How to Turn Problems into Benefits in Your Engineering Career

Anthony Fasano posted 2014-11-06

The following is a summary of Episode 33 of my podcast, The Engineering Career Coach (TECC) Podcast with Anthony Fasano, PE. I will summarize the main points in this post; however, you can also listen to the show through the player below or by subscribing on iTunes. I offer a career-changing tip at the end of each podcast session.

In this session of the TECC Podcast, I coach Kathy from Florida, a Civil Engineer specializing in water and wastewater. Because Kathy is married to a military officer, her biggest challenge is that she has to relocate every three to four years. With that said, the real challenge arises every time she gets a job interview. She is afraid to even mention that she is a military spouse because it could potentially sabotage here chance of getting the job.

If you are facing a big problem in your engineering career, consider changing your perspective.  Anytime you are faced with a challenge, always ask yourself where’s the opportunity in the situation. Changing your perspective can have a positive impact in your life and career.

If you face a similar situation as Kathy with regards to having to relocate frequently, here are some things you could do to make your transition easier:

  • Build your network on LinkedIn. – This is especially important if you don’t know where you are relocating. Make a list of all of your possible destination cities and try connecting with one person per city per week. Spend some time looking into bigger companies that have offices across the country to make future transitions easier.
  • During the interview, show how you can give value to the prospective employer.  List all of the reasons that your past relocations have helped you become stronger and how you can translate your experiences into benefits for them. 

What is your biggest challenge today and how can you change it into something positive?

Anthony Fasano, PE, author of Engineer Your Own Success, 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 at EngineeringCareerCoach.com and subscribe for access to the top three resources Anthony used to become a partner in a firm at the age of 27.