Customer Reviews (4)

So Far So Good
I am an Aerospace Engineer, and this book was brought to my attention by amazon based on other books that I have purchased.I haven't had a chance to read much of the book (only the first couple of chapters) but so far its been pleasing.When I found out that the writer was a civil engineer, I was worried that the book would be written toward a civil engineering audience, but so far the authors have kept the book general for all engineering backgrounds.As I read more of the book, I may regret my previous statement. I have read similar books, written toward emerging engineers as career guides and such, and this book seems to follow the same mold.Because I have only read a few chapters of the book, I can't say wether or not I would recommend it.I would say that if you have a book with a similar title or similar genre, it probably contains the same information as you will find in this book.Otherwise, it seems well written and easily readable for engineers.For aerospace engineers, I would recommend the author "Jim Longuski: Advice to Rocket Scientists"

Bridging Theory and Practice- A Guide to an Successful Engineering Career
I have for many years seen books come and go regarding the engineering profession and elements of a successful career.Berson and Benner have done an excellent job laying out how to jump start your career, how to develop on the job, how to prepare yourself to be a professional, and have also identified contemporary issues facing the individual engineer.The book is readable, practical, and useful.In engineering terms, buying, reading, and applying the knowledge communicated in the book will yield at least a 1000 fold return!I would recommend that every engineer should read this book!

Outstanding guide
I highly recommend that all engineering graduates be give a copy. This would be a great gift from family, friends, and alumni associations to the newly minted engineer. It is a must read whenever an engineer is considering a job change. An outstanding job is done in presenting ethics and professionalism in very pratical terms.

It may take a few years of experience to appreciate the depth and breadth of mentoring advice presented in this excellent career guide. Building a network of contracts and planning needs to start at the very beginning of a career. Understanding diverse aspects of engineering and business risks will be very helpful. I am particularly impressed with the insight provided for leadership and learning soft skills. The range of topics makes this a reference book to be reviewed every couple of years.

one of the best career advice books I've seen
I'm a retired professional engineer.I wish that a publication like this had been available to me when I was getting our of school.It would have helped my transition and career development. ... Read more

Product Description
nts on planning careers--particularly careers in nonacademic settings--and discusses how to obtain the education and skills necessary to attain their career goals. Profiles of science engineering professionals illustrate a variety of career paths. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Helpful
Reading this book proved very useful for my decisions. I picked it up a while ago and read through it while I was trying to decide what I should do in regards to science and grad school. This book's great tips, were a large influence in my chosing to go to grad school in organic chemistry.

My only problem with the book was that it was somewhat lacklusterly organized. A better index or talbe of contents would be nice.

Overall, if you need advice on this subject, this isa great choice. ... Read more

Product Description
Strong, impressive resumes that lead to the right job!

For job seekers wanting to create effective resumes that hit the target every time, the VGM Professional Resumes series is here to help them reach that goal. Each book in the series offers essential advice plus 100 sample resumes and 20 cover letters tailored to a job seeker's needs or field of interest. Includes a variety of resume formats, tips on highlighting strengths and using active vocabulary, and helpful work sheets for gathering personal information. ... Read more

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For students, recent college graduates, volunteers, career counselors, and anyone interested in working to protect the environment in the '90s, this is the most complete and reliable source of information available today.

Since the initial publication of The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers, the need for practical information on environmental career opportunities has grown tremendously. The New Complete Guide to Environmental Careers is an entirely revised and updated edition that provides readers with an invaluable overview of the entire spectrum of environmental career fields.

While retaining the personal narratives and breadth of information that made The Complete Guide so valuable, The New Complete Guide features a new, easy-to-read format and includes more statistical data, more information about educational paths to specific careers, new and expanded case studies, and in-depth analyses of environmental fields. Also included is general job-hunting information covering topics such as education, internships, volunteer programs, and career strategies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pretty okay.
Personally, I found this book really helpful. Mixing this and a new site I found (http://www.EnvironmentalCrossing.com), I feel much more confident in my job search. Actually, the site has jobs only from employer websites and far more jobs than I've found on other job boards. Coupled with this book, I'm not worrying nearly as much about the economy as I have been.

Good overview of environmental careers, I recommend it!
As Director of Environmental Studies I regularly recommend this book tostudents who come to see me about environment-related career possibilities.

The book is divided into 4 parts:

1) Job hunting in the environmentalfield.In this section readers are given hints about education, usingvolunteer and internship opportunities, and ways to break into theenvironmental job market.

2) Planners and communicators. In this sectionreaders are provided info about jobs related to these two areas, includingenvironmental education.

3) Environmental protection. In this sectioninformation about industries such as solid waste management, hazardouswaste mgt, air quality mgt, and water quality mgt are outlined.There areopportunties in both private and public sectors for people trained in theseareas.

4) Natural resource management. This section describes the kindsof jobs most people tend to think of for someone trained in theenvironmental sciences: land and water conservation; fisheries; wildlifemgt; park maintenance and mgt; outdoor recreation; and forestry.

All inall, this book provides a nice introduction to environmental careers.Iknow that students of mine have used this book to look for job directions,and to show their parents that choosing a major in environmental studiescan lead to a wide range of viable career options.

Probably the bestoverview book on the market.

5 stars.

Alan Holyoak, Director ofEnvironmental Studies, Manchester College, IN ... Read more

Product Description
In the fields of Engineering, Science and Information Technology, there remains an underrepresentation of female leadership in entry level, intermediate, upper level, and senior level management positions, creating an insufficient number of role models to encourage other women to join these typically non-traditional female fields of work and study.

Women in Engineering, Science and Technology: Education and Career Challenges provides a collection of recent high-quality empirical studies related to the education and careers of women in engineering, science and technology disciplines, with cases on innovative approaches to attracting and supporting women in training courses, and discussions on the effectiveness of mentoring, role models, government policy, and initiatives by professional bodies. This reference work is ideal for professionals and researchers working in the field of education and career development for women in engineering, science and technology, while also offering insights and support to academics concerned with attracting and retaining women in these disciplines, and providing information to members of professional bodies representing engineers, scientists and technology workers who wish to encourage women during their transition from education to the workforce. ... Read more

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As a long-time NASA engineer and astronautics professor, Jim Longuski watched first hand as gifted rocket scientists and students learned their way around the lab only to lose their way in the board room.

Longuski decided to write what he calls a survival guide for rocket scientists. In this small book, Longuski uses humor and personal anecdotes to give engineers and scientists an edge in an industry in which one gets ahead as much on interpersonal-skills as on technical merits.

If you are a rocket scientist, or want to become a rocket scientist, or know and care about a rocket scientist – then this book is for you, Longuski explains in his introduction.

The book is especially valuable for those who are attempting career transitions, whether from student to aerospace worker or from aerospace worker to university researcher or teacher. Longuski explains how the work place is different from the academic environment. He gives readers real-world advice about how to find jobs, negotiate offers, and keep bosses happy. He implores students to have confidence and speak directly with potential employers rather than simply mailing in resumes and hoping for the best.

He tells readers how to produce technical reports and give presentations that will keep colleagues interested. In a chapter called What if the Rocket Doesn’t Work? he helps engineers cope with failure.

Longuski presents a reality that too many scientists and engineers ignore: Getting ahead and staying happy involves mastering inter-office politics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great... All Aerospace Engineers should give it a read!
"Short, Sweet, and To the Point" is the best way I could describe this book.I would recommend it to all aerospace or aeronautical engineers, whether a student or a seasoned vet in the field.In my opinion,its a great nightstand book because the chapters are very short.You can easily read 2 - 3 chapters in 5-10 minutes.Again, short and to the point.It contains an abundance of useful information for your early or upcoming career.If I were an advisor or professor, I would require that all my 4th year students read the book.

Not too shabby
I wish I had read this book a few months before I had, because I ended up learning all of this from those in my aerospace class that had decided to GTFO after getting they're BS degrees and I stuck around to get my MS.

One of the biggest disappointments about this book was its significant dedication to those who want to get a PhD and become a professor and do research and all that. Not for me. But I won't (can't) judge this book based on the fact that I didn't do my research about its content beforehand. And besides, about half the book is useful to me anyways.

If you haven't got any friends who have done the whole resume, interviewing, and negotiating process, this book will be very useful. I disagree on a number of things with it, but the one I'd like to mention is the need for a multi-page resume. One of my buddies has a multi-page resume but only because he's done so much damn work that he needs the space. I found a way to write an effective 1-page resume to sell myself to get the interviews, and I even asked all of the interviewers, "What do you think of multi-page resumes?" to which they all would respond, "Not needed. That's what the interview's for." This comes from interviews with Northrop Grumann, JPL, and EchoStar. But everybody has a different experience. So this book still holds its ground in that respect.

Another thing my experience didn't agree with was the "bring a copy of your senior design report for each of the people who will be interviewing you." It's a great idea for most senior design survivors, but then again -- and I hate to be pretentious here -- they don't have what CU Aerospace seniors have: A multi-hundred page report that costs upwards of $30 to print. I ain't gonna print off even one more for my interviewers. They're all smart enough now to know to *ASK* the prospective hire for where they can see the work, and I have websites and non-restricted servers for them to poke around in. Works like a charm, and they can do their research offline without wasting time.

One more thing I disagree with, again from my experience: Unless it's the hiring manager you're talking to, bugging the engineers with phone calls is not the way to go. Yes, be forward, stay in contact, be appreciative, be communicative. But no, do not incessantly call them. Engineers are people do and they don't like to be annoyed when it's not their job to do the hiring. There are plenty of people who would be willing to talk to you, and are plenty of people who would NOT be willing to talk to you. But again, that's just my experience. I have found a nice middle ground in the interviewing process that avoids being annoying and avoids looking lazy.

But I'm just nit-picking here. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, not least because I could get all of its content in one day. I like the attitude that is portrayed in it: You won't be handed a job. Even with a 3.75 GPA and 2 internships and a graduate degree. You have to work for it. Sell yourself. (But don't sell out.)

Parts are A+ , parts are C+
Overall I give this book a "thumbs up", but there were several passages where the author came across as overbearing and pompous.It seemed the reader was being shouted at rather than advised.The good outweighed the bad, so I do recommend it to all you "new hires" out there.

Not Just for Rocket Scientists
I am not a rocket scientist, nor do I aspire to be one (I never studied math beyond geometry ...and my chemistry class partner and I almost blew up our lab); however, that said, I bought this book for two reasons: 1) I had a friend celebrating his 40th birthday, and I wanted to give him a book on rocket science as a kind of joke (said friend is now a midlife student of psychology, but professes that he wanted to be a rocket scientist in his youth), and 2)in my search for an appropriate birthday book, unearthed this little volume by Dr. Jim Longuski. I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Longuski many years ago, and found him to be a warm, informative person who enjoyed making his specialty (aeronautics) accessible and understandable to the layperson (me), and while this book has nothing to do with presenting the actual subject of trajectories and thrusts,it does inform the reader about how to negotiate the terrain of finding/securing/maintaining work in the aerospace field (including within the walls of academia)---all laid out by Dr. L. in the same warm, informative, accessible tone he uses with those he meets in person.The book is humorful and sensible, and, actually, his guidance could be used by anyone seeking a roadmap after college----be that person a rocket scientist or a shoe salesman.Thebasic, common-sense advice is applicable to most occupations.It's good to read a book by a gifted thinker, who is also down-to-earth and obviously caring.My only criticism is that I think he could have expanded some of the chapters a bit more, but one can make the argument that the brevity of the chapters makes the information more digestible.Nice work.

Invaluable at any point in a career
I had the privilege of overlapping in my time at the Jet Propulsion Lab with Prof Longuski. This book confirms many of the hard lessons of career life that the rest of us took years to absorb. I would recommend it to college-bound high school students, as well as college students and especially career engineers throughout their work life. There are so many "Ah-ha!" moments of real insight here, such as the "early burnout" point 10 years into an aerospace career, the fascinating overview of graduate school (from both the student and professor perspectives), how to "interview your boss" for a prospective industry job, and how teamwork really operates in the workplace. Much of this is applicable to just about any professional career. Thanks to Prof. Longuski for making a genuine contribution to the field of career development (and help others understand what makes a rocket scientist tick!). ... Read more

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Perpetual Business Machines is a business manual written especially for technical professionals striving to operate in the new economy: a global economic environment marked by knowledge, convergence of technologies, and free markets. Perpetual Business Machines channels the author's personal experience in the high-tech industry during all phases of business cycles. Chapters address the key principles of profit-making, market analysis, product management, business procedure, troubleshooting, and more. Presenting its ideas enumerated point-by-point, Perpetual Business Machines is a "must-have" for anyone in the technology industry looking to strengthen their understanding of how business works and what common errors to avoid in collaborations and other ventures. ... Read more

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Community colleges play an important role in starting students on the road to engineering careers, but students often face obstacles in transferring to four-year educational institutions to continue their education. "Enhancing the Community College Pathway to Engineering Careers", a new book from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council, discusses ways to improve the transfer experience for students at community colleges and offers strategies to enhance partnerships between those colleges and four-year engineering schools to help students transfer more smoothly. In particular, the book focuses on challenges and opportunities for improving transfer between community colleges and four-year educational institutions, recruitment and retention of students interested in engineering, the curricular content and quality of engineering programs, opportunities for community colleges to increase diversity in the engineering workforce, and a review of sources of information on community college and transfer students. It includes a number of current policies, practices, and programs involving community college - four-year institution partnerships. ... Read more

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This book features 12 engaging biographies of women and men in engineering--from a robotics engineer and a neuroengineer to transportation and ecological engineers, and more.

These remarkable engineers share their stories and provide personal photographs. They describe what they do, how they got into it, and why they enjoy it.

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To survive in the corporate world, technical professionals need to know how to manage themselves and others, how to communicate, how to analyze the business implications of their work, and more. Most of all, they need to learn how to become leaders. This book covers the entire range of business management topics, emphasizing results-oriented techniques that are immediately useful. ... Read more

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Based on research with 200 accomplished professionals, "Building a Winning Career in Engineering" offers twenty-five proven ways to build and sustain a successful engineering career. Using a very practical approach, it examines specific "soft skills" that complement technical course work, and demonstrates how to learn and implement strategies such as integrity, perseverance, public speaking, leadership, and negotiating to take one to the top of their profession. Complete with success stories, discussion cases and insightful tips, it serves as an excellent reference and provides a road map for building a winning engineering career. A collection of 25 strategies demonstrate proven ways to build and sustain a successful career. Presents the author's findings based on a research study with 200 successful engineering professionals. Success profiles illustrate how real people in 5 different technical professions have used recommended strategies to make it to the top of their respected professions. An excellent tool for anyone looking to be a success in their chosen profession. ... Read more

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Up-to-date, professional resume-writing advice details the essential components of successful resumes and cover letters for any profession or background. Includes a variety of resume formats, tips on highlighting strengths and using active vocabulary, and helpful work sheets for gathering personal information. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Waste of money
I bought this book hoping it would help me with my resume.The example resumes are terrible.You can get better resume writing advice for free from many university career center websites.

nothing but useless examples!
Avoid this book.It contains nothing but the most basic resume writing tips, and at that, they are very outdated.Exerpt: "Though there may be instances where you deliver your resume in person, usually you send it through the mail."Have any of you actually mailed your resume out, at least before this economic setback?No, of course we've been emailing them for years.The 20 pages of this book (1/8 of the total) that actually talk about resume tips are very similar, as if the only reason this book has a copyright in 2000 is for the dates on the sample resumes - the rest is straight out of the 80's.

I expect much more from a book targetted for engineers.This MIGHT be appropriate for much less technical positions. ... Read more