School of PE Blog

The New Year has just begun. Have you made a New Year's resolution yet? While it makes sense that many make their resolution to exercise more or eat healthier, for example, have you considered making a professional resolution?

Why Engineers Should Make a Professional New Year's Resolution

The world of engineering is very competitive, and it's always evolving due to new engineering practices, technology, etc. To help you stand out in the engineering industry, creating goals that will help you stand out as an employee will be extremely beneficial.

1. Get Licensed

Getting a professional engineering license is the main to success in engineering. Becoming licensed will not also look good on your resume, but will make you more hirable, prove that you are a subject-matter expert in your chosen field, and will give you more responsibility.

2. If You're Already Licensed, Knock Out Your Continuing Education Early

Currently, 42 out of the 50 state boards require some sort of continuing education. Depending on the state(s) you are licensed in, it may be a good idea to take some continuing education classes early to obtain your credits. States differ in their due dates for obtaining enough PDH credits for renewal, so don't wait till it's too late!

3. Learn a New Software

Another resolution to make you more marketable: learn how to use a new piece of software. Like we mentioned before, engineering is constantly evolving. By learning new software, you'll be able to add that skill to your resume and stay ahead of the curve on possible new engineering software trends.

4. Create SMART Career Goals

Ever heard of SMART goals? SMART goals are a great way to create measurable career goals to work toward. When creating a goal, use the SMART acronym to map out the specifics of that goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

5. Learn Project Management

Talk about another resume builder! Project management is a key piece in every engineering project. Those who are project managers help keep an engineering project on-budget and on schedule.

Did you know that engineers can become certified project managers? To become certified, one must take and pass the Project Management Professional, or PMP exam. If you do aim to become an engineer with the added PMP certification, you'll be able to:

Become a leader in your engineer firm

Use your risk management knowledge to determine any risk a project may present

Get extra time to communicate directly with clients

And more!

If you're interested in becoming a project manager and don't know where to start, taking an online PMP exam prep course will help you prepare for the certification exam.