Top tips for career development from engineers and technicians

We love hearing from our members about what inspired them to pursue a career in engineering and how they are achieving great things in their careers. You can read some of their stories on our website.

Below we’ve rounded up some of the top career tips they’ve shared to help you navigate your own engineering journey.

• Apprentice member Junling Wan shared “Engineering is an exciting area, and there is so much knowledge to keep up to date with. I like Steve Jobs’s words, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish”. Always be eager to learn new stuff, and don’t give up when you are facing challenges.
  
  
• Apprentice member Sion Perkins advises “stay updated on the latest industry technologies and tools, and continuously develop technical skills. Networking is essential - attend events, connect with professionals, and consider mentorship opportunities. Stay persistent, positive, and seek guidance from mentors or industry professionals.”
  
  
• IET Associate Member Matthew Dawes highlights how following your passion can help you progress: “If you are highly passionate about a specific area of engineering or technology, go for it because this will help you enjoy the work you do and give you that extra motivation to make a difference within that area.”
  
  
• Craig Maclean MIET is a Senior Engineer for Ofgem. He shared his top tips for networking: “How do you do networking? As a member of the IET there are thousands of opportunities. Log into the membership platform, start exploring it and you’re going to find so many resources. If you're at the start of your journey, really you just need to get involved. If you’re an introvert and prefer to do things online then there’s that opportunity, but if you’re an extrovert and want to go out and meet people then you can do that too. Everyone’s journey is different.”
  
  
• Connie Edgar MIET tells us “I think the main piece of advice I'd give is to be open to all opportunities, even if you don't think you're qualified or if you don't think the work is for you. I've learned so much from throwing myself into placements where the work wasn't necessarily what I see myself doing in the future. There's also been so many situations, where I was scared, I wasn't qualified, but I surprised myself by achieving what I was asked to do.”
  
  
• Amelia Gould is an IET Fellow who mentors several people at different stages of their careers. She advises “take every chance you are given to grow and develop. Be curious - ask lots of questions and explore things you don’t understand.”
  
  
• Tracy Scott FIET shares how important learning and development is throughout an engineers’ career: “Continuous professional development is for life not just for the journey to professional registration. For me, every day is a school day. I love going to work and learning about something I didn’t know yesterday and that’s what being a member of the IET is all about. I would encourage everyone to read, listen, join in, ask questions, and take part.”
  
  
• Associate member and Data Scientist Khaled Ahmed shares “do not shy away from any work experience outside your area of studies, as it might help you build soft skills that are transferable and fundamental for graduate and entry-level roles, and, most importantly, help you become self-reliant.”
  
  
• Jeremy Lai MIET is a Software Engineer who mentors undergraduates and early career professionals. He reminds us of the importance of work-life balance: “above all, be happy – not just with your job, but also with things outside your career. There’s more to life than work!”

Whatever stage of your engineering journey you’re at, the IET has resources to help you learn, develop, and grow in your career.