How to Get Ahead of 99% of Engineering Students

Summary

This video offers six strategic tips to help university students excel academically and professionally. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a standout portfolio and resume, securing internships early, engaging in personal projects, building software knowledge, crafting a comprehensive collection of learning resources, and focusing on understanding rather than memorizing. By applying these tips, students can set themselves apart from their peers and prepare for a successful career post-graduation.

Takeaways

• 📚 Focus on building a solid foundation during university to be highly skilled in areas that matter for future job opportunities.
• 🎓 Implementing just three of the six tips can set you apart from 80% of peers and improve your career prospects post-graduation.
• 💼 Create a standout portfolio and resume to differentiate yourself from the crowd and increase your chances of job application success.
• 🔍 Personalize your resume with the right guidance to transform it into a 'job landing machine'.
• 📚 Get an internship early to gain real-world experience and apply theoretical knowledge practically.
• 📈 The timing for internships is crucial; aim for the end of the second year of university to maximize learning.
• 🛠 Engage in personal projects to simulate real tasks and develop skills beyond university coursework.
• 💻 Build software knowledge and proficiency as it's essential for modern engineering roles and gives you a competitive edge.
• 📝 Craft a collection of resources such as notes, design guides, and example calculations to sustain and build knowledge.
• 🧠 Understand concepts deeply rather than just memorizing for exams, as real-world engineering requires innovative problem-solving.
• 🔗 For further guidance, the speaker provides links to videos on creating a resume and portfolio in the description.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script provided?

The main focus of the video script is to provide six strategic tips for university students to build a solid foundation, gain skills, and position themselves for successful employment upon graduation.

Why is it important to create a proper portfolio and resume according to the script?

Creating a proper portfolio and resume is important because it differentiates a student from others, making their application stand out and increasing the chances of securing a job.

What does the script suggest as the perfect time to get an internship?

The script suggests that the perfect time to get an internship is at the end of the second year of university studies, as students would have covered fundamental concepts and can contribute more effectively.

What is the purpose of doing personal projects as mentioned in the script?

The purpose of doing personal projects is to develop skills outside of university coursework, simulate real-world tasks, and create a body of work that can be showcased in a portfolio and during job interviews.

Why is building software knowledge crucial for students as per the script?

Building software knowledge is crucial because it helps students stay competitive in the job market, as engineers are increasingly dependent on technology and programs for their work.

What is the script's advice on how to improve software proficiency as a student?

The script advises students to normalize the use of software programs during study sessions, checking answers to hand calculations or assignment questions using these programs to build and maintain their skills.

What does the script mean by 'craft your collection'?

'Craft your collection' refers to creating a library of resources such as notes, design guides, textbooks, example calculations, and spreadsheets to build and sustain knowledge as a student.

How does the script suggest students should approach learning in university?

The script suggests that students should focus on understanding concepts rather than memorizing, as this will better prepare them to solve unique problems they will encounter in their professional careers.

What is the script's stance on the effectiveness of traditional study techniques?

The script implies that traditional study techniques may not be as effective as the six tips provided, which are tailored to enhance practical skills and real-world applicability.

What does the script recommend for students who are unable to secure internships?

For students unable to secure internships, the script recommends engaging in personal projects and building software knowledge to keep up with their peers and gain an edge in the job market.

How can students make their learning experience more practical and applicable according to the script?

Students can make their learning experience more practical by doing personal projects that simulate real tasks, building a collection of resources, and focusing on understanding rather than memorizing.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Building a Strong Foundation for Post-Graduation Success

The script emphasizes the importance of strategic planning during university years to ensure a smooth transition into the job market upon graduation. It suggests that most students struggle to remember what they've learned and often face challenges in securing employment. However, by following the tips shared in the video, students can stand out among their peers. The speaker outlines six personal strategies that they used to secure multiple internships, a graduate job before graduation, and academic honors. The first tip is to create a distinctive portfolio and resume to stand out in a competitive job market.

05:01

💼 Securing Internships and Enhancing Skill Set

The second paragraph focuses on the value of gaining real-world experience through internships. It suggests that the end of the second year is an ideal time to intern, as students have covered fundamental subjects and can contribute meaningfully to the workplace. The speaker warns against waiting too long to gain practical experience, as internships can significantly impact one's learning curve and readiness for a full-time job. Personal projects are also highlighted as a way to develop skills outside of university coursework, with the speaker providing examples from the field of Structural Engineering.

🛠️ Developing Software Proficiency and Personal Projects

This paragraph discusses the necessity of mastering software tools for engineers and the importance of continuous learning in this area. The speaker shares personal strategies for integrating software use into study routines and emphasizes the long-term benefits of this approach. Additionally, the paragraph introduces the concept of creating a personal collection of resources, such as notes and design guides, to aid in knowledge retention and revision, with a focus on making these resources comprehensive and easily accessible.

📘 Crafting a Comprehensive Resource Library and Understanding Concepts

The speaker details the process of creating a personal library of resources, including notes, design guides, and example calculations, which serve as a valuable reference for both studying and professional work. The importance of condensing and organizing notes effectively is underscored, as is the practice of creating flow charts for various design procedures. The paragraph concludes with advice on the importance of truly understanding engineering concepts rather than merely memorizing them, as real-world problem-solving requires innovation and adaptability.

Keywords

💡Foundation

In the context of the video, 'foundation' refers to the essential knowledge and skills that students need to acquire during their university years. It is the base upon which they build their professional capabilities. The script emphasizes the importance of focusing on areas that truly matter to ensure that students are well-prepared for their future careers, as opposed to merely memorizing information that they may forget after graduation.

💡Strategic Moves

Strategic moves are deliberate actions taken alongside academic studies to enhance one's career prospects. The video suggests that by making strategic decisions, such as creating a strong portfolio and gaining internships, students can position themselves advantageously in the job market. This concept is integral to the video's theme of proactive career development during university education.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio in this video script is a collection of a student's work and achievements that showcases their skills and experiences. It is crucial for differentiating oneself from other applicants in a job application process. The script highlights that having a special and well-prepared portfolio can significantly increase the chances of securing a job upon graduation.

💡Resume

A resume is a document that provides a summary of a person's professional and educational background. In the script, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having a high-quality resume that stands out among hundreds of other applications. It is a key component in the job application process and is part of the strategic moves students should make to excel in their careers.

💡Internship

An internship is a form of work experience where students can apply their academic knowledge in a practical setting. The video script suggests that getting an internship early in one's university career is beneficial as it provides real-world experience and makes students more attractive to future employers. It also helps in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

💡Personal Projects

Personal projects are self-driven initiatives undertaken outside of academic requirements for the purpose of skill development. The script mentions that engaging in personal projects can simulate real tasks that one might encounter in a professional setting, thereby preparing students for their future careers and making them more competitive in the job market.

💡Software Knowledge

Software knowledge refers to the familiarity and proficiency with various programs and applications relevant to one's field. The video script underscores the importance of being adept at using new programs and improving existing skills, as it is a significant advantage in the engineering and other technical fields. It is part of the ongoing learning process that students should embrace during their university years.

💡Collection

In the context of the video, a 'collection' refers to a curated library of resources such as notes, design guides, textbooks, and example calculations. The script suggests that building such a collection is key to sustaining and enhancing one's knowledge base. It serves as a valuable reference for both studying and professional work after graduation.

💡Understand vs. Memorize

The script contrasts 'understanding' with 'memorizing' as two different approaches to learning. Understanding implies a deep grasp of concepts and theories, which is essential for solving unique problems in engineering. Memorizing, on the other hand, is portrayed as less effective for long-term retention and application in professional settings. The video encourages students to focus on understanding the material to prepare for their future roles.

💡Academic Achievement

Academic achievement in the video refers to the recognition of high performance in one's studies, such as graduating with first-class honors or receiving an award like the 'university medal.' The script uses this as an example of the tangible results that can be achieved through the application of the tips provided, highlighting the value of academic excellence alongside practical skills.

Highlights

University is a critical time to build a solid foundation and position oneself for post-graduation employment.

Implementing just three of the six shared tips can significantly improve one's job prospects compared to peers.

Creating a standout portfolio and resume is crucial for distinguishing oneself among numerous applicants.

A proper portfolio can transform a resume into a powerful job-landing tool.

Getting an internship early, ideally by the end of the second year, is beneficial for real-world experience.

Internships should be sought after acquiring fundamental knowledge to avoid performing only menial tasks.

Personal projects, outside of university requirements, are essential for skill development and showcasing abilities.

Choosing personal project topics that align with future job roles can demonstrate relevant skills.

Building software knowledge is crucial in today's technology-dependent engineering field.

Using software programs regularly during study sessions can enhance proficiency and maintain skills.

Creating a personal collection of notes, design guides, and example calculations aids in knowledge retention.

Condensing and organizing notes into a comprehensive resource is beneficial for both studying and professional reference.

Understanding concepts deeply is more important than memorization for solving unique engineering problems.

The ability to innovate and adapt solutions is key in the professional world, unlike standardized exams.

Utilizing the university years to fully grasp theoretical concepts is essential for long-term professional success.

The video offers additional resources on improving one's portfolio and resume for career advancement.

Viewers are encouraged to explore further videos on the channel for detailed guidance on crafting a standout portfolio.

Transcripts

University really is the time in your

life where you can focus on building a

solid foundation and with some strategic

moves alongside your studies you can

position yourself so that you're highly

skilled in the areas that truly matter

and are able to walk straight into a job

the moment you graduate however for 99%

of people they'll remember less than

half of what they've been taught they'll

spend months looking for a job after

they graduate and after a while they'll

find themselves asking where did it all

go wrong although you don't have to be

like the rest because even if you

implement just three of the six tips I

share with you in this video you'll be

better off than 80% of your peers and

these tips are not the same tips that

you see in other videos that recommend a

dozen different study techniques no

these are the tips that I personally

used to learn multiple internships while

I was a student learn a graduate job 8

months before finishing uni and also

graduate with first class honors and the

university medal for academic

achievement and these tips are not for

everyone but that's exactly the point

all right now the first tip I have for

you is to make a proper portfolio and

resume as a student with zero

connections no real world experience and

being just one application among

hundreds of others your regimen

portfolio has to be special it has to

differentiate you from everyone else an

application that looks like every other

one will get treated like majority of

job applications it will get tossed to

the side and never even read for people

who fall victim to this this means time

and time again they're going to miss out

on opportunities and eventually fall

behind although the truth is in just a

couple couple of hours and with the

right guidance you can turn a crappy

resumé into a job Landing machine I

personally have gone through many

iterations of resumes over the years and

through all these repetitions I've

really narrowed down what works and it's

a lot simpler than you might think and

I'm not special the resume making

process that I use doesn't only work for

me it can work for you too and I'm

certain of it since revealing my process

I've received many personal thank you

and appreciation messages from job

getting students and working Engineers

so no no matter where you are on your

journey I'm certain that you can apply

the same process now I won't be going

through the process that I Ed to make my

regimen portfolio in this video because

I've done it in detail in other videos

on my channel but at the end of this one

I will link you to those videos so you

can watch it after this one all right

now my next tip follows on for my first

one and it's to get an internship early

up until a certain point there's only so

much that you can get out of a textbook

a professor or even studying and once

You' reached that point you really need

to stop watching and get in the game in

my opinion the perfect time for this is

at the end of second year from my

experience by that point you've covered

a lot of the fundamental stuff and won't

need to be guided through the base

assumed knowledge and with continued

study and mentorship while you intern

you're actually able to become an asset

rather than just being a hindrance

personally I've seen quite a few

students who managed to get an

internship before this 2-year Mark and

in every case all they end up doing is

tasks that are extremely tedious and

that no one else wants to do and

realistically this is through no fault

of anyone at any of these companies

because it's just unreasonable to expect

someone who's trying to do their job to

spend hours and hours teaching the

basics when at University there's

someone who's paid to teach this stuff

and it literally takes months and years

to get through on the other hand though

don't let things go too far the other

way and wait for your first time to get

some real world experience to be at your

first graduate job those couple of years

that you can spend as an intern can make

an astronomical difference to your

ability the learning curve during your

first couple of years of working is

highly exponential and the difference

between a graduate who's been working

for 2 to 3 years before graduation and

someone who's never stepped foot in the

industry is literally night and day now

I know in rare cases even with every

effort some people still aren't able to

get internships and in these rare rare

cases this is where tip number three

will allow you to keep up with those who

did get an internship and those of you

that are able to get an internship this

is where you're able to double up and

get even further ahead all right and tip

number three is do personal projects and

for clarity personal projects are

projects that you do in your own time

purely for skill development these

projects are outside of the ones you

need to be doing to pass your university

courses and are ones that simulate real

tasks that you would be doing once you

start working for example in Structural

Engineering a personal project could be

something like sketching up an imaginary

steel frame building and then going

through the full design process of

working out codes modeling and analyzing

your results and then creating a set of

construction drawings or even on a much

smaller scale you could pick a single

element to design like a reinforced

concrete retaining wall or a steel truss

the options for what you could do a

personal project on are literally limit

lless so it's completely up to you what

you want to choose and how far you want

to take things if you do need some

inspiration for what to do your personal

project on and this literally applies to

any field of engineering what you can do

is jump on LinkedIn and search up job

jobs that you would one day want to

apply for and then read the job

description and look for the skills and

tasks they want someone in that role to

have or be able to do and then pick

something that covers one of these

skills or tasks regardless of what sort

of project you choose make sure you

produce something that you're proud of

because this is something that you can

show off on your resume obviously in

your portfolio but also in job

interviews okay and number four is build

software knowledge these days there's no

two ways about it if you're not learning

how to use new programs and improving on

the ones you already know how to use

you're putting yourself at a huge

disadvantage all engineers in one way or

another are dependent on the technology

and the programs that they use at the

most basic level this is things like

Microsoft Outlook and teams and at the

highest level this is things like

programs that can handle 3D finite

element analysis and also knowing how to

create these sort of applications

through coding and programming now

depending on what type of engineering

that you're doing there are different

levels of Competency that you'll need to

have with this sort of thing but for

majority of engineering Majors just

being able to confidently use these

types of programs is enough now as a

student the best way that I found to

consistently build up my software

knowledge was to normalize the use of

these programs during my study sessions

for me that meant that whenever I had

the opportunity to jump into a software

program and check the answers to one of

my hand calculations or even an

assignment question I always made the

effort to do so most of the time if you

are solving an engineering Problem by

hand the complexity of the problem that

you're solving is Rel relatively low

compared to what a full design program

is capable of handling so the modeling

time for such a program is also quite

small too with this being said obviously

this extra effort will drag out the

overall duration of your study sessions

but the payoff in terms of maintaining

your skills and growing in this area is

well worth it in my opinion okay and

next is craft your collection what I

mean by this is that creating a library

filled with things like notes design

guides textbooks example calculations

summary sheet sheets and even

spreadsheets is key to building and also

sustaining your knowledge as a student

one of the ways that I began creating my

own collection was by repeating each one

of the tutorial questions after class in

this repeat I would completely break

down each step of the process and I

would also copy and paste any relevant

parts of the lecture or textbook next to

the question so that I had everything

relevant right next door by doing this I

was trying to make the process of

solving each type of question completely

foolproof and not only did this help

with my understanding at the time but

when it came to revising this type of

content this trick worked really well

besides this I also used to make a lot

of flow charts for different structural

design procedures and a lot of this

stuff I actually still use today one

thing I wish I'd done sooner and

something I've probably done now but I

suggest that you guys do it now while

you're a student is properly condense

your notes and make a resource that can

stand apart from all your other notes

recently I did this for some of my

reinforced concrete design notes and

combined it with some of the learnings

that I've had over over the last 2 years

working as a structural engineer but

this is really a resource I wish I made

while I was a student while it was all

fresh cuz it would have really helped a

lot with studying but also to just

reference when I started working also

for anyone interested in this guide I'll

leave a link to it in the description in

case you want to check it out all right

and number six is understand don't

memorize as an engineer a big part of

your role is coming up with solutions to

Unique problems and the keyw here is

unique this means that each problem is

going to be different and you can't just

regurgitate the same solution you used

last time as a student because of the

way we get examined it's really easy to

become a regurgitator at University in

the lecture you get taught a concept in

the tutorial you work through an example

problem for homework you work through

the same sort of example problems with

slightly different numbers and then when

the exam comes up you get the same sort

of question with slightly different

numbers again outside of University

things aren't so straightforward you

won't have all the information you'll

have to make a bunch of assumptions and

you also Al have to innovate and tweak

things to make it work if you don't

understand the theory and have a good

grasp on the concepts that govern what

you need to design very quickly you're

going to have to backtrack and get up to

speed on things as a student your main

job is to literally learn things so this

is one of the most convenient times in

your life to get stuck into the theory

and really understand things so make

sure you aren't just repeating questions

and memorizing things for your exams but

you're also educating yourself with the

knowledge that you'll really need after

you graduate anyways I hope that you

learned learn something from this video

and if you did enjoy it you might like

to follow through and start learning

about how to level up your regim

portfolio so you should check out this

video here where I explain how I made my

resume or that video there where I

explain how I made my portfolio as

always thank you so much for watching

and I'll see you in the next video

[Music]

bye-bye