Technical Career Survival Handbook: 100 Things You Need To Know

Technical Career Survival Handbook: 100 Things You Need To Know provides the information needed to survive a technical career, enabling prospective technical career candidates and those currently in technical careers to explore all technical education possibilities, industries, disciplines, and specialties.

This handbook better equips the reader to deal with the tough situations and decisions they have to make throughout their career. Topics include preparing for the workforce, employment challenges, and dealing with on the job situations. This book is a practical guidebook for scientists, engineers, and technicians who apply the principles of science and mathematics to develop practical solutions to technical problems.

Offers insights on how to pursue and navigate a technical careerDiscusses job searches, interviews, offers, and counteroffersIncludes day-to-day, in the trenches, job situations that may arise and best practices on how to address them

Part I. Preparing for the Work Force 1. Technical Careers 2. The Big Four Engineering Degrees 3. Other Engineering Degrees 4. Technology Degrees 5. Career Choice 6. College Selection 7. Engineering Technology 8. Graduate School 9. Day Versus Night School 10. Co-Op Programs 11. Internships 12. Alternative College Funding 13. Finding That First Job 14. Geographic Factors 15. Interviews 16. Opportunities for Women

Part II. Employment Challenges 17. Experience 18. Work Direction 19. Manager 20. Management Styles 21. Positions—Open Versus Created 22. Specialties 23. Contractor 24. Consultant/Self-employed 25. Part Time 26. Temporary 27. Technical Spectrum 28. Job Titles 29. Job Descriptions 30. Salary Structure 31. Key Employe 32. Nondisclosure Agreement 33. Company Size 34. Company Organization 35. Pensions 36. Training 37. Benefits 38. Public Versus Private Technology Companies 39. Industries 40. Industry Trends 41. Green Jobs 42. Regional Manufacturing Centers 43. Foreign-Owned Companies 44. Manufacturing 45. Engineering Department 46. Plant Engineering 47. Service Companies and Consulting Engineers 48. Government 49. Union Versus Nonunion 50. Utilities 51. Spinoffs, Acquisitions, and Mergers 52. Startups 53. Alliances 54. Joint Venture 55. Job Site Work 56. Commuting/Telecommuting 57. Reorganizations

Part III. The Job Search 58. Resumes 59. Headhunters 60. Staffing Firm 61. Networking/Newspaper/Internet 62. Offers/Counteroffers

Part IV. On the Job 63. The Midcareer Years 64. Technical Library 65. Associations/Societies 66. Seminars/Webinars 67. Publishing 68. Industry Standards 69. Employment File 70. Patents 71. Trade Secrets 72. Professional Engineer 73. Safety 74. Business Plan 75. Schedules 76. Budgets 77. Time Management 78. Specifications 79. Documents 80. Performance Appraisals 81. Decision-Making 82. Project Team 83. Scope of Work 84. Procurement 85. Trade Shows 86. Vendors 87. Meetings 88. Transfers 89. Feasibility Studies 90. Projects 91. Promotions 92. Demotions 93. Layoffs 94. Resigning 95. Relocation Packages

Part V. The Career 96. The Earning Years 97. Success 98. Retirement/Winding Down 99. Parting Advice 100. Glossary