Career and Mentor Satisfaction among Canadian Engineers: Are there Differences based on Gender and Company‐Specific Undergraduate Work Experiences?

Abstract

AbstractIn 2005, an in‐depth study was undertaken to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the career attitudes of Canadian engineers in the province of Manitoba. This paper examines the quantitative data on the relationships between prior undergraduate work experiences with their current employers and male and female respondents' career and mentor satisfaction. The results suggest that undergraduate work experience programs may play a role in enhancing engineers' perceptions of their recognized authority/expertise within their field. Results also show that prior work experience with current employers is related to satisfaction with mentors. Furthermore, a significant interaction effect was found for both prior work experience and gender as they relate to mentor satisfaction. Female engineers with prior work experience were the most satisfied with their mentors, while those without prior work experience were the least satisfied. Findings point to the value of company‐specific undergraduate work experience as a socialization tool and the role it plays in nurturing long‐term career development, particularly for young women engineers.