Engineering is a very pragmatic career path. You have a problem, you have your parameters, and you solve them. It deals with exact figures and roles you need to take into account. It also has a proverbial glass ceiling. Many top engineers want to do more with their career, but being at the top means there is little room for progression.
That is, of course, unless you put aside many of your responsibilities as an engineer and take up the mantle of manager. Unfortunately many companies have tried and failed to promote top engineers into management. Being a great engineer means you know what needs to be done, yes, but it doesn’t mean you know how to lead or help their business make critical steps forward.
Just because you currently lack these skills, however, doesn’t mean that you cannot learn them. Dedicated MBAs for engineers are designed specifically to help you learn the ins and outs of business and management, and help you develop the skills that will make you an effective leader.
Working towards such an MBA offers so many possibilities beyond a management position, however. You can truly make your mark. You can become an executive. You can start your own business. You can be a policy maker. You could be the voice of your industry. There are so many ways you can advance your career, and combine your expertise in engineering with leadership.
Skills You Will Need
Being a leader requires a lot of soft skills to be mastered, and though you can learn tips and tricks, at the end of the day you will need to develop your own approach to these skills.
- Listening
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Self-reflection
- Time management
- Project management
- Teaching
And those are just a few of the skills you will need to have under your belt. You need to inspire, to help those working under you to improve and work on their weaknesses and build up their strengths. A great leader is one who builds up their team and knows how to direct their business and project forward into success.
If you have reached the pinnacle of your career as an engineer, then you have greater insight into what needs to be done and the quality of work necessary, but you may not yet have the skills or business knowledge to lead. That is where that MBA comes into play.
Knowledge You Will Need
If you know how to successfully run a business, then you are ready to manage or start your own. There are many different processes, and though you may not individually working on all the essential business tasks, you need to know how to do them and what to do.
Financial management, budgeting, drafting project proposals, acquiring funding, overseeing a project, managing those working for you – the list goes on. If you are aiming to become the manager of a region, or to head a global corporation, then the tasks and knowledge you need just increase.
From global business leadership to supply chain optimization – it’s a lot you wouldn’t have had to think about before, but with the right MBA and certifications you can excel in. Don’t learn on the job, perfect on the job, and learn with the right online MBA designed to help you advance your engineering career in whichever way you need.
How to Progress Your Career: The Tools Available
There are a variety of tools out there that will help you learn what you need to advance your career in engineering.
1. A Dedicated MBA for Engineers
The first, and most prominent educational tool is always going to be an MBA for engineers. Most engineers are barred from management positions because they don’t have the skill or the temperament to be a manager or supervisor. It requires a whole other set of skills and experience, and the fact is having a talented manager work with a top engineer is often the better choice for business owners.
That doesn’t mean it is impossible to work towards executive-level management, just that you need to prop your skillset up with business management skills. That is where an MBA comes into play.
Your MBA can cover topics such as accounting, international business, financial management, human resources, strategic management, marketing management, and even how to start a new venture on your own.
There are so many reasons to seek out an MBA for engineers, and you can learn more about them from Kettering University. With the ability to customize and fit your MBA to your individual goals, you can advance your engineering career in whichever direction you see fit.
2. MBA Certifications
The reason why MBAs are so useful is that they can be customized, both in the courses you take and in the additional certifications that you work towards. From supply chain and enterprise resource management to healthcare management all the way to global leadership.
3. Workshops and Short Courses
There will also be workshops, short courses, and even conferences that you can go to that will help you continue to learn and work on your skills. The sign of a great leader, one that can reach the top and then still take the next step forward, is that they are always dedicated to improving themselves. Take your MBA, and continue to learn.
How to Progress Your Career: The Options
For engineers, you have three main options when it comes to career advancement. There are others, of course, but the top three choices ahead of you include:
1. Pushing for Executive-Level Management
Going from the top engineer to executive level management is not easy, but it is far more achievable with an MBA and business background. You will also need to work to network, negotiate, and fight your way up to the top. It isn’t just your skill that matters in this situation, but also who you know and how well they like you.
2. Starting Your Own Business
If you don’t want to play that game, or have your own ideas, then you can take what you learn from your MBA and work to start a business of your very own. Starting a business needs a lot of planning, so it can actually be best to go into your MBA with the intention of starting your business, so you can work through the kinks and apply what you learn directly to your goal.
3. Becoming a Key Figure in Your Field
This option can be done regardless of what career path you choose. Or you can make it your primary career path.
In short, when you work to become a key figure in your field you put yourself, and your thoughts, out there. Perhaps you have a blog, or you write for a prominent publication. You may gain clout in academic circles or amongst industry professionals.
Work your way up, and you will be invited to talks, could possibly guest lecture, or even start a business that works to educate and consult engineers from around the world. Take these efforts full-time, or keep them as a side hustle that will help propel your career regardless of whether you work for, or own a company.
How to Get Your Name Out There
There are so many benefits to getting your name out there by becoming a key figure. If you work for a global company, you can increase your chances of being hired in more prominent roles. After all, they want to show off that they have a top engineer and figure working for them. Similarly your efforts to get your voice out there will also bring more interest and attention to your own business, if you have one.
Think of it as building up your resume and cover letter, only instead of only hiring managers seeing your work, it is the global community. Make your name synonymous with quality and expertise in your field.
You can do this in a few ways:
- Start a blog and newsletter
- Write and publish your work
- Guest speak
- Network
Forging Your Own Path Forward
The one key characteristic that makes the most successful people in the world stand out from the rest is that they forged their own path forward. They took what they knew, and they tried a different way; a different way of thinking, of doing business, of achieving their goals. They are the ones who disrupted their industry and changed the game. You, too, need to disrupt the status quo. This can be in big ways, or in small ways. Either way, it is imperative that you work to develop your own unique leadership style and, even more importantly, that you forge a future for yourself. That future may be through promotions, it may be by starting your own firm, or it could be by creating an entire new dream. With the skills you now have behind you and a passion for what you do, anything is possible.
