Episode Transcript
Now that your engineering career is underway, you have plenty of opportunity to progress.
- As you learn, you’re given more tasks.
- As you grow, you’re taking on more challenge.
- As you reach goals, you have more options.
- And as you surpass milestones, you’re advancing to new roles.
This is a very productive time in your engineering career. It feels good to keep it in motion.
You benefit from all your experience. And so, especially, does your employer.
But there comes a time when achievement starts to separate from fulfillment.
When all the doing is more about you being busy, and less about you feeling fulfilled.
Ultimately to feel fulfilled in your career means you get to make your unique contribution. The contribution that only you can make.
You get to make your mark. To do what matters to you.
Discovering Your Unique Engineering Career Contribution
If you already have in mind what you want your unique engineering contribution to be, you’re a step ahead.
We’ll talk about how you can make that happen in a minute.
If you don’t really know what you’re unique engineering contribution is, not to worry. You’re not alone.
Most women are not encouraged to think this way.
Instead you’re focused on doing the job. And perhaps working extra hard to show that you can do it exceptionally well.
But there’s a particular contribution that only you can make. One that aligns with your values, skills, strengths and passion.
And it’s important that you discover what that contribution is.
It’s important for you, definitely. But it’s also important for the world.
Because we need you. We need your talent. We need you to apply your unique talent to make a difference.
As you get to know yourself better through your energetic center, and as you define your career vision, you’ll gradually discover this unique contribution you want to make.
And heading toward – and ultimately making – that contribution is what brings you fulfillment.
The Formula for Making Your Engineering Career Contribution a Reality
To get to the point where you can make your unique contribution requires a bit of self-motivation.
A bit of steering yourself the right way down your career path to enable it to happen.
Here is my formula for helping you navigate that process.
It starts with self-advocacy.
Self-Advocacy leads you to more connections.
Connection then leads you to more opportunities.
And Opportunity then leads you to more contributions.
Including, specifically, the Contribution you want to make in the world.
This process culminates in career fulfillment and work that matters.
If you never reach that point of contribution, your career will still have been one of achievement.
But achievement that lacks true meaning for you.
Follow this Roadmap to Your Engineering Career Contribution
If you’re a frequent listener to Her Engineering Career Podcast, the details of each step in the formula are becoming familiar to you.
Here are some of the key aspects of each part of the formula that you can use as kind of roadmap:
Self-Advocacy
Self-Advocacy means knowing yourself. Sharing your story and your impact.
It means aligning your career with you. Finding your career pathway and leading yourself along it.
It means creating and revising and communicating your career vision.
It means prioritizing your career over your job.
It means having confidence. And asking for what you need and want.
Connection
Connection means building, maintaining and leveraging your network.
It means speaking up and being an insider. Participating in the greater technical community, professional organizations and events.
It means having a bigger picture mindset.
It means connecting with influential people. And putting yourself on a par with others in your field.
Opportunity
Opportunity means knowing your desired career trajectory and seeking opportunities in that direction.
It means creating opportunity. And putting yourself in the way of opportunity.
It means expanding your risk tolerance, taking career leaps and managing your career pace.
It means prioritizing job prospects that support your vision and your dream career.
Contribution
Contribution means making a difference. Having influence. Having an impact. Manifesting your career vision.
You might apply your values, skills, strengths and passion to solve a problem of significance.
Or make a long lasting contribution in your field.
You might apply your talent to advance technology, improve products, or protect or conserve resources.
It might mean achieving renown expertise. Or giving back.
Beyond Achievement to Engineering Career Fulfillment
Self-advocacy leads to connection, that leads to opportunity, that leads to contribution.
The key to this formula is focusing on how you want to make your mark in the world. You have something to offer that no one else can.
You’ll make great progress reaching goals and achieving career milestones.
But more than that, your unique contribution will bring you fulfillment as it makes a difference in the world at large.
Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast we’ll explore how to manage the balance between your career best interests and those of your employer.
Be sure to tune in for Episode 145.
