How would you like to be your own boss? That’s a sentiment, which excites a number of professionals. However, a bit of planning separates pipe dreams from self-starting realities.
Do you have the passion, skill set, and tenacity to be a self-employed electronic engineer?
We want to help you find out.
Image courtesy of Enokson from Flickr
Is there a future?
Before investing one’s personal finances and professional hopes in electronic engineering, let’s ensure the industry has a secure future…
The BLS instructs the electronic industry is the third-largest specialty in the engineering field. The demand for engineers is estimated to increase each year through 2018.
Are you an entrepreneur?
The sentiment of ‘working for oneself’ sounds delightful to a large number; however, many balk at the opportunity due to the demands of becoming an entrepreneur. Are you one?
This resource is stocked with information related to entrepreneurship; finding premises; deciding on a business structure, marketing yourself and your new business; and, other helpful information to establish success from the start.
Business before industry
Before solely focusing on electronic engineering, one must ensure they have a ‘head for business,’ one must also be a ‘businessperson.’ For instance, what do you know about financing a startup?
Entrepreneurs admit finance, management, and marketing serve as immediate impediments to success. This article highlights those areas, offering advice and resources to help you stabilize from the beginning.
The following page from the SBA website offers resources dealing with finding a mentor, writing a business plan, preparing for financing, and more.
Starting a business warrants financial stimulus. It’s great to work for oneself; however, finding the funds to do so becomes an immediate concern. This resource from Entrepreneur explores methods of fielding outside stimulus and considering the amount of money needed to begin on a positive foot.
Marketing your business
You may be the best in the industry, but if no one knows about you or what you offer, the business is destined to fail. Marketing is a must however much you know about electronic engineering. What do you know about marketing? Moreover, what do you know about online marketing? Learn better marketing and place your business on a track to success.
This blog post provides over 500 resources related to marketing and starting a business. Additionally, the article provides links to information related to ‘blogging.’ Many self-starters are finding ‘reaching out’ through the web is great for fielding sales, in addition to positioning oneself as an ‘expert’ in their chosen field.
Tools of the trade
An engineer’s needed tools depend on their specific niche. However, some resources and tools are broad, while others focused. What field tools do you need to succeed?
The following engineering toolbox delivers links to aspects of the field, including drawing tools, electrical, physiology, thermodynamics, and more. Additionally, one can contact the editor/webmaster to ask questions to ready oneself for success in the specific field.
You will also need to think about your suppliers. What components are you likely to need? You may be able to negotiate a deal with suppliers like Kemet, Newark or Vishay if you can guarantee that you will buy a minimum quantity of electronic components from them over a certain period of time.
Peer Review
The advice and suggestions of peers are unprecedented. Those with experience have the knowledge to help those just starting out.
The following post addresses the web’s ‘best sites’ related to electronic engineering. Take a view at virtual libraries, find forums and tutorials, as well as receive links to books and upcoming conferences.
This post delivers germane resources as well as invites readers to ‘ask the community’ questions. Find a plethora of sites and articles related to the progression in the field and learning modern trends related to electronic engineering.
Get off the computer
In addition to perusing the above resources, consider interacting with peers. This can be done by searching for ‘electronic engineering’ on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook; attending tradeshows; and visiting/interviewing other electronic engineering self-starters.
Learning in solitaire is complemented by learning from those with specific entrepreneurial experience.
About Author | Amie is an enthusiastic electronics expert writing for sites like Newark – Kemet products and Vishay Capacitors.