7 Ways to Move Up the Ladder with a STEM Degree, Part 1

7 Ways to Move Up the Ladder with a STEM Degree, Part 1 7 Ways to Move Up the Ladder with a STEM Degree, Part 1 7 Ways to Move Up the Ladder with a STEM Degree, Part 1When it comes to your engineering career, youve done everything right. You got that hard-earned degree. You snagged the job. Youve worked and sweated. Youve proven yourself to your firm. Now, you want to take the next step into management.Just one problem How do you show your bosses that youre ready and able to take on the role?The good news is that making this transition is leid as challenging as it may seem. About half of all workers with college STEM training are now working in non-STEM jobs, particularly finance, business and management, according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center. There is a path to follow here.Heres what you can do to set yourself apart, gain leadership skills, and move up the ladder 1. Have a planToo many professionals fall into the trap of complacency when it comes to their care ers. Before you know it, 20 years have gone by and youre elend where you thought you would be. Thats why developing a plan is an important first step to any long-term goal.If management is an area youre interested in, its a good idea to say, Im in this place right now. I would like to end up over there in five years. What do I have to do right now in order to be prepared when the time comes? says engineering career strategist Terry Suffredini.For You 5 Reasons for Engineers to Give Back2. Get trainingManagement involves a different skillset than what youve likely been employing in your engineering position.Its a totally different animal being in management. For the average technical person whos a left-brained, analytical thinker, its elend a natural transition.Terry Suffredini, engineering career strategistIts a totally different animal being in management. Oftentimes youre not doing the day-to-day technical stuff anymore, Suffredini says. For the average technical person whos a lef t-brained, analytical thinker, its not a natural transition. So you need to be prepared for it.Training doesnt necessarily mean going back to school to get your MBA. You can study on your own, through reading, taking online courses, or participating in leadership seminars. Another option would be to find a mentor whos in the field. Talk to people in engineering management positions, find out what their daily work involves, and develop those unique skills.3. Hone your people skillsA major component of management is, not surprisingly, being able to manage people. If youre not a people person, its time to become one. That means its important to work on your interpersonal and communication skills.Management and leadership really come down to people. If you think because youre good at something technically, youre going to be a good manager, thats not necessarily the case. Once you get into management, you have to delegate. You have to manage teams. You have to deal with confrontations. Y ou have to call clients and run meetings. If youre not comfortable doing that, its going to be difficult to be successful as a manager, says Anthony Fasano, bestselling author, speaker, and founder of the Engineering Management Institute.One thing you can do to hone these skills is find opportunities for public speaking. It shows your firm youre a good communicator and able to lead discussions. Its also a skill many engineers dont have, which means youll stand out all the more.Part 2 outlines ways 4-7 to move up the career ladder with a STEM degree.Tim Sprinkle is an independent author.Read More12 Skills You Need to Advance an Engineering CareerInterviewing Basics for Engineers

This is the point when cold weather becomes dangerous

This is the point when cold weather becomes dangerousThis is the point when cold weather becomes dangerousSome people are truly into the winter - and who doesnt love the part where you get to snuggle up ina cozy sweaterwith a hot drink after a long dayin the snow? But even if you arent someone whofeels the cold, sometimes the weather can actually get so frigid that its dangerous to go out. But when is it too cold, and what should we do to stay safe? Wrap up and read on.How cold is too cold?The point at which cold gets dangerous is a higher temperature than you might think, especially if you live somewhere that frequently sees temperatures in the teens or lower. Its safe to be outside if the temperature is 32F or above, saysDavid A. Greuner, MD, FACS, co-founder and director of NYC Surgical. If the temperature falls between 13F and 31F, you should take breaks from the cold approximately every 20 to 30 minutes. If wind chill temperatures are 13F and below, you should remain indoors. W ind chill measures the true danger of weather conditions by factoring in how the low temperature and wind speed combine to remove heat from an exposed menschengerecht face. To get a better idea, check outthis chartcreated by the National Weather Service. For example, if the ambient temperature is 20F and the wind speed is a breezy 10 mph, the wind chill is a significantly colder 9F.Even worse for us than the wind is water, warnsMichael Richardson, MD, a Boston-based family medicine practitioner with One Medical. During the winter, we try to insulate our body with warm clothes that trap in our heat, but what if that protective layer becomes drenched when we have to slog through the snow, or we trip in a slushy puddle? Wet clothes can lead to a rapid drop in your temperature, as the thermal conductivity of water is roughly 30 times greater than air. This means water transfers heat away from your body more effectively than air, so youll get colder faster. Thats helpful in summer, but i n winter, Dr. Richardson cautions, it can be a fast track to hypothermia.Who is fruchtwein vulnerable?While 32F is the limit for most people, some people are extra susceptible to the cold. Dr. Richardson explains, Most people can get away with going out in the cold if dressed appropriately, but very young toddlers, infants, and the elderly have more difficulty regulating their body temperature. If you are going out with your child or an elderly person, you may want to plan ahead to minimize their exposure to the cold.Janette Nesheiwat,MD, a family and emergency medicine doctor in New York, adds, Cold injury is exacerbated by dehydration, drinking alcohol, and being ill or if you have an underlying medical disease like Raynauds disease, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), and circulatory problems. If youre already battling health problems, dont add cold on top of itWhen does frostbite occur?Its most famously associated with Arctic explorers, but frostbite isnt picky. Frostbite can occ ur when a body part isnt properly protected in the extreme cold, Dr. Greuner warns. The colder the wind chill is, the quicker frostbite comes on. According to that National Weather Service wind chill chart, if its 0F outside and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, creating a wind chill temperature of -19F, youre at risk of frostbite after being exposed for just 30 minutes.The condition starts slowly and gets gradually worse. The first symptoms of frostbite are sore, red skin, which is called frostnip, Dr. Greuner says. If you are experiencing these anfangsbuchstabe symptoms, get indoors immediately The extent of the damage is measured in four different degrees - similar to heat-related burns - Dr. Nesheiwat says. The severity of your injury, she tells us, is determined by the depth of tissue freezing. First-degree frostbite starts when your fingers become painfully cold, may change color to red and then maybe turn grey or blue. You may get tingling and loss of sensation. The worst type of frostbite, the fourth degree, is deeper than the skin, and includes muscle, nerves, and bones, and can sometimes lead to amputation. In this very advanced stage, Dr. Greuner adds, the skin becomes very hard and cold to the touch and darkens depending on your natural skin color it may look blue and later turn black.What precautions should we take?If you can, stay inside when its below freezing outside - but if thats not an option, start by dressing the part. In addition to a hat, gloves, scarf, and warm shoes or boots, Dr. Greuner suggests you layer up. Wear three layers of loose clothing. Your first layer should keep you dry, the second should be made of an insulator like fleece, and the third should be wind- and waterproof, he says. If you can, he says, take regular breaks from the cold, every 20 to 30 minutes. And if you notice any signs of frostbite, go straight inside.Unfortunately, its not just frostbite you have to worry about. Avoid strenuous activity, because events lik e heart attacks occur often in the cold, Dr. Nesheiwat says. Pace yourself, stay hydrated, and avoid alcohol because it gives you a false sensation of warmth. Be aware that the impact of cold can creep up slowly. As Dr. Richardson explains, Mild hypothermia presents subtly - you become short of breath, your heart beats faster, and you start to shiver. These are all signs that your body is trying to compensate for the cold, so take this as your first warning that its time to head indoors for some hot cocoa. Well take one of those too, please.This article was originally published on Your Coffee Break.

The Right Way to Network With a Recruiter

The Right Way to Network With a RecruiterThe Right Way to Network With a Recruiter Tired of applying to jobs, but getting nowhere? According to career experts , it may be because youre not going out of your way to network. But if youre dreading the thought of going to another industry meet-and-greet or grabbing coffee with your former coworker, you can relax - networking can be much simpler than that. In fact, you dont even necessarily have to leave home. A gesture as small as shooting over an email or LinkedIn message to a recruiter can end up making a big difference.Of course, if you want to make the best impression possible, you cant just say the first thing that comes to mind - youll have to be a little more strategic. To learn more about the dos and donts of reaching out to recruiters, we chatted with three career experts. Heres their advice for sending a message that puts your resume to the top of the pile.You might be wondering Why exactly is reaching out to a recruiter so beneficial?The most important thing youre trying to do in reaching out to a company recruiter is getting them to like you and consider you further for the position, says April Klimkiewicz, career coach and owner of bliss evolution . You may also have questions and want to gather information, but that should be secondary to being polite, kind, enthusiastic about the position and respectful of the recruiters time - these are all guaranteed ways to get on a recruiters good side. And when you establish a personal connection with a recruiter, it can do wonders to help you stand out among the dozens, hundreds or even thousands of other applicants all vying for the same job.It might feel a little strange to reach out to a recruiter at first, but you shouldnt be shy. Really, youre doing them a favor.If youre nervous about reaching out, think of yourself as assisting the recruiter in doing their job. If youre a great candidate, you might be just the right person theyre lo oking for, and you reaching out can help you stand out from other applicants and help the recruiter get the position filled sooner, Klimkiewicz points out.So when exactly should you reach out to a recruiter?The best approach is to research the companys open positions on their website, apply to said positions and then contact the recruiter with details pertaining to your experience and the specific job opening that is of interest to you, says Jamie Warfield, Career Specialist at Ama la Vida . But if you do not have a specific position in mind, it is perfectly fine to brag about yourself a little bit and let the recruiter know you are a rockstar candidate in the job market and actively job seeking.Remember, though, to think about things from a recruiters perspective. Rather than focusing on doing whats most valuable for you, put yourself in the recruiters shoes to figure out what would be most valuable for them .You want to make them feel that you are filling a need they have, not just sending an unsolicited resume, says career coach Mary Warriner.For example, you shouldnt reach out regarding a position youre totally unqualified for, or vorderteil eines schiffs a recruiter by calling their cell.Starting with an email or LinkedIn message and escalating to a phone call if you dont hear from the recruiter can be seen as pushy, Klimkiewicz says.Sending an email regurgitating the information already found within your job application can also be frustrating for recruiters since it adds nothing new to the conversation.A follow-up email shouldnt be a copy and paste of your cover letter . Let the recruiter know that youve done your homework and you know something about the company, the job and maybe even the recruiter themselves, Klimkiewicz continues.Having trouble thinking of what exactly to say? Warriner suggests using this message as a template, customizing the different areas as appropriateI just applied to the XYZ position posted on your website and wanted to be sure you received it. I am very interested in working for Company Name, as I have 10 years of manufacturing management experience. I am just starting a search for a new company as I am moving back to the Chicago area next month and Company Name is the first that Ive looked at. This position aligns with my previous experience, but Im also impressed with Company Names drive to innovate and give back to the community .I will be traveling to Chicago several times over the next month and would be happy coordinate my trips to accommodate an interview with you.I dont want to take up any more of your time, as I can see from the job listings that you are very busy, but Im really excited about this opportunity and look forward to speaking with you. If there is anything you need from me, dont hesitate to reach out 555-555-0000.The worst that can happen is that the recruiter doesnt respond - and in the best case, theyll appreciate your thoughtful note and enthusiasm for the opportunity . So really, what have you got to lose? Go out there and network