Engineering is vital for everyday
life as it shapes the world we are living in and the future we are relying
on. Graduate engineers play key
roles in meeting the needs of society today and the future in areas such as
climate change, medicine, information technology, electronics, economic
development and etc. These
contributions of engineers are a prerequisite to success.
Thus, to bring more insight to the
engineering students and graduates, Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) together with Singapore University of Technology and Design
Library (SUTD Library) and Hong Kong Baptist University Library (HKBU
Library) organised an online panel discussion with experienced industry
practitioners on the important topics of engineering study and research for
students, researchers and industry practitioners on 21 and 23 September 2020
via Webex Meeting.
Invited for the engaging
discussion session were SUTD Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of
Surgery, National University of Singapore (NUS) Dr Huang Shaoying, Program
Leader of Cyber Security, Department of Computing Macquarie University Dr
Alireza Jolfaei and IEEE Client Services Manager with prior experiences in
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and
Agilent Technologies Inc Dr Wu Rong
Zhang. IEEE Inc, Manager Client Services (Asia) Alex Liu Yupeng moderated
the discussion.
During the discussion, the panels
discussed on engineering studies for undergraduate, postgraduate studies on
research, publishing, skills required for an engineer, career planning and
preparation, professional development challenges or changes in the current
and post-Covid 19 era and global citizen from the environment to digital
safety.
Dr Huang advising
engineering students and graduates
Dr Huang advised the engineering
students and graduates, “You need to equip yourself with a mindset that is
eager to learn and good skills. Never stop yourself from learning and try to
determine the field you like the most. Besides, always get yourself to
participate in events and activities. By attending the event, you will be
able to figure out the area or field that you are interested in. Once you
find the things you are interested in, put in some effort and transform it
into a skill.”
Dr Alireza added, “Other than
participating in events or activities, students or graduates also need to
improve their soft skills in order to blend into an organisation and use the
soft skills to contribute to the team and the organisation.”
Dr Zhang giving
career tips to graduates
Dr Zhang, who is an industry
expert, gave career tips to graduates, “Life is always unpredictable and
it’s the same with your career life. You will definitely face difficulties
in your career pathway; do follow your heart to find the things that are
right for you. When you are happy with your job and it creates excitement
for you, then you are on the right path.”
Dr Huang added, “Curiosity is
always the best teacher, hence be eager to learn, it will lead you to
success. Be passionate about the job you do, it will lead you along the
way.”
Dr Alireza sharing
ways to overcome obstacles in career
Dr Alireza shared some tips to
overcome obstacles in career, “The best way to overcome obstacles in your
job is to ‘welcome the obstacles’. Learn to accept your obstacles with an
open heart and welcome the problem. If you have issues, do something about
it. Burying it does nothing but eat you away. Break the challenges down and
tackle them in smaller pieces, take it as it’s a part of learning.”
Dr Zhang emphasised, “Choose the
right person to work with and put effort to understand the person you are
going to work with, this will bring fewer obstacles in your path.”
Dr Huang concluded the discussion
by stating the importance for engineers to contribute to environmental
safety, “As an engineer, we need to always keep an eye on the environmental
impact. We need to think wisely before we invest in research. For example,
the invention of plastic brings human convenience, but this causes pollution
to the earth, this is what we need to pay for the price.”
The panel discussion then saw an
active interaction between the panels and the participants. It was followed
by a Q&A session before it adjourned.
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