A senior engineer’s ten-year work summary

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The thoughts of an experienced engineer: Guys, I’ve been an engineer for over a decade, working in both research and development as well as management! Looking back on my career as a engineer, I’m filled with emotions. I’d like to share some heartfelt words—they serve as a reminder to my fellow engineers, hoping that they’ll fare better than we did! 1. Improve one’s professional knowledge, broaden one’s knowledge base, learn from others’ experiences, and avoid taking detours. Ask questions with an open mind. 2. Plan your own path carefully; don’t just go with the flow! Based on their personal ideals and decisions, the vast majority of people do not aspire to become academicians or professors; instead, they hope to live a more comfortable and enjoyable life. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully plan one’s path. Start with one industry and gradually gain a deeper understanding of it; avoid changing jobs frequently, especially not just for a slight increase in salary – in the long run, that amount of money is insignificant. Once you have several years of experience in an industry, money will no longer be a problem. Frequently switching fields isn’t a good strategy; in the end, you won’t truly master any industry and will always remain a novice! 　　　 3. While working on technology, one must also understand the industry and market conditions; one must not become engrossed in technology alone. One must never focus solely on mastering technology! Put too much pressure on yourself; if you focus all your attention on this, then you are destined to become someone like Kong Yiji! This affects one’s personality. I used to be more extroverted, but after working in technology for a long time and striving for perfection, my personality became more introverted. One must learn to know the right measure. 　　　 4. Don’t just be an expert in technology; also become an expert in overall comprehensive skills! When working in a company, we often look down on certain people, saying they \"don’t know anything; why do they get such high salaries, why do they get promoted!\" ”This is the typical pedantic talk of engineers in general. He must have his own abilities to be able to make it up there; abilities that you simply don’t possess. Think about it – the boss has been in business for so many years; could his experience be less than that of a newcomer like you? They might be good at management, at understanding the boss’s intentions, at coordinating departments, and so on. Therefore, it is essential to develop various skills in oneself, including management abilities, charisma, the ability to read people’s expressions, and problem-solving skills. Those who become experts in comprehensive qualities have a bright future ahead; otherwise, they can only stay in the corner and watch the oscilloscope! Skills other than technical ones are the more important abilities! ! Throughout history and across the world, it’s always been the same! 　　　 5. Make more friends from all walks of life in society! Don’t only socialize with engineers, thinking that you have a common language with them; what’s more important is to interact with people from other backgrounds. If you hope to become a manager or hold a senior position someday, it is these people you will be dealing with on a daily basis. Understanding their experiences, ways of thinking, hobbies, and the patterns they use to handle problems, as well as being aware of the phenomena and issues in various aspects of society, is a tremendous asset for future development. Without this knowledge, one will struggle and face numerous difficulties, having to pay a high price for mistakes, which reduces the chances of success! 6. Knowledge acquisition need not be specialized, but it must be broad! Read more books on other subjects—finance, accounting, import/export, taxation, law, etc.—to build up some knowledge for the future; it will be much more useful later on! You’ll pay much less in tuition fees! ! 　　　 7. Seize the opportunity to make a transition into technical management or marketing! To have a promising future, one shouldn’t stick solely to development; at the right time, one should transition into management or sales, which will offer even greater prospects. All that time spent on technical work wasn’t wasted—it will still come in handy in the future. Working in management helps develop one’s leadership skills, while working in sales fosters an understanding of the market and relevant thinking patterns, At the same time helping to build a extensive network for future development! It can be said that this is the true pillar of the future! ! ! 　　　 8. Gradually overcome one’s psychological weaknesses and personality flaws! Suspicious, sensitive, naive (in a negative sense, not endearing), indecisive, timid, overly worried, too thin-skinned, lacking in sensitivity, dogmatic thinking. . . These common personality weaknesses among these engineers must be changed! Is it difficult? Of course, just thinking about it in bed won’t do anything. Helping a friend run a street stall for a month will definitely be effective. Take action—don’t just daydream! Without overcoming these shortcomings, nothing is possible; you won’t even be able to serve as a project manager well—even if you are skilled technically! 　　　 9. While working, prepare for the future! Create your own working environment! Set up a working environment for yourself as early as possible – equip yourself with a computer, an oscilloscope (you can buy a used one), a simulator, a programmer, and so on. You can take on some freelance work on the side; this will allow you to get in touch with the market, develop an understanding of it, and also help you save money. More importantly, it enables you to prepare your own products. Those of us in the technical field don’t have money – we only have our skills. What truly represents skill isn’t academic qualifications or certificates, but products. By creating decent products, it becomes possible to transfer technology or collaborate with others to start a business! Prepare the things first and wait for an opportunity; otherwise, you won’t be able to seize it even when it arises! 　　　 10. Learn to be good at promoting yourself! It is essential not only to be competent, but also to be able to speak and write, and to make use of every opportunity to promote oneself and build one’s own brand image! Create conditions for others to get to know you; otherwise, how will the boss know that you are capable? How can outside investors trust you? Promote yourself early, and opportunities will naturally come to you! It's a good idea to have a personal homepage! ! In particular, it’s important to build a reputation within the industry; once you have that reputation, high-paying job opportunities will follow naturally. More importantly, it also opens up opportunities for collaboration... 11. Take action when the time comes! There can never be 100% certainty! ! ! When the conditions are right, one should dare to take action and build a career of their own. There’s no need to hesitate or waver. Success isn’t guaranteed, but at least it provides experience for future attempts; if one doesn’t take action, they will never achieve anything, and failure is an inevitable part of trying to succeed. Without going through hardships, how can one see a rainbow? No one can succeed easily! 12. Technology must never be lost; starting a business can reduce labor costs, and failure can provide the opportunity to gather strength and try again – this is an asset. Learn to make use of various resources. Learn more about the needs of customers and the market.