Observations of cultural influences on sociotechnical practices of three early career engineers: a multiple case study analysis

While many early-career engineers in the United States leave the field of engineering in the first few years of their careers, we know little of their early professional experiences and reasoning for career plans. We conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with early-career engineers, comparing the experiences of engineers across intersections of gender and race. In particular, we examine meaningful early-career experiences and how these connect to the innate needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as career intentions. Top moments on the job were often first-time experiences and milestones that enhanced the engineers’ sense of competence. Meaningful moments connected to relatedness were more often positive than negative experiences for White men, whereas experiences undermining relatedness were more common for people of color and/or women. Connections to autonomy emerged more in bottom moments, especially for White engineers. Across different intended career pathways, early-career engineers often evaluated their experiences regarding their ability to work effectively and through social validation from peers and managers (or undermined by a lack thereof). The results indicate the need for a greater understanding of early-career affordances in supporting entry and retention in the engineering workforce by promoting individual effectiveness and social validation.

The inclusion of society and environment into the quintuple innovation helix opens the door to explore issues of ethics and social justice within engineering. There have been many discussions about the relationship between engineering and social justice and how this relationship is taught (see the books Riley, 2008; and Lucena, 2013; and Leydens and Lucena, 2017). The purpose of this poster is to explore and highlight how early career engineers perceive the relationship between engineering and social justice as well as identify common themes that could be used to inspire future analysis. This poster uses data collected from 20 early career engineers as part of a larger longitudinal mixed-methods study into engineering students' perceptions of ethics and social responsibility. Specifically, We use data from the third round of interviews that occurred after all the participants had graduated from their undergraduate programs and were either enrolled in a graduate program or working full time. The participants were asked if engineering is related to social justice and to explain their reasoning. Most participants were able to articulate some level of connection between engineering and their perception of social justice. Even if a participant was initially unsure about the definition of social justice or its relationship to engineering, most participants were still able to articulate a connection. Only one participant said there was no overlap and described engineering as creative problem solving but social justice as more political. Many participants were able to describe the relationship between the two and provide clear examples of engineering and social justice influencing each other. Some participants discussed social justice and engineering in the context of the impact of engineering work and proximity to the end-users of their product. For example, the connection to social justice for some disciplines or industry sectors, such as electrical engineering or weapons manufacturing, was not clear for some participants. A similar theme present in participant responses was the relationship between social injustice and engineering, such as discriminatory city planning, and seatbelts being designed without consideration for female bodies. If engineering can be socially unjust, then it can also be socially just. This poster also highlights areas where early career engineers most clearly perceive social justice in their own work and within engineering more broadly.

Generalism in the health workforce has been established as an important strategy to address health workforce maldistribution. Thus, to best serve the medical needs of northern Australia, the James Cook University (JCU) College of Medicine and Dentistry has a mission to produce graduates who both practise in the region and have a generalist orientation. This study investigated the postgraduate qualifications and key factors that shaped the current career choice of JCU medical graduates, and whether JCU graduates are more likely to choose generalist careers than other Australian medical practitioners of a similar level of experience. JCU medical graduate data were obtained via cross-sectional survey of 298 early career JCU medical graduates from postgraduate year (PGY) 4 to PGY 10 (the first seven cohorts) who had consented to be contacted for further studies and were still contactable (n=180, response rate=60%). Australian medical graduate data were obtained via the National Health Workforce Dataset released by the Department of Health. Compared to a group of Australian medical graduates with similar years of experience, JCU medical graduates are significantly more likely to choose careers as 'generalists' (general practitioners/rural generalists (p=0.044)) or 'generalist specialists' in general surgery (p=0.008), general paediatrics (p=0.008), obstetrics and gynaecology (p=0.038) and emergency medicine (borderline significance p=0.058). However, they are less likely to be 'specialist specialists' such as pathologists/radiologists (p=0.003) or a physician subspecialty (p=0.004). Key factors identified as influencing current career choice included 'interest developed or strengthened during undergraduate training', 'interest developed from early postgraduate career experiences', 'specialty has a good work-life balance', 'specialty involves continuity of care with patients', 'interest in rural practice', 'enjoy a wide scope of practice/being a generalist' and 'mentors'. The JCU medical school produces significantly more graduates with a generalist rather than specialist career focus compared to a similarly experienced group of Australian medical practitioners. Contributing factors may include the JCU selection process, and the curricular focus on providing students with a wide range of generalist experiences and exposure to rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical health. Developing approaches that facilitate local vocational training and subsequent specialist practice is also an important part of the regional, rural and remote training pathway. Lastly, the findings suggest JCU medical graduates choose a career that is not only compatible with regional, rural or remote practice, but also involves continuity of care with patients, a wide scope of practice and a good work-life balance, and that this choice has been influenced by a combination of undergraduate and early career experiences. These findings are in line with international evidence and have implications for other jurisdictions planning an educational and workforce strategy to meet the needs of their own regional, rural and remote locations.

The realities of engineering practice remain opaque and constantly evolving, often leaving graduates underprepared for the workplace and employers dissatisfied with new employees. In this study we shed new empirical light on the lived working experiences of early career engineers in large manufacturing firms. We adopt boundary spanning as the primary framework for our research given growing recognition of its importance in the workplace and potential utility for conceptualizing engineering practice. We specifically address the research question: What kinds of boundary spanning do early career engineers experience in their daily work? Our study is based on interviews with 23 early career engineers analyzed using a thematic analysis approach to code for boundary spanning and other related themes. We then wrote third-person constructed narratives to holistically portray the day-to-day work of three participants. Our findings illustrate how engineers frequently encounter many different types of boundaries and perform specific boundary spanning activities. The narratives also illuminate early career progression, including evidence of increasing leadership responsibilities as engineers navigate evolving job role demands and organizational expectations. We conclude with directions for future research, and discuss how our findings speak to ongoing efforts to reimagine professional practice while improving engineering education and professional development.

Over two thousand engineering graduates enter the job market in Sri Lanka annually from state and private sector universities. There is a growing concern in the industry whether those graduates have attained the required expectations of the employers. Academic literature also lacks sufficient evidence to demonstrate Sri Lankan early career engineers' strengths and areas for improvement. This study explores the strengths and areas for improvement of early career engineers from the perspectives of senior employer engineers in Sri Lanka. This study was conducted qualitatively by holding semi-structured face-to-face interviews with a purposively selected sample of twenty-two employer engineers. Voice-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed employing the inductive thematic analysis method. Analysis has revealed that enhanced technical knowledge, analytical skills and computer literacy are the strengths of early career engineers, while money-mindedness, negative attitudes, sticking only to the job role and lack of hard-working skills, interpersonal skills and practical knowledge as the areas for improvement of present-day early career engineers in Sri Lanka. Further, few employer engineers have suggested modifying the university education system and educating academics & training engineers to guide engineering undergraduates on the proper path to achieve the career success.

Early career experiences provide the foundation for career progression and inform career choices and decisions. For women in the engineering profession, positive early career experiences have been linked to persistence and retention within the profession A recent focus on early careers within engineering has provided insight into early career role types and related competencies, competency and capability gaps experienced by novice engineers, and their perceptions of meaningful engineering work. There is opportunity to diversify and contextualise this understanding by exploring early career experiences of women working within the engineering profession, and by considering the influence of gender on early career experiences and decisions. This paper reports on an empirical investigation of the career experiences of 22 women engineers in senior roles within engineering organisations in the Australian context. Phenomenological and temporal analysis of their career reflections provides evidence of three early career patterns of varied sequence and focus. The influences shaping these career paths are described. By making explicit possible, diverse early career paths, determinants and outcomes, this paper aims to continue to bridge the engineering education-practice gap and to contribute to greater equality, diversity, and inclusion within the profession.

PurposeAs the youngest generation – Generation Z (Gen Z) – enters the workplace, there is a growing interest in this cohort's career needs and expectations. This paper explores the under-researched topic of Gen Z project management (Gen Z PM) professionals. In addition to shedding light on the factors that positively affect Gen Z PM professionals' early career-development phase, this research aims to identify specific organization-led practices that can foster sustainable early PM careers and so achieve greater workforce sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThrough the lens of the resource-based view (RBV), Gen Z PM professionals are considered critical resources that can help ensure workforce sustainability in project-based organizations (PBOs). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 Gen Z PM professionals in Australia to explore the professionals' early career experiences and the organizational-support initiatives that facilitate positive experiences. The results were analyzed using thematic analysis.FindingsThe results revealed that most Gen Z PMs experienced many challenges and a lack of support during their early career phase: Gen Z value (1) mentoring, (2) time for training and development, (3) showing support and guidance, (4) understand skill-gaps and (5) reasonable workloads. Through catering to these needs, PBOs can ensure better career sustainability for their young Gen Z talent and, therefore, greater workforce sustainability for the project profession.Originality/valueAccording to the career sustainability lens, PBOs play a significant role in ensuring that their valuable young PM talent are supported and retained in the profession. This research sheds light on what Gen Z PM professionals value in their early careers, which guided recommendations to better support this new generation of project professionals.

This study examines whether individuals' early-career experience influences their subsequent job behavior. I find that sell-side analysts who worked with more optimistic coworkers in their early career issue more strong buy recommendations, more large upgrades, higher earnings forecasts, and higher price targets. Various tests — exploiting the ex post characteristics of early-career experience based on job span and newcomers, using instruments based on the gender composition and network size of early-career coworkers, and implementing a series of falsification and robustness tests — consistently suggest that these systematic patterns are driven by analysts' early-career coworker experience rather than by their self-selection.

This study examines the practice of engineering as experienced through the undergraduate engineering capstone course. The findings in this research contribute to the knowledge of the capstone course as a culminating experience intended to provide students a valuable introduction to the real-world practice of engineering. Existing literature and research on the engineering capstone course, college to work transition, and early career engineering practices informed the methodologies and approaches used in this research as well as decisions in how to best analyze the data and interpret results.

Engineers are increasingly acting as 'boundary spanners' who coordinate, collaborate, and communicate across many different kinds of boundaries. The research project described in this work-in-progress paper is shedding additional light on this trend by responding to two main research questions: 1) What specific boundary spanning roles, activities, and competencies are most important and prevalent for early career engineers, and 2) How do early career engineers experience boundary spanning challenges? One major goal of this project is to generate a typology of boundary spanning roles, activities, and competencies for multiple engineering fields. This paper more specifically describes methods and reports preliminary findings for the initial phases of our research. The first phase involves a systematic review of more than 80 journal articles and book chapters on boundary spanning and related concepts using established procedures for literature meta-analysis. In this paper we summarize the major themes and categories emerging from this process. The second phase of the project involves semi-structured interviews with engineering students and early career engineers. In this paper we focus on our interview methods, including development and use of a 'primer' document to familiarize subjects with boundary spanning. We conclude by discussing the implications of our work, especially in relation to leading-edge approaches for instruction and assessment.

Residents and fellows often seek to emulate master clinician role models; however, the activities these expert clinical faculty pursued early in their careers are not known. We studied the early career clinical experiences and learning behaviors of peer-defined master academic clinicians. We performed a retrospective, qualitative interview study of 17 members of the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Medicine Council of Master Clinicians. Between March 1 and May 31, 2016, we interviewed participants using a semistructured interview guide surveying their early career clinical experiences and learning habits. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. We used a general inductive approach to code transcripts and to identify consistent themes. Of the 28 council members invited to participate, 17 (61%) responded and were interviewed. Participants included 12 men and 5 women, with an average of 27 years in clinical practice (range, 13-50 years). Six participants were general internists, and 11 were internal medicine subspecialists. Based on thematic analysis of interview transcripts, 4 themes of clinical development emerged: (1) consistent learning efforts; (2) rigorous skill development; (3) cultivating habits of mind; and (4) clinically rich environments. Our study describes the early career experiences and learning behaviors of master clinicians. We aggregated key dimensions of the findings into a guide for residents, fellows, and junior clinicians interested in the pursuit of clinical excellence.

Professional skills have long been perceived as lacking in junior engineers. Adopting a social realist theoretical framework of knowledge in practice, a hypothesis-based survey study of early career engineers’ perceptions of engineering expertise was conducted. It investigated a professional skills readiness difference between initial career trajectories (hypothesis 1) through an analysis of engineering expertise perception, and whether this difference decreases over time as engineers mature (hypothesis 2). Both hypotheses were supported by three statistical tests which established the specific nature and size of this difference. Three themes were identified: Academic bias, Technical competence bias, and Rationality bias. Thematic analysis through the framework of these three themes indicates how context and complexity (Semantic dimension) and Knowledge and Knower (Specialisation dimension) were understood in practice. The three themes expressed challenges over these two dimensions in understanding Technical knowledge, Collaboration, and the Legitimate basis for practice, leading to recommendations for education and practice.

Engineering education is critical for sustainability, given the key role that engineers have in shaping the development of our society. Yet, engineering studies have traditionally not been driven by sustainability-related knowledge and skills, but focused more on general computational skills and technical problem-solving. This has also been the case in our case study, which focuses on recent water and environmental engineering graduates in Finland. We studied the role that sustainable development has had in their education and early career through an extensive questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The analysis was done in two ways: indirectly by comparing how well the key working life knowledge and skills recognized by the respondents correspond with sustainability-related skills, and directly by studying the graduates’ views towards the sustainable development and their possibilities to advance it in their work. The results show that although sustainability was not at the core of respondents’ studies, their key competencies correspond well with sustainability-related working life skills. The respondents also see that sustainable development has a central role in water and environmental engineering, although it is typically more visible at a strategic rather than a practical level. However, the results also indicate that several early-career engineers have deficient knowledge of sustainable development, and are therefore lacking the ability to fully connect the principles of sustainable development into their own expertise. Overall, the findings suggest that water and environmental engineers with their wide set of competencies have the potential to take on a larger role in building a more sustainable society. To ensure this, engineering education should emphasize the connection between the field and sustainable development and clearly link engineers’ core competencies with the skills required to promote sustainability.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to test and further develop the ‘Early Career and Rapid Transition to a Nursing Specialty’ (TRANSPEC) model to a nursing specialty developed from a systematic review. Semi-structured...

Public Research Organisations (PROs) are integral to the Science, Innovation and Technology (SI&T) sector in Aotearoa New Zealand, as mission-led organisations tied to research areas of significant national importance. Early career staff and students (ECS) make substantial contributions to delivering science impact within PROs, but face unique challenges, particularly amid prolonged sector-wide change. This manuscript is authored by the members of the Science New Zealand Early Career Member Group (ECMG), a cross-organisational body representing ECS from each of the PROs. As such, we are well-positioned to provide insight into the impacts of ongoing uncertainty for the PRO early career workforce. Drawing on data from a survey of early career staff and students across PROs conducted in December 2024, we highlight the impacts of the evolving SI&T landscape. Three key challenges emerged: ECS retention and career development, underrepresentation of Māori and Kaupapa Māori, and inequities in the current SI\&T funding system. We discuss these challenges and offer solutions aimed at strengthening career pathways, supporting the growth and leadership of Māori ECS, and improving funding equity, which combined can enhance ECS success. Our ultimate goal is to help retain, develop, and empower the current and future early career cohort to thrive in their fields, delivering meaningful science impact for Aotearoa New Zealand.