What are the most important ways for Industrial Engineers to stay current in their field?

Not only does joining professional organizations give greater networking capabilities, but they also give you access to different points of view and a larger audience to workshop ideas through due to the breadth of experienced professionals you have to draw knowledge and advice from.

-In my experience, joining professional associations like ISA or any other will help. -sign up for free control magazines like automation.com, and controleng.com. Reading and keeping notes of latest trends will help. -the industry is moving towards safety and security being the main topics, so focusing on these will help in your career. -Though books are expensive, it is worth the investment for quick reference. Publisher books are more reliable in engineering than Wikipedia-like sources. -As an industrial engineer, staying in comfort zone is not a good idea, sooner or later you will be doing outside of it, so seek opportunities beyond your comfort zone and it will pay you off later. -Learn, apply, execute, and seek new knowledge.

Professional conferences are a fantastic way to network. They also provide incredible insight to the career field that you can bring back to your employer that can help guide or change your companies current process application that could result in a competitive edge.

In an ever changing industry that is advancing at record pace, attending new courses and available training on up to date systems not only enhances your skill set, but also shows prospective employers you're somebody who's staying current with the latest processes and contributing to innovation. It also looks fantastic on your resume.

As an Industrial Engineer, what I did / doing still for the past 20 years is 1. Apply the knowledge that you have related to IE where ever you are and what ever may be the scale. This will help you to contribute what is working and what is not working as a case study. Society needs that. 2.Join the community where you can share and exchange idea's and get to know the best practices and lessons 3.Subscribe to journals and magazines where you can get many white papers exposure. 4.Enroll micro credential programs such as lean certification, six sigma belts, TQM, Value Engineering, SPC etc. 5.Have a connect with Institutions /Academicians.

Aside from standards, I feel it is also important to keep in mind and seek out new offerings from quality manufacturers to see new ways and methods things can be accomplished or condensed to achieve savings in time, increased durability and longevity of installations or improved quality and performance. Not to mention future proofing. Looking outside your sector or field can also broaden your horizons and keep you innovative.