I work out on a regular basis; whether I lift weights or walk or run outside, I make it a point to work out almost every day. Because of this, I am in pretty good shape, and I feel good and energetic most of the time. However, working out does make me very lazy in my dietary habits. For example, if I see cookies in the cabinet or walk by an ice cream shop, I usually give in to the temptation to eat these foods, because I think to myself, “I am going to work out tomorrow anyway.” The problem with that is that while working out will burn calories and help me to avoid gaining weight, it won’t prevent many of the other problems that sugar can cause for my organs and immune system. I bring this up because I believe there is an analogy here that directly relates to our engineering careers.
I run a career development community for engineers called the Institute for Engineering Career Development. We help engineers set goals, develop their soft skills, and become indispensable enough to raise that vaunted low engineer salary. Our members sign up with the best intentions of attending our monthly webinars and coaching calls and participating in our private social network, but then many of them get overwhelmed with other things and don’t participate much at all.
I know for a fact that many members are falling into this lazy habit. Having made the decision to join the community, they often feel that as paying members, they are already improving their careers—making them less keen to pursue other career development opportunities. For example, they might have the opportunity to attend a networking event but say to themselves, “Ah, as a member of the IECD, I can do a lot of networking there.” But they don’t!
Usually, when you have a goal like becoming physically fit and healthy or advancing your engineering career, just signing up for something or taking one course of action is not enough. If you identify that something may help you to achieve your goals, you must do it wholeheartedly and ensure that you are utilizing it to help move you closer to those goals. Otherwise, the physical workouts or the money you are paying to join a group or association may not help you at all.
I challenge you to identify something you are only giving half of your attention in your engineering career and to start to focus more energy and time on this endeavor. Use it to help you achieve a certain goal in your career or life.
This is a guest post by Anthony Fasano, PE, author of Engineer Your Own Success. Anthony found success as an engineer at a very early age and now writes and podcasts to help other engineers do the same. Visit Anthony’s website atEngineeringCareerCoach.com and subscribe to the top 3 resources Anthony has used to become a partner in a firm at the age of 27.