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INSTRUCTOR: Rick De La Guardia, E.I., M. ASCE
Course Length: 1.5 Hours
Sponsored by ASCE's Architectural Engineering Institute and ASCE Continuing Education.
Purpose and Background
Starting, owning and managing an engineering company is a very daunting process. In order to be successful in the highly competitive field of engineering it is important to have a specialty or niche, something that sets you apart from the competition and/or be able to provide a service faster, better or cheaper than your competitors. This presentation exposes the participants to all necessary aspects of entrepreneurship. The ideas and concepts offered in this presentation transcend any particular engineering discipline. The advice and recommendations are presented with the goal in mind of guiding and preparing the participants for the challenges of starting an engineering firm from the ground up.
It does not matter if someone is in the early stages of learning or still in school or if that person is in the latter stages of a career, it is never too early or too late to pursue the freedom and independence of entrepreneurship provided you are properly prepared. However, some of the more common obstacles to entrepreneurship such as startup funding, developing valuable contacts, and lack of experience can be mitigated by starting to plan and prepare for entrepreneurship as far in advance as possible. This presentation shows how to do just that. The advice provided in this presentation will be separated into three distinct areas: how to prepare for entrepreneurship; how to manage your career; how to start a firm. Topics covered include helpful courses and activities, finding and establishing a niche market, securing a first job, funding a startup, company and office logistics, marketing and communications, management, and the intangibles of entrepreneurship.
Primary Discussion Topics
- How to prepare for entrepreneurship
- How to manage your career
- How to start your own firm
Learning Outcomes
- Learn what college courses and activities to focus on that are helpful to entrepreneurship
- Be able to understand how a specialty or niche is critical to success
- Discover what to look for and expect out of a first job and when the right time is to make a career move
- Find out ways to fund a startup
- Learn about office and company startup logistics
- See how important marketing and communications are to company success
- Learn how to manage all aspects of a company
- Discover the intangibles of successful entrepreneurs
Webinar Benefits
- Find out what college courses and activities will help a future entrepreneur
- Understand the importance of having a specialty or niche
- Avoid becoming stuck at a dead end job and understand when the right time to make a career move is
- Discover ways to fund a startup
- Learn about office and company startup logistics
- Understand the importance of marketing, communications and management
- Discover the intangibles of successful entrepreneurs
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).
Intended Audience
- Any Student organizations both in high school or college (ASCE)
- All disciplines of Engineering
- Architects
- Attorneys
- Contractors
- Aspiring entrepreneurs in any profession
No specific expertise or knowledge is necessary, just a desire to become an entrepreneur.
Webinar Outline
- Helpful courses and activities
- Finding your niche
- Your first job
- Establishing your niche
- Funding your startup
- Company and office startup logistics
- Marketing and communications
- Management
- Intangibles of entrepreneurship
How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]