Goal Setting 1

[controlnovice]

Why is it that my manager always asks what I want to be doing in five years, always followed by: technical supervisor, manager, project manager, etc.?

Why can't I continue improving myself as an engineer - staying on the technical side? I know there is a ceiling by staying an engineer - at least here there is. But it's what I enjoy doing.

Any help?

 

[buzzp]

That question, is always a loaded question. They generally want to know what your goals are. Do you want to be a manager? Do you want to run your own business (most people would not say this)? Do you want to stay in your present position? da da da
This is one of those questions they tell hiring managers to ask in their classroom manager training. I never ask this question unless I think the person has no goals and therefore no motivation. I am not saying this is you just merely stating my opinion about this type of question.

 

[That1Guy]

Consider the other option, which is one I'm familiar with. You're bored with your current responsibilities, yet there is nowhere for you to progress to. If I were to ask my employer what I'd be doing in five years, they'd tell me "exactly what you're doing now". It's heartbreaking in a career sense when you have desire to be more and better than you are, but you aren't given the opportunity. Even more so when your employer not only doesn't give you an opportunity, but actively wants you to stay exactly where you are.

Bored engineers tend to start developing bad habits, like lacking attention to detail, missing due dates, poor interdepartmental communication. A general apathy sets in, which is really bad for professional activity and can take control of your career.

The only way I've managed to find a way around this is by studying and trying to obtain my P.E. license (which the exam is in less than 2 weeks, *shudder*). I don't know what I'll do after my exam, unless I have to take it again in April. But I'll cross that bridge after I get to it.

There is plenty to be said for knowing what you are doing and feeling comfortable with your responsibilities, but that can lead to stagnation depending on the type of person you are.

I suppose things will all work out, in one form or another. Hopefully for the better of everyone involved.


Regards,

Byron T.

 

[HgTX]

I was just asked flat out if I wanted the management track or not. At my level the only difference is some small amount of supervisory duty and I figured it couldn't hurt.

My job changed not one iota after I got my license. I'm not in a design function so no one around here ever seals anything, and they still don't authorize non-managers to sign letters. What the license is for is getting some other job some other time (and for now giving me two more pay grades I could move up into).

Hg

 

[GregLocock]

Byron

There's a huge difference between not progressing, formally, in the company career structure, and your personal and professional progress.

I am in a technical dead end. They can't pay me any more. They can't promote me (not quite true, but near enough). I don't want a different job. I certainly don't want a supervisory or management job. Yet I am happy and, in my opinion, making progress. As each year passes I have more influence over the way the product is designed, and get to work on more interesting problems.



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[That1Guy]

Greg,

The fact that you have more interesting things to work on as time progresses is good. I would like that to be the case where I work, however, after you've designed one sheetmetal enclosure, you've designed them all for most applications. The primary extent of my job is "make this 2" wider than you did last time" or "make this 6" shorter and add a dripshield". I am using nothing of what I went to school for, and there isn't anything particularly challenging about what I do, 7.5 hrs out of 8 during the workday.

I realize that my situation might be less common than most, but my point was to differentiate from Controlnovice's situation, and hopefully shed some light that there are worse things to have happen than your boss hinting at wanting to promote you or at least see you in a more responsible role at some future point.


Byron T.

 

[epoisses]

Controlnovice,
Would all of those complaining engineers rather have become department or plant managers in hindsight, dragged off their hobbyhorses? No way! If engineering is what you enjoy, I guess you already gave the answer to your question yourself. The reason why your manager asks you is because he needs to do his planning, you would have asked your people the same question all the time if you had his job (luckily you don't).

 

[jsummerfield]

Consider goals to broaden your technical experience. The work that you do now maybecome obsolete soon. Goal setting could be planning to learn to program in a a new database.

Companies want people to have the opportunity to grow in their experiences. Thus they have some flexibility in staff assignments and corporate leadership. They need people who are happy to do their present job description so long as that is the work required in the future and the future is at the some location. One day, you may need to supervise the offsite firm that takes over the work that you do now.

John

 

[controlnovice]

Thanks everyone for their comments.

I do enjoy what I'm doing. And I have broadened my technical experience. I started with Electrical Systems Maintenance, then Electrical small project design, complete electrical system design, large synch motor studies and system design, instrumentation, control systems (hence the nickname).

Where I am now I am supervising offsite firms that perform the detailed work, but I get to do design the more complex functions - something you can't let an outside firm perform (usually 'cause it's just as easy for you to do it rather than write a spec and review their work).

I just wondered if I tell my boss that, hey, I don't want to be supervisor/manager in 10-15yrs, if that really shows a lack of goals (perceived drive/ambition).

Maybe I'm just fortunate (just not the Senators son)that I enjoy what I'm doing and have absolutely no desire to be a supervisor.

 

[IRstuff]

Rather than presenting a negative, you can always spin it positively, by describing the skills and accomplishments you want as an engineer in 5 yrs.

TTFN