CSUS, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Career Updates, Sep 11, 2008
"Career Updates" is a weekly career newsletter on topics of interest to the students, alumni, faculty,and friends of the CSUS College of Engineering and Computer Science. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, go to http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career and click. SUBMIT ARTICLES: To submit articles for the newsletter, go to http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career and click on"Submit an Article for Career Updates". Back issues are available at http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career. Excellent career and hiring info and help is also available athttp://www.ecs.csus.edu/career. ________________________________________________________________________
At the end of last semester I participated in numerous meetings with industry and government representatives who provided the College with feedback for our accreditation studies. For each meeting, a team of faculty was assembled to query the participants. We met with managers and our alumni to ask about their assessment of our academic programs and the preparation of our graduates to perform effectively in the real world. We visited SMUD, the California Air Resources Board, VSP, and the California Franchise Tax Board. We also met with Bennett Engineering, Dokken, and Fehr and Peers. Over the past 12 years, I have visited more than 50 companies with teams of faculty to discover what our graduates need to be successful. Although technical knowledge is emphasized in the meetings, with increasing urgency organizations are indicating that it is not just about technical expertise. In each and every meeting, a primary focus of the discussion was on the fact that success in computer and engineering professions goes way beyond the technical. We heard repeatedly that engineers and computer professionals are expected to be able to work both independently and in teams and to have exceptional communication skills. Employers expect their staff to be able to explain their projects and to advocate for them with both technical and non-technical audiences. Gone are the days when American employers just want to hire a geek to design or program. Globalization took care of that. That work is being offshored. Engineers are also expected to be prepared to assume leadership roles early in their careers. Employers want to see leadership qualities that developed over the course of a candidate’s educational experience through academic projects, and through sports, community involvement, and professional activities. As more senior managers retire, the recent graduate needs to be prepared for a meteoric rise into management. Employers of engineering graduates are increasingly demanding the "soft skills" that are so often lacking in the candidates that they interview. An example shared in the Civil Engineering Department meetings by representatives from Fehr and Peers was that anyone they hire must operate effectively and diplomatically in hostile situations while presenting proposed projects at public hearings. What they mentioned was that critical communication skills, an understanding of political processes, and the ability to persuade others (i.e., funding agencies, stakeholders and interested parties) are not always sufficiently emphasized as part of the engineering curriculum. Things are changing out there and engineers need to do more to prepare themselves for the expanding definition of what it is to be an engineer, regardless of the discipline. Let’s face it, engineers and computer science majors have a demanding curriculum that focuses on math, science and technical skills, and it frequently leaves little room or little time to explore public speaking, communication studies, the psychology of groups, business fundamentals and government relations. There are other departments on campus that provide such coursework, but rather than focusing on selling the bridge, engineers tend to focus first on making sure that it won’t fall down or that the system cannot be breached by terrorists. Increasingly, technical professionals need to be multidimensional. To survive in the new economy you will need to be able to speak, to write and to think outside the box of your particular discipline. You will have to demonstrate passion for your discipline. It’s not just about doing the calculations or creating the design. For career success, you also need to be able to explain what you know and to translate your expertise into language that informs and persuades a lay audience. Sometimes that audience will be eager and receptive, sometimes it will be hostile. Your senior project will give you a good sample of how technical skill development can be integrated with communication functions. You will be required not just to write code and make the program work, or design a vehicle or device, you are required to complete extensive documentation of your proposals and projects, to demonstrate team cooperation, to finish the project with a professional level presentation, and to respond to the questions and criticisms of your peers. Companies scrutinize these projects and all aspects of your performance on the team. For most technical majors these skills do not come easily. It takes time and lots of practice. If you wait until you are a senior to develop your "soft" skills you will be selling yourself short. Do it now! Get on it! Get an internship early, join a professional organization, take on a leadership role, manage the budget of a campus club, stretch yourself in your classes by getting help on your writing assignments from the Writing Lab in the English Department. You need to be concerned with developing your communication skills. Look more critically at what GE courses you take. You need to know something about business and government and the political process, and you might not want to skip over that introductory psychology course. It’s not enough to know how machines work; you also have to know something about how people think. Engineering is not just about numbers, data, and things; it it also about people.
Welcome back to school! This is a friendly reminder about our first ASME general meeting that will be held this week. Please find the meeting information below.
DATE: 9/11/2008 Thursday TIME: 6:00 PM LOCATION: 1010 Riverside Hall
Guest Speaker: Cici Mattiuzzi, Director of Career Services College of Engineering and Computer Science
Topics: Resume writing will be explained (and samples given) as well as a survey of all of up coming hiring events and the great services that this office provides to students and alumni.
Our new ASME officers will like to meet with you and provide the most updated information about tours and events including the upcoming HPV competition.
Please join us with FREE PIZZA and SOFT DRINKS!!!
More infomation may be found with on our ASME website: http://gaia.ecs.csus.edu/~asme/
The CSUS student section of ASME helps to provide students with networking opportunities and exposure to industry. Through speakers, tours, and more experienced ASME members we are able to make our members more well rounded students. Not only that but they can be involved in the Human Powered Vehicle competition or other ASME competitions. Lastly being a member looks good on your resume!!!
Fabulous opportunity to work in a beautiful place!!! Imagine working on a highway so beautiful or a bridge so spectacular that people come from all over the world to see it. That’s what you’ll find in Oregon. ODOT has a huge paid internship program! We hire 50 students each summer. This is a great place to spend the summer and to think about planning a life here!!! We also hire new grads and experienced civil and construction management engineers with very competitive salaries and paid moving expenses. Great benefits- 100% employer paid!!! ODOT Information Session Presents internship and career opportunities to our CE and CM majors Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., RVR 2018 ECS Conference Room Lunch will be provided For nearly 100 years, we’ve created, maintained and supported a strong, safe and reliable system of highways and bridges, public transit, marine, air and rail freight systems, passenger rail, and bicycle and pedestrian paths. When you live it, you know it — and that’s what our professionals do every day, in every part of the state. If growing by experience interests you, check out ODOT’s exciting opportunities. Graduate Engineering Program ODOT’s Graduate Engineering Program (GEP) is designed to develop new and recent engineering grads into professional engineering experts in a variety of technical transportation related disciplines. For up to twenty-four months, participants are provided rotational assignments throughout ODOT engineering disciplines, such as Bridge, Roadway, Traffic, Geotechnical and more, and receive a salary, a full benefits package, and mentorship from a registered PE. College Internship Program Our internship program is highly competitive, garnering interest from across America. In 2008, ODOT hired students from BYU, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Oregon State, Texas Southern, and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, just to name a few. Students must be in good academic standing, enrolled in a transportation-related engineering discipline and recommended by their faculty advisors. Guest speaker at this event: Paul Wirfs is currently the Engineering & Asset Management Unit Manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. His current role with ODOT includes the leadership of Geotechnical Engineers, Engineering Geologists, Hazardous Material specialist, and Hydraulic Engineers, in addition to all Asset Management functions within the technical services branch. Mr. Wirfs is a registered Civil Engineer in Oregon, Washington, and California and is a registered Environmental Engineer in Oregon. The 4th generation native Oregonian obtained a B.S. in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University. Before joining ODOT, Mr. Wirfs worked for the California Department of Transportation in addition to the consulting positions held at private firms. For the past 21 years, Mr. Wirfs has worked on engineering related projects across the western United States with a particular focus on bridge hydraulics, stormwater, and erosion control.
Summer 2008 Salary Data
Source: National Association of College and Employers Salary
Bachelors Degrees
Masters Degrees
* no offers were reported for statistical analysis
