Hey Engineers! Hopefully things are starting to wind down after the month-long whirlwind of midterms, assignments and projects, otherwise known as October. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to my engineering degree, I like to take things in small steps. A lot of us might be thinking as far as the holidays, or the next work term. Thinking ahead, after 5+ years of finals, all-nighters, and frustrating assignments, we’re all working towards getting our engineering degree. Some may be thinking of working towards a Master’s degree or a P. Eng. Regardless, to get some insight on what the real world has in store for us, the Engineering Society ran its first ever PEO Speaker Panel. Three Professional Engineers and one Engineer in Training from the PEO Grand River Chapter were invited to come to the University of Waterloo and answer the questions of undergraduate engineers with regards to their experiences throughout university as well as during their careers.
A broad range of speakers at various points in their careers and from different engineering disciplines were in attendance. Jonathan Velasco is a Project Engineer at Nexans Canada, which offers products and solutions for a broad variety of markets ranging from aerospace to wind farms to petrochemicals and everything in between! Jonathan is an electrical engineer specializing in automation and robotics, as well as Process and Manufacturing Engineering. Adam Buggeln is a Technical Lead at L-3 WESCAM, which specializes in the designing and manufacturing of imaging and targeting sensor systems to be utilized in military, home security systems, and law enforcement agencies internationally. As a 1996 Mechanical Engineering Waterloo Alumni, Adam had a lot of knowledge to share! Another alumni in attendance was Sylvie Spraakman, who is an Engineer-in-Training at Conestoga-Rovers and Associates, an environmental consulting, construction, and information technology company. She graduated with an Environmental Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo in 2011. During her time at Waterloo, she was involved in Engineers Without Borders, Women in Engineering, and R3Design. Kevin Fergin is a Civil Engineer who supervised the construction of various residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial projects at Stantec. His projects include improvements to Victoria Park Lake in Kitchener, and the expansions of the Lutherwood Children’s Mental Health facility in Waterloo and the Cambridge Memorial Hospital.
Each of these speakers offered different perspectives as a result of their experiences and areas of expertise:
Networking
· All panelists agreed on the importance of networking when it comes to finding a job and moving up in a company.
· When approaching your boss to discuss a raise or a promotion, have a “sponsor”—a colleague that is aware of your contributions to the company who would be able to speak to your supervisor on why you are an asset to the company.
· When networking, ask the other person plenty of questions about themselves. People enjoy talking about themselves and appreciate it when others take interest in their lives.
University
· Getting involved in extra-curriculars was highly recommended for developing the soft skills that are needed in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, and time management.
· Jonathan recommended Toast Masters, a club offered at the University of Waterloo, to improve communication and public speaking skills.
· Keep contact with the people you meet in university. They might be able to help you land a job one day in the future.
Careers and Professionalism
· Working under someone that is difficult to work with requires finding a style of working that suits both you and your supervisor. If the work you do is making your boss look good, then you’re doing a good job.
· Leave work at work. When you’re at your job, discuss work related matters, but if you go out with colleagues after work, talk about anything but work and form deeper connections.
· Be careful what you put on the internet. This is something we were all told since middle school, but the first thing many employers do when going through prospective applicants is a quick google search.
This event ran smoothly and attendees as well as speakers were engaged. Once questions were answered, everyone had the chance to network and chat with the speakers in smaller groups. If you are interested in attending this event in the future, look out for another one in the Spring 2015 term!
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