SouthEastern Michigan Section
CWPC/ECSC
Career Survival for
Engineers and Scientists
in the 21st Century
A 1-day career management seminar developed
by the
IEEE-USA Career & Workforce Policy Committee
in cooperation with the
IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services
Committee
June 10, 2006
Career Survival for Engineers and Scientists in the 21st Century
A 1-day career management seminar developed by the
IEEE-USA Career & Workforce Policy Committee
Date:
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Time:
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location:
University of Michigan - Dearborn
Fairlane Center - North Entrance
19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126
Cost:
$25 unemployed/student; $50 members; $70 non-members by 27-May
Includes continental breakfast, lunch, and handout of slides
Registration:
IEEE Southeast Michigan Website
Web:
http://www.emcsociety.org/ieeempac.html
IEEE-USA and IEEE Southeast Michigan care about your career development. This Career
Workshop provides practical and powerful strategies to maximize your career talents
presented in a positive and entertaining way. This program will open your eyes and senses to
see your career in a brand new light. You can not afford to miss this perception-changing
career makeover program.
Every mega trend requires new frontiers, new visions, new tools, and new problem solving skills.
The latest trend on the economic battlefield is globalization of commerce, science and
technology development. Change is the only unchangeable force in nature. Engineers’ and
scientists’ career markets have gone through the following paradigms:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
1950s-1960s: Secure engineers in corporate world
1970s-1980s: Restless and trend-knowledgeable engineers
1990s-2000: Project-based engineers
Future Trend: Globalization, Globally competitive engineers
Engineers, technologists and scientists have created incredible inventions using their scientific
minds, logical and differential cognitive powers. Our scientific and engineering training equips
engineers with the best tools for future career markets. However, it is time for us to upgrade our
tool sets and sharpen our scientific minds to integrate diverse perspectives. The new globalization
paradigm requires adopting new tool sets (communication skills and perceptions) to turn negative
energy into positive breakthroughs. They include cognitive, emotional and behavioral upgrades
and psychological makeover.
With the career paradigm shift, engineers and scientists have encountered severe conditions, such
as high unemployment rate, multiple layoffs, outsourcing, declining benefits, burnout, declining
health, age discrimination, and many more. Many fell through a silent crack due to shame, pride,
or negative coping strategies. Engineers, technologists and scientists need to have a support
system, a clear self-analysis, and understand their strengths and areas for future growth.
The ultimate goal of this Career Workshop is to empower engineers, technologists, and scientists
and their profession. It motivates engineers and scientists to work with management and human
resources to innovate their own career and lifestyle in the 21st Century with empowered vision,
confidence, and global leadership in technology and scientific frontiers.
Objectives and Outcomes
The goal of this seminar is to teach you how to help yourself manage/run your career in this era
of globalization and selective hiring.
You will learn about:
 Changes in job market, list of resulting challenges
 Job market requirements, how you relate to market, your business model
 Analyzing personal factors impacting adapting to new workplace
 Understanding personal weaknesses and strengths that can affect your success
 Starting a personal career plan, values statement, and branding
 New methods of job search, and begin development of your elevator pitch
 Understanding the interview process, what to expect, how to present yourself
 How to help yourself using IEEE resources and help available
and be motivated to try new job search approaches
Speakers





Paul Kostek is 2005-6 chair of the IEEE-USA CWPC.
Ed Perkins is chair of the CWPC subcommittee on Career Issues.
Greg Hutchins is an entrepreneur, management consultant and career coach.
Dr. Trudy Hu is assisting the committee with development of the pilot seminar.
Tarek Lahdhiri is a member of CWPC and the IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services
committees and a frequent IEEE-USA MPAC speaker on Project Management
Paul Kostek
Paul is a Systems Engineer with Boeing. Prior to Boeing he worked for a systems
engineering/project management-consulting firm. He worked with companies in defining system
architecture and design, system requirements, and software development standards. He received
his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, in 1979. Paul is a Senior Member of
the IEEE, was the 1999 President of IEEE-USA, and a member of the IEEE Board of Directors.
He also served as President of the IEEE Aerospace & Electronics Systems Society in 2000 &
2001. Paul is a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the
International Council on Systems Engineering, SAE, and the Project Management Institute. He is
also a director of the Washington Aerospace Alliance.
Edward Perkins
Ed has 30 years experience in the electronics industry, including hardware design automation,
program and project management, mixed-signal test development automation, design services
management, chip architecture development, software development, and real time embedded
systems programming. He was a program manager in the Virtual Test Division of IMS in
Beaverton, OR, where he was responsible for leading their mixed-signal R&D development
efforts. Ed also spent 10 years at Digital Equipment Corporation in the central engineering CAD
department where he was responsible for development and deployment of CAE services and
support to engineering groups worldwide. He has been an IEEE volunteer for 25+ years. He is a
Senior Member of IEEE and is Past Chair of the Oregon Section, Region 6 Membership cochair, and a member of the IEEE-USA Career and Workforce Policy Committee. He has a BSEE
and MSCS from WPI (Worcester, MA) and most recently an MS ECE specializing in VLSI
design and test from Portland State University (Portland, OR).
Tarek Lahdhiri, Ph.D., P.E.
In 1998, Dr. Lahdhiri joined General Motors Corporation in Warren, Michigan, where he is
currently holding the position of Lab Manager for the Vehicle Controls Systems-CAE in the GM
Engineering Process and Math Strategy Division. He is currently in charge of the real-time
synthesis, analysis, and simulation of vehicle control systems and subsystems. Dr. Lahdhiri is a
licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan. He is currently Region 4 PACE Chair, the
Region 4 coordinator for the IEEE-USA Employment & Career Service Committee, a member of
the IEEE Educational Activities-Best Practices Planning Committee, and the IEEE Student
Advisor at the University of Windsor.
Dr. Trudy Hu
Dr. Hu is a Licensed Psychologist and National Health Provider based in Beaverton, Oregon.
She is an advocate for engineers and scientists. Engineers and scientists are industry and society
builders and they deserve our highest respect. Dr. Hu has more than 12-year post-doctoral
clinical experiences and more than 20-year experience in business and human resources. She has
been the Editor-in-Chief for hi-tech organizations and column writer for journals and
newspapers. Serving people is her passion. She loves to work with you and your organization to
bring out the best in you. Her workshop features integration of multi-disciplines and multicultures. She provides valuable free information through her website, www.DrTrudy.com.
Greg Hutchins
Greg is a principal with Quality Plus Engineering (Q+E), a Portland Oregon enterprise solutions
company. Q+E is a federally approved provider of lean, program, supply, and risk management
advisory services as well as training. Greg has written many columns and articles on career
management for IEEE EAB, PMI and ASQ.
Q;CPC/2006Meetings/Detroit Workshop Schedule (Tab 1.2)
IEEE-USA Career Makeover Workshop
Seminar Schedule
Saturday, June 10, 2006
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Welcome and Introductions
Ed Perkins/Paul Kostek
Speaker and Attendee Introductions
Overview of Workshop Program
8:45 AM – 9:15 AM
State of the Engineering Workplace
Greg Hutchins
Communicate “Big Picture,” paradigm shift and dynamics
of job market. Understand changes, no return to past, list of
challenges
9:15 AM – 9:45 AM
Requirements for Success in the New Workplace
Greg Hutchins
Communicate what employers expect, what attributes are
needed to succeed. Understand market requirements, how to relate
to market, your business model
(EXERCISE)
9:45 AM – 10:00 AM
Break
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
How You Can Adapt
Greg Hutchins
Communicate attitudes and approaches needed to respond to new
workplace. Understand personal factors affecting
your ability to adapt. What are your “critical variables”?
10:30 AM – NOON
Career Makeover – Analyze Interpersonal Tool Sets
Dr. Trudy Hu
Paradigm shift: past, present and future trends. Highlight and
compare characteristics of the old and new paradigms. Assess your
career goals, working styles and personality. Integrate different
paradigms; empower yourself and your profession
- More -
IEEE-USA Career Makeover Workshop
Seminar Schedule cont
Saturday, June 10, 2006
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
NOON – 1:00 PM
Lunch and Issues Exchange
Paul Kostek
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Developing a Career Strategy for Change
Ed Perkins
Developing, branding and presenting a successful career plan.
Recasting your accomplishments (EXERCISE)
Identifying and building your “value added.” Branding
Consulting and other alternative work models.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Conducting a Creative Job Search
Ed Perkins
New ways find the right job and work opportunities.
Elevator pitch, networking, informational interviewing.
Continuing education. Elevator pitch – tell me about yourself
(EXERCISE)
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Break
3:15 PM – 4:45 PM
Closing the Deal
Dr. Tarek Lahdhiri
How to use your resume. How to sell yourself. Understanding the
interview process – what to expect, how to sell yourself.
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Recap and Conclusion
Ed Perkins/Paul Kostek
Wrap-Up and Program Evaluation