Hiring and Retaining Engineers
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Winning a motorsports job
The glamour job in motorsports goes to the racecar driver while behind-the-scenes contributions frequently go unrecognized by outsiders. But to the people who get energized by racecars, working as a motorsports insider is a dream job.
Some of today's young motorsports mavericks say their high visibility extra-curricular college activities caught the attention of peers, mentors, and recruiters. All that attention eventually led to a high horsepower career.
Dave Spitzer chose to attend Cornell Univ. in large part because the school was the Formula SAE champion in 1988. When Cornell again claimed the Formula SAE title in 1992, Spitzer was on the team.
After college, a lightweight U.S. economy put expectations of a motorsports career on hold. The mechanical engineer did aerospace-related work and shopped himself as an independent consultant for racecar technical inspections. "It was a way to be around racers every week," said Spitzer, now 30 years old. "Make opportunities. Get creative," suggested the GM Racing engineering veteran of such programs as the Aurora V8 engine and Cadillac's Indy Racing League-inspired engine.
During her college years, Alba Colon formed the first-ever Formula SAE team at the Univ. of Puerto Rico. For two years, Colon was the team's captain and the team's sole female. Colon's Formula SAE work ethic made an impression on onlookers and recruiters. "On the Monday after the competition, I had an interview with General Motors," said Colon, who was hired a few months later as a data-acquisition engineer. The 31-year-old is now the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) program manager with GM Racing.
Matthew Lucas made motorsports contacts while working as a racecar mechanic. In time, the mechanical engineer landed a job with A.J. Foyt's Indy Racing League team as a mechanic and data-acquisition guru. During job interviews, Lucas intentionally avoided telling Foyt he was an engineer. Calling his decision a trust-building move, Lucas said the understated approach goes far in certain racing circles. "Show them that you have a good work ethic, and you're willing to learn. We still need to respect their experience." Lucas also did data-acquisition duties with a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) crew. The 30-year-old is now a Stock Car Support Engineer with Pi Research, Inc. in Mooresville, NC. "Even after graduation, don't be afraid to do something. Just don't expect to be a chief engineer right out of college," Lucas said.
Relationships forged on-the-job can significantly speed up the notice factor. Jason Dohrmann recently landed an assistant race engineer assignment with Patrick Racing. Before joining the race team, Dohrmann worked for Firestone on the CART circuit. "It's true. Who you know has a lot to do with where you go in this business," said the 25-year-old.
Chris Lerch made his Jaguar Racing connection via a former coworker. Lerch, who heads up software simulation development for the Formula One Jaguar team in England, said a mentor provides a pipeline to future successes. "If you find the right person who has the information, that person will be more than willing to share knowledge with you," said the 30-year-old.
Mentors - whether a college professor, coworker, or industry expert - possess wisdom that only comes with experience. "Just listen to them. Listen. Listen. Listen. Try to absorb as much as you can from the people that have the knowledge," stressed Colon. The road to getting a dream job has a lot of influence relative to "the right moment and the right people," according to Colon.
Profile of a US Automotive Engineer
(based on a Kelly Services-sponsored study conducted by EPIC/MRA)
86% are male
Average age is 40
Average income is $73,000
79% are married
87% are white; more than 1 in 10 are Asian
85% have college degrees
Work 48 hours per week
Enjoy challenging work, flexibility, coworkers, and responsibility
52% expect to change employers before retirement
16% would embrace free agency
Fast Facts
Nine in 10 automotive engineers say they're satisfied with their job, according to an October 2000 survey commissioned by the Public Relations Committee of SAE International. More than half of the 150 randomly selected automotive engineers see themselves staying with their current employer at least five more years. Between 42 and 48% of the respondents say computers, electronics, and telecommunications are appealing new job opportunities. Yet, when asked if they could change careers if given a chance to start over, 90% of the MORPACE phone surveyed respondents said they'd choose automotive engineering again as a profession.
A survey put the average signing bonus for 1999 just-graduated Kettering Univ. students at $3378. Signing bonuses - representing people with degrees in either engineering, applied mathematics, or business management - ranged from $1000 to $10,000, according to 99 respondents. The starting salary average for an engineer - covering computer, electrical, industrial, manufacturing systems, and mechanical - was $47,025. Base salaries ranged from a low of $36,000 to a high of $64,000.
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