How to find a job as a young Engineer

Being a rookie in any career is very difficult. No matter how good your qualifications are, there is always something you have to learn to steer you in the right direction to ensure you get a great job and a great pay.

A degree and a year’s worth of experience isn’t enough to get you the best paying job as a young Engineer. Your journey only begins when you finish your internship.

Here are three points for young Engineers starting out:

When you are starting out, you should make it your mission to find a mentor, someone to be your role model, to guide and support you through your career path.

You can start by networking with people in your career; find someone who can be your ‘sensei’. A mentor can help advice you on career goals, and which companies to apply to and even how to present yourself to employers.

Listen to their journeys and what mistakes they made along the way, this can help prevent you from making the same mistakes.

The second thing to consider as a young Engineer when starting out, is your ability to build your professional skills. Although you are young, you should aim to learn as many professional skills as you possibly can.

From being able to manage people, to your ability to question things, either when you are unsure or don’t agree. Just because you are an Engineer, does not mean that you should be prone to the ways of the ’system’.

Learn how to communicate with people in an appropriate manner. Use the skills you learned at university or during your internship. Just because you are young, does not mean you can’t be wise. Bring up ideas and even better ways to do things. Also, do not be afraid to make mistakes, as this is your chance to learn.

Speaking of learning, just because you are now done with school, does not mean you should stop learning. It is fine to have some form of qualification, but learning something new should be something you do every day.

Read magazines, newspapers, online forums etc. and keep up to date with what is happening in your industry. With regards to your studies, try to study further than an Honours degree, to Masters and even your PHD.

Your journey begins now as a young Engineer. One day you will have to pass on this knowledge to other young Engineers. You should pride yourself with such a qualification; Engineering is one of the most sought after careers in the world.

Are you looking for Civil Engineering jobs in Gauteng? Visit the Job Mail website for Civil Engineering technician jobs.