Engineering Technology: Bridging Classroom Knowledge to Career Advancement
If you are investigating engineering technology graduate programs, you probably have one or more professional goals in mind. Perhaps you have heard that training in engineering or a related field can lead to a lucrative career. While an advanced degree in engineering technology or a related field can certainly yield countless rewards, it is wise to construct your academic path carefully if you want it to serve as a bridge to your dream job.
Read on for some basic insights into engineering technology as a discipline in addition to actionable guidelines to help you optimize your future career opportunities in this field.
Foundations of Engineering Technology
Although the history of engineering technology dates back to prehistoric times and tools like the lever and the pulley, it didn’t officially emerge from engineering as a separate and distinct field of academic study until the late 1940s and early 1950s. Since that time, engineering technology (or ET) has blossomed into an incredibly in-depth and diverse discipline with innumerable practical applications, many of which are in high demand.
What Is Engineering Technology?
Broadly defined, engineering technology is the hands-on application and practical use of engineering to develop real-world solutions to real-world problems. Engineering as a field encompasses a broad spectrum of concepts and principles that draw upon areas ranging from physics and mathematics to design and construction. Engineering technology, by contrast, has a narrower focus that involves translating raw engineering theory into practical, often tangible applications that deliver actual, beneficial results.
Of course, there are numerous similarities between the engineering and engineering technology fields. In the academic setting, they share a large amount of common ground in terms of core classes and bedrock knowledge. But while the engineering department of a typical college emphasizes general ideologies and abstract concepts, the ET department will emphasize the worthwhile use of those ideologies and concepts.
Why Is Engineering Technology Important?
Humanity has never before faced so many serious problems and anticipated so many exciting prospects at the very same time. Looking at any number of challenges and opportunities, the modern engineer is tasked with the efficient development and effective implementation of technology to address all our most pressing issues.
Echoing this sentiment, the independent engineering education organization All Engineering Schools points out the need for ongoing infrastructure improvement in areas that range from physical structure construction to transportation management and road repair. It also identifies environmental technology as a key engineering growth area. Focusing on matters such as pollution control, environmental engineering technologists help public and private organizations meet environmental regulations and embrace cleaner operational methods.
The Evolution of Engineering Technology Education
When institutions such as the University of Houston and Purdue University instituted some of the very first engineering technology ET programs around 80 years ago, they could scarcely imagine how the field would evolve over the years. Buoyed by the Soviet Union’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 and the resulting U.S./USSR space race, four-year baccalaureate ET programs flourished across America, and colleges and universities ultimately expanded to offer a range of two-year certificates as well as advanced master’s and doctoral-level ET degrees.
By the late 1980s, engineering technology had been widely accepted as an essential academic field that responds directly to industry demands. Due to its highly practical purview and focus on application and utilitarian value, the field requires workers who have been trained through hands-on experience along with traditional study.
Developing Your Education in Engineering Technology
Though you can specialize in any number of specific areas as a professional engineer, a concentration in engineering technology can help ensure that you are not only gainfully employed in a rewarding career but also serving in a key role for society at large. A degree in engineering technology is a great way to lay a solid foundation for future success.
The Value of an Online Engineering Technology Graduate Program
In the tech sector and elsewhere, a relevant and targeted graduate degree is one of the best ways to expand your professional prospects and advance your professional growth. The question is, what is the best route to get one?
There are advantages and disadvantages to all educational approaches, but many people have grown to appreciate the ease and convenience of online learning. In terms of engineering technology training, busy working professionals who already hold an undergraduate degree have benefited tremendously from securing a master’s in engineering technology online.
The ability to attend class in your pajamas has obvious appeal—but online programs also offer amazing flexibility in terms of pacing and scheduling. So, if you want to learn on your own time as you further your career, this just might be the best option for you.
Enhancing Technical Skills for Career Growth
Drawing upon the principles of mathematics, physics, and other hard sciences, the field of engineering technology is virtually impossible to enter without a specific set of technical skills. Basic technical proficiency alone is unlikely to land you the job of your dreams, but refined technical excellence will almost certainly have a positive impact on your overall career advancement opportunities.
While different technical skills may be more or less critical to different engineering technologists, the independent employment sector authority Teal ranks the following five technical and procedural proficiencies as among the “most important engineering technician skills in 2024”:
- Troubleshooting and systems analysis
- Emerging technologies
- Project management
- Health and safety awareness
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
Understanding the Landscape of Engineering Technology Careers
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment options for educated individuals in the engineering technology field span the realms of computer science, math, architecture, finance, sales, and general business. Furthermore, the BLS presents a long list of rewarding job titles common among engineering technology graduates, including construction manager, project management specialist, and chief executive.
The two most common official job titles for engineering technology graduates—both the software developer and the industrial engineer—boast employment forecasts far brighter than those of most other occupations in the U.S. With an expected addition of well over 450,000 positions between 2022 and 2032, the employment market for software developers is growing at a rate of 25% (compared with the 3% projected growth for U.S. occupations overall). The job outlook for industrial engineers is also quite impressive, roughly quadrupling the national average.
Advancing Your Career in Engineering Technology
Regardless of your educational plans, you should approach your professional goals in the right way in order to actually achieve them. Although no specific set of strategies is guaranteed to advance your career, you can generally position yourself for increased success if you:
Commit to Lifelong Learning
Continuing education is a crucial component of success in most fields and industries, but it is particularly essential for professionals in engineering technology. The never-ending complexity that underscores core ET concepts and processes lends itself to constant “refreshers” and ongoing exploration. Plus, the persistent march of scientific progress is always yielding new technologies and methodologies with the capacity to transform the profession entirely.
Hone Soft Skills
Engineering professionals might (and probably should) value the ability to think with computer-like logic and precision. However, professionals in any sector who fail to adequately consider the human element will inevitably struggle in their work. Therefore, it is imperative to balance technical expertise (or “hard skills”) with interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities (or “soft skills”). Interpersonal soft skills help people work well with others, and intrapersonal soft skills help people master their own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
We often consider soft skills to be innate characteristics that each person simply does or does not have. Yet, while some individuals are born with high capacity in one or more of these areas, soft skills can be acquired and refined much like hard skills. Top soft skills for current and aspiring engineering technologists include organization, communication, critical thinking, and empathy.
Define Career Goals
Without a particular destination in mind, getting where you want to go can be a challenge. For this reason, you should define your career objectives as clearly as possible before you set out to achieve them. Experts stress the supreme importance of setting both short-term and long-term professional goals that are SMART; in other words, they must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Strengthen Professional Network
Your network of professional and personal contacts can ultimately make the difference between career success and career disappointment. You can rely upon that network to garner information, advice, and leads while simultaneously providing relevant career assistance to others. Remember that networking prospects can come from anywhere. Consider people at all hierarchal levels as well as referrals to secondary sources when cultivating your professional network.
Welcome Challenges
Dedicated to finding practical uses for various engineering concepts and processes, engineering technologists are problem-solvers by their very nature. Hence, success in this field requires a welcome embrace of incoming challenges. Individuals who shy away from this type of work may want to consider a different career path.
Consider Professional Certification
As you think about your various academic degree options, you may also want to investigate your professional certification options. By meeting the educational, professional, and performance requirements for these certifications, you can better prove your value to potential employers.
The most common certifications in the world of engineering technology include the:
- NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) of the National Society of Professional Engineers
- CETma (Master Certified Electronics Technician) of the Electronics Technicians Association
- CST (Certified Survey Technician) of the National Society of Professional Surveyors
Stay Current on Industry Trends
As previously discussed, both the general field of engineering and the related field of engineering technology are constantly changing. Consequently, any professional in these fields who fails to remain abreast of the latest engineering trends is bound to fall behind. In fact, the practical application inherent in engineering technology makes continual industry updates even more critical than they are in the largely conceptual realm of pure engineering.
Real-World Applications of Engineering Technology Knowledge
Engineering technology professionals apply their skills in the real world to research and innovate solutions to problems, thus improving the quality of life for people around the globe. In practice, this plays out through designing, developing, and optimizing products, structures, and systems across various industries—including areas such as:
- Design and development of products and systems (from conceptualization to testing) to ensure functionality, safety, and efficiency.
- Manufacturing processes, improving production efficiency, and ensuring quality control using advanced machinery, automation, and precision tools.
- Infrastructure development for projects like roads, bridges, buildings, and utilities while assessing structural integrity, environmental impact, and sustainability.
- Information technology, which encompasses software, hardware, and IT systems and involves computer programming, networking, cybersecurity, and data management.
- Energy and environmental solutions like developing renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, and implementing sustainable practices.
- Transportation design and improvement of vehicles, networks, and safety measures in air, land, and sea systems.
- Healthcare, including medical device design, diagnostic equipment development, and healthcare facility planning.
- Agriculture and food production machinery, irrigation systems, and food processing technologies.
- Communication infrastructure, wireless networks, and satellite systems to help ensure reliable, widespread connectivity.
Learn How to Earn Your Master’s in Engineering Technology Online
Want to leverage the power of engineering technology as a successful professional? You must learn how to practically employ abstract principles and ideas in the educational and career setting alike.
The Master of Science in Engineering Technology program at the University of Memphis Global is dedicated to preparing students for advanced positions as engineer technologists who can apply high-level knowledge of scientific principles to real-life problems. Offered entirely online, this degree program is specifically designed by U of M for students who must work full-time while in school or have other education/work/life balance concerns. Request more information about this engineering graduate program, or begin your application today.
Sources
https://www.memphis.edu/uofmglobal/degrees/graduate/ms-eng-tech.php
https://www.allengineeringschools.com/engineering-careers/career/engineering-technology/
https://www.tealhq.com/skills/engineering-technician
https://www.bls.gov/OOH/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm
http://https/www.bls.gov/OOH/architecture-and-engineering/industrial-engineers.htm