into deep discussions about the different personalities and challenges of the people you work with - and getting advice from a direct manager or senior colleague is a conflict of interest.  You don't want to appear as griping to your direct manager about the job you're doing.

Spot the gray beard, Who would you go to for mentoring?

If the first meeting with the gray beard goes well, ask them if it's cool to setup another appointment.  Maybe every 3 weeks or once a month.  Something semi-regular without being a burden.  After all, they're a gray beard and have a packed schedule.

4. Have a 5 year plan, and an escape plan

Where do you want to be in 5 years?  Do you know?  If not, don't worry but it's something you've got to figure out and soon.  Without a plan, you're floating, adrift at sea to some unknown destination.  Not good.  So figure it out, do you want to be in the same company but a different role - or would you rather be some place else - write it down and make educated choices to get closer to that end goal.

Engineering, no one breaks out alive

Finally, have an escape plan.  I worked in the automotive industry during The Great Recession (TM).  Layoffs came fast and and they came furious.  At some companies, like Chrysler, employees showed up to work on Monday to find a box and a note at their desk.  Effectively, pack your shit and security is walking you out at noon.  Ouch.  Others, worse, were perp-walked like in Law & Order mid-day to the exit where they were stripped of their company badge and told to come back later for their stuff.  What's your exit strategy if you were laid off tomorrow?  Build a savings and keep it.  Most financial advisors will tell you an 8 month emergency fund at minimum, where you could maintain your current lifestyle for 8 months with no pay.  I know that sounds crazy, but it's attainable with an engineering salary and a low-cost lifestyle.

--Axle