10 Tips for Success for Engineering Students

According to a recent survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, one third of college freshmen plan to major in science and engineering, while about 8 percent of all first-year students intend to concentrate in engineering proper. Some of these engineering students are destined to land major leadership roles in the United States and worldwide, while others are . . . well, every field has its "lesser lights."

We were interested in finding out what current engineering students could do to put themselves on the fast track to career success. We invited visiting blogger Edward Crawley, professor of engineering and director of the Bernard M. Gordon Engineering Leadership Program at MIT, to share with us the advice he gives his own undergraduate engineering students. Here are his best tips, most of which would work for any career-aspiring college student:

1. Identify the people who inspire you, and find out what makes them tick. If you love Apple products, Steve Jobs may be your idol, or perhaps you love the Segway and its creator, Dean Kamen. You can easily find out a lot of information about Jobs and Kamen—or just about any other prominent person in technology—so use it to look into what's helped these people and their companies become so successful. Then emulate their good traits in your personal, scholastic, and professional life.

2. Develop a portfolio of projects. Participate in every hands-on, experiential learning opportunity that a balanced schedule allows. This way, you'll have something unique to show a prospective employer (or venture capitalist) when you graduate, while other students will only be able to list their courses. In addition, you'll be far more likely to retain the knowledge you've gained in classes because you'll be applying it and, in the process, boosting your communication and interpersonal skills.

3. Learn the value of networking. When it comes to being a leader, whom you know is almost as important as what you know. Attend lectures on your campus and introduce yourself to the speakers. Check with your school's alumni association to get a list of alumni from your program who want to connect with undergraduates.

4-Star Tip. In addition to E-mail, you can use LinkedIn or other social media tools to connect online. But remember: There's no substitute for a traditional, face-to-face meeting, so if you can find a way to meet in person, that's always the best.

4. Work in teams as much as you can. Whether it's creating a solar-powered car, participating in a sport, or writing for the school paper, get involved with an organization that requires a team effort to produce great results. Throughout your career, you can be sure you'll work in teams, and the skills you develop in school will help prepare you to lead teams when you graduate.

5. Seek informal leadership roles. You're always a leader, whether you're officially in charge of a team or not. Sounds counterintuitive, but you can lead from any position in an organization by influencing how people work together and how they make decisions. Usually people think that the leader is the president or the manager, but if you learn how to recognize and deal with various leadership styles from any position in a team, you'll be seen as a leader when you take on your first job or internship.

6. Find your flaws—and fix them. As with any skill, leadership needs constant improvement. When you are part of a team, try to create a way to get feedback from team members, group leaders, and professors. When you have concrete feedback on how people view you, you can work to improve your skills, including communication and leadership. Plus, you'll learn how to accept—and give—constructive criticism. That's absolutely necessary for your future career.

7. Take a business class. As an engineer, it's not enough for you to be technically proficient; you need to have business savvy. If you're going to be a leader, you need to understand what a P&L is (also known as an income statement), read organization charts, know how to negotiate contracts, and be familiar with the myriad other functions that every top engineer needs to know. Otherwise, you won't understand what to do when an accountant, lawyer, or middle manager gets in the way. A business course or two can take you a long way, and these classes are often easier to pass than your calculus course!

8. Take design and other humanities classes. There's a wide world out there beyond problem sets, laboratories, and theory. Take a visual design course so you'll learn to represent ideas graphically. Take a cognitive science course to learn how people interpret the world and understand it. Take a literature course to develop your knowledge and appreciation of the classic books, which will help you write and communicate more effectively.

5-Star Tip. Tomorrow's leaders will have to communicate effectively across international borders and be familiar with other cultures, so develop some proficiency in another language, travel abroad, or meet students from other cultures. Start "globalizing" right at college.

9. Make your summers productive. Employers place tremendous value on practical experience. Seek out internship opportunities actively and early in your academic career. Try to demonstrate through your internships a series of evolving leadership experiences, and use the internships to build your portfolio of actual projects/products. New graduates who can show a commitment to using their summer to continue to learn are always viewed more seriously by a prospective employer.

10. Recruit and develop your personal b oard of d irectors. As an undergraduate, you might feel alone when confronted with hard decisions about the courses to take, jobs to apply for, or even balancing school work and your personal life. You won't feel alone if you develop a personal board of directors just for you. Just as a company has a board that guides the organization, you can stock your board with professionals from organizations and companies, as well as former teachers and knowledgeable family friends.

Extra Pointer. Be sure to "nurture" your board of directors: Keep in touch with them, provide them regular updates, ask them for guidance, and be sure to thank them for any help they provide. And don't be afraid of conflicting advice. If members offer different suggestions, you'll have the occasion to balance off one idea against another and make your own decision—just like at a real company.

Career Outlook for Industrial Engineering Technicians

Overall employment of engineering technicians is expected to grow slower than the average for all occupations, but projected growth and job prospects vary by specialty. Opportunities will be best for individuals with an associate degree or other postsecondary training in engineering technology.

Employment change. Overall employment of engineering technicians is expected to grow by 5 percent between 2008 and 2018, slower than the average for all occupations. Competitive pressures will force companies to improve and update manufacturing facilities and product designs, although increased efficiencies and automation of many support activities will curtail job growth for engineering technicians. 

Employment of engineering technicians in some design functions may also be affected by increasing globalization of the development process. To reduce costs and speed project completion, some companies may relocate part of their development operations to facilities overseas, affecting both engineers and engineering technicians—particularly in electronics and computer-related specialties. However, some aspects of the work of engineering technicians require on-site presence, particularly in the environmental, civil, and industrial specialties, so demand for these engineering technicians within the United States should continue to grow.

Because engineering technicians work closely with engineers, employment of engineering technicians is often influenced by the same local and national economic conditions that affect engineers. As a result, the employment outlook varies with industry and specialization. 

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians are expected to have 2 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, signifying little or no change. Although demand for aerospace products will continue to grow, increased use of computer simulations for designing and testing new products will diminish the need for new aerospace engineering technicians.

Civil engineering technicians are expected to have 17 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. Spurred by population growth and the related need to improve the Nation's infrastructure, more civil engineering technicians will be needed to expand transportation, water supply, and pollution control systems, as well as large buildings and building complexes. They also will be needed to repair or replace existing roads, bridges, and other public structures. 

The number of electrical and electronic engineering technician jobs is expected to decline by 2 percent between 2008 and 2018, signifying little or no change. Despite rising demand for electronic goods—including communications equipment, defense-related equipment, medical electronics, and consumer products—foreign competition in design and manufacturing, together with increased efficiencies in the design process, will reduce demand for these workers. 

The number of electro-mechanical technician jobs is expected to decline moderately by 5 percent between 2008 and 2018. As with the closely related electrical and electronic engineering technicians and mechanical engineering technicians, job losses will be caused by increased productivity in the design and manufacture of electro-mechanical products such as unmanned aircraft and robotic equipment. 

Environmental engineering technicians are expected to have 30 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. More environmental engineering technicians will be needed to comply with environmental regulations and to develop methods of cleaning up existing hazards. A shift in emphasis toward preventing problems rather than controlling those which already exist, as well as increasing public health concerns resulting from population growth, also will spur demand. 

Industrial engineering technicians are expected to have 7 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, about as fast as average. As firms continue to seek new means of reducing costs and increasing productivity, demand for industrial engineering technicians to analyze and improve production processes should increase. This should lead to some job growth even in manufacturing industries with slowly growing or declining employment. 

Mechanical engineering technicians are expected to decline by 1 percent between 2008 and 2018, which represents little or no change. Increased foreign competition in both design services and manufacturing, together with improved efficiencies in design and testing, will reduce the need for mechanical engineering technicians.

Job prospects. Job prospects will vary by specialty and location, as employment is influenced by economic conditions similar to those which affect engineers. In general, opportunities will be best for individuals with an associate degree or other postsecondary training in engineering technology. As technology becomes more sophisticated, employers will continue to look for technicians who are skilled in new technology and who require little additional training. Even in specialties that are expected to experience job declines, there will still be job openings resulting from the need to replace technicians who retire or leave the labor force for any other reason.

About Industrial Engineer Profile

As stated by the Institute of Industrial Engineers professional society, Industrial engineering is about choices. Other engineering disciplines apply skills to very specific areas. IE gives practitioners the opportunity to work in a variety of businesses.

Many practitioners say that an industrial engineering education offers the best of both worlds: an education in both engineering and business. The most distinctive aspect of industrial engineering is the flexibility it offers. Whether it’s shortening a rollercoaster line, streamlining an operating room, distributing products worldwide, or manufacturing superior automobiles, all these challenges share the common goal of saving company’s money and increasing efficiencies. As companies adopt management philosophies of continuous productivity and quality improvement to survive in the increasingly competitive world market, the need for industrial engineers is growing. Why? Industrial engineers are the only engineering professionals trained specifically to be productivity and quality improvement specialists. 

Industrial Engineers figure out how to do things better. They engineer processes and systems that improve quality and productivity. They work to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, energy, and other commodities. This is why many industrial engineers end up being promoted into management positions.

Many people are misled by the term industrial engineer. It’s not just about manufacturing. It also encompasses service industries, with many IEs employed in entertainment industries, shipping and logistics businesses, and health care organizations.

IEs make processes better in the following ways:

• More efficient and more profitable business practices
• Better customer service and product quality
• Improved efficiency
• Increased ability to do more with less
• Making work safer, faster, easier, and more rewarding
• Helping companies produce more products quickly
• Making the world safer through better designed products
• Reducing costs associated with new technologies

 

The total employment of Industrial engineers (including heath and safety) had been predicted to increase almost as fat as the other occupations till and through 2012. Openings will also be crated in case of transfer and retirements of existing engineers. The hiring of industrial engineers is projected to increase as fast as other average occupations while that of health and safety engineers, more slowly.

Firms which focus on lowering costs and increasing efficiency and productivity would employ industrial, health and safety engineers because these engineers work on producing goods as efficiently and safely as is possible. An increasing need for health and safety engineers is also felt due to the increasing concern of health and safety regulations and rules in and out of the work place.

Career Outlook for Industrial Engineering Technicians

Overall employment of engineering technicians is expected to grow slower than the average for all occupations, but projected growth and job prospects vary by specialty. Opportunities will be best for individuals with an associate degree or other postsecondary training in engineering technology.

Employment change. Overall employment of engineering technicians is expected to grow by 5 percent between 2008 and 2018, slower than the average for all occupations. Competitive pressures will force companies to improve and update manufacturing facilities and product designs, although increased efficiencies and automation of many support activities will curtail job growth for engineering technicians. 

Employment of engineering technicians in some design functions may also be affected by increasing globalization of the development process. To reduce costs and speed project completion, some companies may relocate part of their development operations to facilities overseas, affecting both engineers and engineering technicians—particularly in electronics and computer-related specialties. However, some aspects of the work of engineering technicians require on-site presence, particularly in the environmental, civil, and industrial specialties, so demand for these engineering technicians within the United States should continue to grow.

Because engineering technicians work closely with engineers, employment of engineering technicians is often influenced by the same local and national economic conditions that affect engineers. As a result, the employment outlook varies with industry and specialization. 

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians are expected to have 2 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, signifying little or no change. Although demand for aerospace products will continue to grow, increased use of computer simulations for designing and testing new products will diminish the need for new aerospace engineering technicians.

Civil engineering technicians are expected to have 17 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. Spurred by population growth and the related need to improve the Nation's infrastructure, more civil engineering technicians will be needed to expand transportation, water supply, and pollution control systems, as well as large buildings and building complexes. They also will be needed to repair or replace existing roads, bridges, and other public structures. 

The number of electrical and electronic engineering technician jobs is expected to decline by 2 percent between 2008 and 2018, signifying little or no change. Despite rising demand for electronic goods—including communications equipment, defense-related equipment, medical electronics, and consumer products—foreign competition in design and manufacturing, together with increased efficiencies in the design process, will reduce demand for these workers. 

The number of electro-mechanical technician jobs is expected to decline moderately by 5 percent between 2008 and 2018. As with the closely related electrical and electronic engineering technicians and mechanical engineering technicians, job losses will be caused by increased productivity in the design and manufacture of electro-mechanical products such as unmanned aircraft and robotic equipment. 

Environmental engineering technicians are expected to have 30 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. More environmental engineering technicians will be needed to comply with environmental regulations and to develop methods of cleaning up existing hazards. A shift in emphasis toward preventing problems rather than controlling those which already exist, as well as increasing public health concerns resulting from population growth, also will spur demand. 

Industrial engineering technicians are expected to have 7 percent employment growth between 2008 and 2018, about as fast as average. As firms continue to seek new means of reducing costs and increasing productivity, demand for industrial engineering technicians to analyze and improve production processes should increase. This should lead to some job growth even in manufacturing industries with slowly growing or declining employment. 

Mechanical engineering technicians are expected to decline by 1 percent between 2008 and 2018, which represents little or no change. Increased foreign competition in both design services and manufacturing, together with improved efficiencies in design and testing, will reduce the need for mechanical engineering technicians.

Job prospects. Job prospects will vary by specialty and location, as employment is influenced by economic conditions similar to those which affect engineers. In general, opportunities will be best for individuals with an associate degree or other postsecondary training in engineering technology. As technology becomes more sophisticated, employers will continue to look for technicians who are skilled in new technology and who require little additional training. Even in specialties that are expected to experience job declines, there will still be job openings resulting from the need to replace technicians who retire or leave the labor force for any other reason. 

History of Industrial Engineering

Industrial Engineering beginnings can be traced from several different sources. Frederick Winslow Taylor is often defined as the Father of Industrial Engineering and despite all his ideas are not original. Some of the earlier treatise may have influenced the development of Industrial Engineering as the treatise The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith, published in 1776; Essay on Population by Thomas Malthus published in 1798; Principles of Political Economy and Taxation by David Ricardo, published in 1817; and Principles of Political Economy by John Stuart Mill, published in 1848. The results of this work inspired the Classical Liberal understand explanations about the success and limitations of the Industrial Revolution. Economist Adam Smith is famous in his day. "Economic Science" is the phrase to describe this field in England before the industrialization of America emerged.

Another important and inspiring contribution is Charles W. Taylor Babbage. Babbage is a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University. One important contribution is the book called On the Economy of Machinery and Manufacturers in 1832 to discuss many topics related to manufacturing. Babbage discussed the idea of ​​Learning Curves (Learning Curve), the division of tasks and how the learning process is affected, and studied the effect of an increase in waste. He was also very interested in the method of setting waste. Charles Babbage was the first to suggest building a mechanical computer. He called it "analytical calculating machine", for the purpose of solving complex mathematical problems.

In the United States during the late 19th century developments have occurred that affect the formation of Industrial Engineering. Henry R. Towne stressed the economic aspect of the work of engineers that is how an engineer would increase corporate profits? Towne later became a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as do some of his predecessors in the field of Industrial Engineering. Towne stressed the need to develop a field that focuses on manufactur system. In Industrial Engineering Handbook says that "ASME is a breeding ground for Industrial Engineering". Towne along with Fredrick A. Halsey worked to develop and describe a work plan to reduce waste to the ASME. Recana goal is to improve the productivity of workers without negatively affecting production costs. This plan also recommends that some gains can be distributed to workers in the form of incentives.

Henry L. Gantt (also a member of ASME) emphasized the importance of employee selection and training. He, like Towne and Halsey, papers presented on topics such as cost, employee selection, training, incentive schemes, and work scheduling. He is the creator of a Gantt chart (Gantt chart), which is now a very popular chart used in scheduling the work. Until now Gantt chart used in the field of statistics to make accurate predictions. Other diagram types have been developed for scheduling purposes such as Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Mapping (CPM).

History of Industrial Engineering is not complete without mention of Frederick Winslow Taylor. Taylor is probably the pioneer of Industrial Engineering of the most famous. He presented the idea of ​​organizing work by using management to all members of ASME. He coined the term "Scientific Management" to describe the methods which he built through empirical studies. Activities, like the others, covering such topics as the organization of work with management, employee selection, training, and additional compensation for all individuals who meet the standards that made the company. Scientific Management has a great effect on the Industrial Revolution, both in America and in countries outside the U.S..

Gilbreth family is recognized to be a development of the Time and Motion Study (Time and Motion Studies). Frank Bunker Gilbreth and his wife Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth conduct research on the understanding of fatigue (Fatigue), Skill Development, Studies Motion (Motion Studies), and Study Time (Time Studies). Lillian Gilbreth gelasr own a Ph.D. in the field of psychology who helped in the understanding of human problems. Gilbreth family believes that there is one best way ("one best way") to do the job. One of them thought that significant movement is a basic human classification into 17 types, where there is movement there is effective and ineffective. They named it Therbligs Classification Table (reverse spelling of the word Gilbreth). Gilbreth concluded that the time to complete an effective movement (effective therblig) is shorter but it is difficult to be reduced, and vice versa with non-effective therbligs. Gilbreth claimed that any form of work can be broken down into simpler forms of employment.

When the United States entered World War II the government enlisted scientist to study the planning, production methods, and logistics in the war. These scientists developed a number of techniques for modeling and predicting the optimal solution. Furthermore, when this information was uncovered. Operation Research was born. Many research results are still very theoretical and understanding how to use it in the real world does not exist. This is what causes the gap between the Operation Research (OR) and the engineering profession is too wide. only a few companies swiftly develop Operation Research departments and capitalize.
In 1948 a new community, the American Institute for Industrial Engineers (AIIE), opened for the first time. At this time the Industrial Engineering really do not have a place that specialized in corporate structure. During the 1960s and afterward, some universities began to adopt the techniques of operations research and add it to the Industrial Engineering curriculum. Now for the first time in Industrial Engineering methods rely upon a foundation of analysis, including other previous empirical method. New development of the mathematical optimization as new methods of statistical analysis to help fill the empty hole in Industrial Engineering with a theoretical approach.

Then, the problem of Industrial Engineering became so large and complex and is currently developing a digital computer. With digital computers and the ability to store large amounts of data, engineers of Industrial Engineering has a new tool to calculate a large problem rapidly. Previous computing on a monthly and even weekly consuming system, but with computers and the development of sub-programs "sub-routines", the calculation can be done in minutes and can easily be repeated on a new criterion problem. With the ability to store data, the results of calculations on the previous system can be stored and compared with new information. These data make the Industrial Engineering be a powerful way of studying the system of production and reaskinya when changes occur.

In Indonesia

History of Engineering Industry in Indonesia at the start of ITB Bandung Institute of Technology campus. The history of the establishment of Industrial Engineering at ITB education is inseparable from the conditions of practice in five undergraduate engine-tens. At that time, the profession's degree Mechanical engineering is a continuation of the profession in the Dutch period, which is limited to the work of the operation and maintenance of machines or production facilities. Capital goods is fully imported, because in Indonesia there has been no engine factory.

At the University of Indonesia (www.ui.ac.id), science of Industrial Engineering has been introduced in the early seventies, and is a sub part of the science of Mechanical Engineering. Since June 30, 1998, diresmikanlah Department of Industrial Engineering (now the Department of Industrial Engineering) Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, the official website at http://www.ie.ui.ac.id/

If at that time, found relatively large workshops does the work for the design of steel construction such as those, among others, contained in Pasuruan city and Klaten, the job was still a part of the treatment for sugar mill machinery and farm product processing plant located in East Java and Central Java. Thus the design activities carried out by scholars of Mechanical Engineering at that time was still very limited in design and manufacture of spare parts are simply based on the examples of existing goods. Similar role for undergraduate Mechanical Engineering also occur in cement factories and in workshops railway.

At that time, in carrying out his profession as an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering with the task of machine operation and production facilities, the main challenge they face is how to keep the operation can be conducted smoothly and economically. So the focus of Mechanical Engineering undergraduate work at that time is loading the settings on the machines in order to become economically productive activities, and maintenance (maintenance) to maintain the condition that the machine is always ready to use.

At that time, a head of plant which is generally set in the rear-engine of education, and discipline is very strict in monitoring the condition of the engine. In the morning before the plant began operating, he tour the factory to check the machines to believe whether the means of production in a state saddled ready for a job.
This experience shows that the knowledge and design abilities are possessed by a graduate of Mechanical Engineering is not much utilized, but they just need a stock of knowledge management for the more able and better prepared in the management of a factory and large workshops.

Around the year 1955, it realized such experiences really need, so it came to the idea of ​​the need for additional tuition for students of Mechanical Engineering in the field of plant management.
In the same year, the Dutch left Indonesia since the crisis relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands, as a result, many factories which originally managed by the Dutch administrators, suddenly became a good vacuum of keadministrasian. This experience becomes an increasingly strong urge to continuously think about the idea of ​​alternative education in the educational field of expertise in Mechanical Engineering.
In early 1958, introduced several new courses in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, including: Corporate Science, Statistics, Production Engineering, Tata Calculate Cost and Economic Engineering. Since it began a new chapter in the education of Mechanical Engineering at ITB, the courses are optional began favored by students of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Mining.

Meanwhile, in the years around 1963-1964 Mechanical Engineering Section has started to produce some degree by a qualified knowledge of production management / production techniques. Production Engineering is growing with increasing types of courses. Subjects such as: Technical Procedures, Dimensional Measurement, Machine Tools, Non Destructive Testing, Tools and Safety Assistant enrich sufficient knowledge of Production Engineering students.

In the year 1966 - 1967, lectures at the Technical Production is growing. The course is based on industrial engineering began much introduced. Man-machine system, the material is no longer just based on the scope of manufacturing knowledge, but on a broader scope of enterprise and the environment. In the meantime, it began to be taught in the Department of subjects: Personnel Management, Corporate Administration, Industrial Statistics, Factory Layout Design, Feasibility Study, Investigation Operations, Inventory Control Quality Statistics and Linear Programming. So in 1967, the name of Production Engineering was officially changed to the Industrial Engineering and still shelter under Section Mechanical Engineering ITB.
In the year 1968 - 1971, began upanya to build an independent Department of Industrial Engineering. The effort was realized on January 1, 1971.

source : wikipedia