The Entry‐Level Engineer: Problems in Transition from Student to Professional

Abstract When students enter the workforce, they must make a transition from an academic to a professional role. This study, based on interviews with professional engineers in supervisory roles, suggests that many basic skills required in the workplace, including the ability to work on a team and to communicate with one's peers and supervisors, are missing or insufficiently developed in recent college graduates. Many employers have programs to overcome these deficiencies, but we should also consider what we as educators can do to better prepare students for their future roles, and what students themselves can do to ease the transition.