As I look back on a 40 year career in design engineering, I have the a few thoughts.
1. You start out as an idealist, along the lines of the first 12 items Tom laid out.
2. By mid-career, you're attitude shifts to be more in line iwth Half-Inch Stud.
3. By the end of your career, you start to think more like dataway.
I have a few things I'll add.
a. Always have a Plan B. You'll never know when you need it. If you never need it, just consider it knowledge gained.
b. Life isn't always fair. Corporations exist to make money for their shareholders, not to make your life better. Remember that every action a corporationt takes is intended to enhance shareholder value and plan your actions accordingly.
c. Keep your skills up to date and diversify. You'll never know when your job will go away.
d. Maintain a desk log and keep it up to date. Once a year, scan it for personal records.
e. Management will totally forget their ethics training when doing what is ethical creates more paperwork or problems. Sometimes you have to just let things go.
I was screwed out of several patents after a project I worked on was killed, the division was sold to venture capital, where the project was revived and former co-workers got the patents in their name. It was my design. I was angry, never got over getting screwed by the company. I was laid off a few years later.
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