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Professional Practice and the New Graduate

Professional Practice and the New Graduate. Jennifer Armstrong, M. Eng. Morrison Hershfield Ltd. January 2002. Presentation Overview. Introduction A Master’s degree Engineers in the workforce The job search Corporate culture and vision statements

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Professional Practice and the New Graduate

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  1. Professional Practice and the New Graduate Jennifer Armstrong, M. Eng. Morrison Hershfield Ltd. January 2002

  2. Presentation Overview • Introduction • A Master’s degree • Engineers in the workforce • The job search • Corporate culture and vision statements • Entering the profession, levels of responsibility • Life as a consultant • Women in engineering • Lessons learned

  3. Personal Résumé • Grew up on a farm in southern Ontario • Held summer jobs at AECL, NRC, Ville de Quebec, MH, RMOC • Received a Civil Engineering and Society degree from McMaster University (1998) • Graduated with a Master’s degree in Engineering from Carleton University (2000) • Began work at Morrison Hershfield (2000)

  4. Why Pursue a Master’s? • A Master’s program is NOT like an undergraduate program • Better salary (so I’ve heard…) • Opportunity to pursue interesting research • Build knowledge and confidence in your chosen profession • Gain contacts • Lack of career opportunities for recent grads

  5. Why Enter the Workforce Directly? • Opportunity to earn money • Master’s degree not required for many jobs • Company resources may exceed those available in an academic setting • Tired of school • Value of practical experience • Academic knowledge is not always applicable in the workplace

  6. Undergraduate Many courses (and little sleep) Limited choice of courses Large class sizes Requirement for obtaining P.Eng. Graduate Fewer courses (and more sleep) Freedom to pursue topics of interest Small class sizes Counts towards P.Eng. work experience Undergraduate vs. Graduate Programmes

  7. A Typical Master’s Program • Eligibility • Overall average grade of B- or better • Letters of recommendation • Requirements • Coursework • Master’s Thesis or Major Research Project • Duration • 1.5 years to 3+ years

  8. Vehicle Emissions Modelling • Research work undertaken in collaboration with RMOC • Developed analytical tools to estimate vehicle emissions using output from travel demand models • Estimated vehicle emissions in the National Capital Region

  9. Development of Tools

  10. Sample EMME/2 Output VOC Emissions: PM Peak Hour

  11. Why Does the World Need Engineers? • Engineers SOLVE PROBLEMS • The Professional Engineers Act defines the practice of profession engineering as: “any act of designing, composing, evaluating, advising, reporting, directing, or supervising wherein the safeguarding of life, health, property, or the public welfare is concerned, and that requires the application of engineering principles…” • Ethical obligations of engineers are important at all levels of responsibility

  12. Who Hires Engineers? • Public sector • Government entities (cities, municipalities, province, federal government) • Utilities and crown corporations • Private sector • Small, medium and large companies • Entrepreneurs • Consulting firms

  13. What are Employers Looking For? • Academic Skills • Communication, critical thinking, problem solving, application of specialized knowledge • Teamwork Skills • Personal Management Skills • Self-confidence, positive attitude, open to change • Ability to set goals and priorities, manage time and resources • Accountability, honesty, integrity, personal ethics

  14. The Job Search • The best jobs are rarely advertised • The more questions you ask at an interview, the more information you’ll have to evaluate whether or not a job is right for you • Typical duties, overtime work • Salary, benefits and vacation time • Social activities, orientation programme • Corporate culture can significantly impact how well you fit into your new job

  15. Job Search Considerations • Who’s carrying out the interview? • Are you a match for this company? Are you a match for this particular manager/group/job? • When (under what circumstances) do they hire? How have their hiring practices changed between today and 1 year ago? • What is the history and financial situation of the company? What are some of the biggest challenges the company is currently facing?

  16. Employer Size: A Question of Preference • Size of group vs. size of company • Size of projects… • Interaction, teamwork, opportunities to participate in cross-disciplinary teams • Resources ($$$, labs, equipment, budgets, & people) • Opportunities for changing jobs, promotion, new challenges

  17. What is Corporate Culture? • Defined as “formal and informal rules of behaviour at a company” • Corporate culture impacts: • Dress code, work hours • Information flow, level of interaction within the organization / department, teamwork • Social activities, sports & clubs • Company organization, opportunities for career growth

  18. Corporate Culture • Corporate culture varies across large & small companies depending on many factors: • Location, company leadership, number of employees • What one individual “claims” about any company’s corporate culture is only their view into the social structure of that particular department/product/business unit

  19. Sample Corporate Vision Statement: MH Core Values and Principles • TO THE PUBLIC we will show: • Responsibility, Duty, Ethical Standards • TO OUR CLIENTS we will show: • Honesty, Integrity • Creativeness, Resourcefulness • Responsiveness, Cooperation, Enthusiasm, Dedication • Reliability, Dependability • TO EACH OTHER we will show: • Cooperation, Supportiveness, Teamwork • Fairness, Respect, Trust • Accountability, Responsibility

  20. The Vision Statement in Action... • Importance of teamwork • Deadlines & budgets • Time-to-market vs. reliability • Overtime policies • Reaction to crisis situations, adversity and market downturns • Flexibility of people’s roles & responsibilities

  21. Entering the Profession • Salary expectations • Hiring statistics • General advice: • Don’t expect to know everything • Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion • Administration and technical support staff are important team members

  22. Levels of responsibility: Level “A” • Duties:Receives training in the various phases of office, plant, field or laboratory engineering work as classroom instruction or on-the-job assignments. Tasks assigned include: preparation of simple plans, designs, calculations, costs and bills of material in accordance with established codes, standards, drawings or other specifications. May carry out routine technical surveys or inspections and prepare reports. • Recommendations, Decisions and Commitments:Few technical decisions called for and these will be of routine nature with ample precedent or clearly defined procedures as guidance. • Supervision Received:Works under close supervision. Work is reviewed for accuracy and adequacy and conformance with prescribed procedures. • Guide to Entrance Qualifications:Bachelor's degree in Engineering, or Applied Science, or its equivalent with little or no practical experience. • Salary Range: $35,000 - $55,000 (Median: $44,000)

  23. Levels of responsibility: Level “B” • Duties:Normally regarded as a continuing portion of an engineer's training and development. Receives assignments of limited scope and complexity, usually minor phases of broader assignments. Uses a variety of standard engineering methods and techniques in solving problems. Assists more senior engineers in carrying out technical tasks requiring accuracy in calculations, completeness of data and adherence to prescribed testing, analysis, design or computation methods. • Recommendations, Decisions and Commitments:Recommendations limited to solution of the problem rather than end results. Decisions made are normally within established guidelines. • Supervision Received:Duties are assigned with detailed oral and occasionally written instructions, as to methods and procedures to be followed. Results are usually reviewed in detail and technical guidance is usually available. • Guide to Entrance Qualifications:Bachelor's degree in Engineering, normally with two to three years working experience from the graduation level. • Salary Range: $38,480 - $60,000 (Median: $50,000)

  24. Current Responsibilities • Proposal preparation • Traffic impact studies for new developments • Traffic analysis (level of service, safety) • Traffic forecasting based on anticipated land use • Emissions modelling • Writing reports, meetings with clients • Diagrams and maps • Field work / Site surveys

  25. Typical Projects • Highway 417 / Hazeldean Road / Terry Fox Drive Forecast Traffic Assessment • GHG Reduction Measures for Ontario • Brockville Power Centre Traffic Impact Study • Adult School Crossing Guard Pilot Project • Kanata Pedestrian Bridge

  26. GHG Reduction Measures • Passenger Transportation (transit measures, car-sharing, parking pricing, driver education) • Vehicle and Fuel Technologies (alternative fuels, enhanced fuel efficiency) • Road Infrastructure (enforcement of speed limits, implementation of HOV lanes, pavement type, signal coordination, adoption of new ITS technologies)

  27. Brockville Traffic Impact Study • Forecast future travel demand based on anticipated development (trip generation, traffic assignment) • Assess the impact of traffic growth on the operation of the transportation network (level of service analysis) • Propose mitigation measures (signal timing or phasing, road geometric changes)

  28. Adult School Crossing Guard Pilot Project

  29. Kanata Pedestrian Bridge

  30. Life as a Consultant • Opportunities to specialize • Competitive environment • Direct interaction with clients • Everyone is a sales-person • Impossible to see clearly more than 3 months ahead • Requires flexibility to respond to changing conditions

  31. Advantages Varied work Freedom to pursue projects of interest Excellent technical development / mentorship Team approach Disadvantages Focus on budgets Project deadlines Life as a Consultant

  32. Women in Engineering • According to the PEO website, there are 64,000 licensed professional engineers in Ontario, of which 3,200 are women (5%) • Women comprise 16% of overall engineering program enrollment • Concerns continue to exist: • Opportunities to network • Opportunities to gain entry to executive level positions (National Survey of Workplace Conditions for Engineers)

  33. Personal Experiences • Have never once experienced discrimination at university or in professional practice • Approximately 1/3 of employees at MH Ottawa office are women (majority of “new hires” have been female) • Ratio of men to women can sometimes be intimidating at external meetings and social events

  34. Lessons Learned • You will rarely use more than 15% of the technical knowledge you learned in university • Engineering skills must be complemented with a knowledge of the business environment, political climate, and public opinion • Good writing & communication skills are essential for all jobs

  35. Lessons Learned • Keep good records • Negotiate your terms of employment • Be clear about family obligations • Participate in work-related events and events within your professional community • The best jobs rarely get posted • Learning is lifetime commitment

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