As the competencies demanded by the labour market has changed, engineering graduates have to proactively be self-responsible by participating in competency-enhancing activities to possess competencies related to knowledge, attitudes and technical/non-technical skills.  Without any self-responsibility (SR) from learners, competency development only creates low quality engineering graduates.  Therefore, this study examines the perceptions of 1056 students and alumni of Australian engineering schools regarding SR in their employability competencies development process.  Findings show that the engagements of both participants were extrinsically motivated.  However, the alumni participants have internalised their extrinsic motivations into positive behaviours, including self-initiation, persistence, motivation and independency.  As a consequence, the alumni participants felt a greater sense that SR is an integral part of themselves, expressed through their capability to be self-initiated, highly persistent, motivated and independent in navigating their competency development without relying on their friends, families or instructors.  In relation to the external circumstances affecting the perceptions of SR, the participants did not associate their perspective of SR with their prior development experience in high schools but rather they associated it with their recent experiences within the engineering school environments.  This finding has implications for how SR could help learners at university to internalise their external motivations.