fresh graduate as the only engineer, in a small company 6

[ingdott]

I am holding a new position which kind of puts me in stress for the following reasonI am a fresh graduate with a master's degree in structural engineering)

- The company is so small and fresh, and I am the ONLY assistant of the boss, who is a very smart and experienced structral engineer (of course he is the owner of the business). So I will be doing the structural design work, and he will be supervising and delivering it to the client. I find it also as an advantage because he has a lot more experience and knowledge than the first supervisor I could have in a larger company. But this position with such a high responsibility stresses me out also, becuase obviously I am not experienced yet! My supervisor(boss) had offered me this job relying on my success during my studies, and also because we are understanding each other very easily and well (I like working with him a lot).

Well, I am also confident about my academic background, capacity to learn, intelligence... But I just don't have practical experience. Besides I dont have anybody to ask my STUPID questions, becuase I feel that my boss is too qualified for that, and I dont want to dissapoint him being stupid.

These make me feel overstressed, and unconfident while working on a project. If I do something wrong, or lose time, it seems like the company will lose money and clients. Though, I am treated so nicely and calmly at work, and they have full trust on me. What I do now, is to study and restudy the topics that I might be concerned with in the future projects to be ready to answer instantaneous questions, during my free time (like weekends)

Is there anyone either in my position or in my boss's, or anyone who could give some suggestions on the subject? Thank you for reading!

 

[HgTX]

There is a reason you can't get licensed for N years after getting your degree. Until then you are an Engineer In Training. I repeat--In Training. Your boss, your supervising PE/SE (at least I assume he's a PE or SE, if he's such a high and mighty practicing structural engineer), has responsibility for training you. He should expect to answer some questions. Sure, you should find out whatever you can using your own resources, but where you don't know, ASK. It is better to ask than to make a mistake. Your boss would rather you asked than made a mistake. Your boss is not "too qualified" to answer your questions. No one you are in a direct reporting relationship is too high and mighty to answer your questions. They know you're new, they know you're inexperienced. You're not going to get "found out" on those counts.

Hg


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[rday]

Your boss is exactly the person to whom you should be directing questions.

Part of the senior's role is to mentor young engineers. Your boss knows you lack practical experience and expects some questions that may seem stupid to you. Trust me they are not.

I'm a senior engineer and love questions from the junior staff. It makes me think and gives me the chance to review what I think I know. Besides it gives me a break from all the project management stuff and lets me think about engineering.

 

[IRstuff]

And you should take the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering)exam ASAP while everything is still somewhat fresh to get your EIT, if that's going to be your path.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[MikeHalloran]

You are lucky. The kid who replaced me is now the ONLY M.E. in that outfit. His mistakes will be caught by customers. I wish him well.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[KENAT]

Ask questions, or even better come up with what you think the answer is and ask him to verify it. Just try real hard to only ask each question once, and where possible apply the answer not just to that specific question but to similar ones.

He hired you knowing you have no experience, so unless something is off should be expecting questions.

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[GregLocock]

I like KENAT's approach- try and come up with a solution of your own, and then ask him to critique it or suggest a better approach.

The notebooks you fill will, in the future, be a handy resource, and a source of entertainment.



Cheers

Greg Locock


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[MiketheEngineer]

Write back in a year or two. Things will seem MUCH better. We have all been there.

Hang in there, ask a lot of questions, go on a lot of site visits. You will learn a BUNCH!!

 

[rowingengineer]

Don't let your ego get in the may of asking a good question.

An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field

 

[EQguys]

As one of my mentors put it "Ask a question once, you may look like an idiot. Ask the same question again you look like a fool. Never ask a question you are a fool for life"

Dont let not knowing a solution bother you. Look around,do some research, have a look at the resources available in the office library or internet resources (be careful with these), dont hesitate to study work related books after hours. Come up with solutions and take it to your mentor and let him suggest you better solutions or let him tweak yours.

Eat,drink,think and sleep civil engineering. Yes you are allowed to sleep but only in a lie-awake-at-night-obsessing-over-it kind of way . These are struggling years and you should enjoy them. I am in the same boat as you are. So you are not alone. Have fun.

 

[hokie66]

ingdott,
You are in exactly the same situation as I was in 40 years ago. The saving grace for me was that the first thing my boss impressed on me was that I should ask any question, no matter how simple. He was, like your boss, a very talented and experienced engineer. He knew that I had a good education but NO training.

 

[ingdott]

Thank you for each piece of advice, I feel relieved, and undoubtedly I will feel much more confident to ask questions to my mentor, and of course I will benefit this wonderful website as much as possible! Thanks

 

[moltenmetal]

ingdott: it sounds like you have the IDEAL situation for an ambitious fresh grad!

Your boss sounds patient and he surely should understand your need to learn and grow, and that you will not know everything! He was in your shoes once upon a time. Your boss would FAR rather answer some tedious questions than have you make incorrect assumptions and waste hours of work, or worse still send erroneous work to your clients!

The key is to TRY to answer the question yourself first. Try, but don't spend your life on it, or else you'll get too far behind in your work. You may find the answer yourself after a little work, and hence remember it better next time. At very least you will be better able to understand why the solution the boss gives you is the right one.

 

[Ron]

Kenat gave good advice. Do your homework. Be prepared with YOUR answer to the issue or question, then run it by your boss. He'll appreciate your diligence and will likely re-direct you on occasion, but that's part of the learning process.

You are potentially in a good position. Take advantage of it. Confidence will come with time and successfully handling the issues. You won't get them all right...none of us do...even your boss won't be right all the time.

Read a few of these posts. We all disagree from time-to-time. Some of the answers are "black and white"...some not so much. That's where "engineering judgment" comes into play. As you grow in your career, you'll learn to judiciously use such judgment when interpretation and opinion are involved.

Good luck. If you have a "stupid" question, check it out here in the forums. You might find it's not as stupid as you think and sometimes such questions evolve into a spirited debate. Besides, if you ask a really stupid question, we have no problem telling you it's a stupid question!!

 

[ingdott]

Trying to have an answer before asking the question and then directing it to the supervisor makes very much sense, this way, I will have brainstormed on the subject, and even though I can't find the answer, I will be prepared and ready to acquire one.

This site has already started to be useful to me, I have been reading the old posts in the subjects I am currently concerned with. I couldn't make yet a technical question since there are a lot stuff that have already been asked and answered

Besides I am happy hearing from you that the position I have is a good one for a fresh graduate to start.

 

[TenPenny]

As others have said, try to come up with an answer, and then run it by the boss.

'Here's my question, and this is what I'm thinking is the way to go...what do you think, am I on the right track?'

 

[Lion06]

I left a very similar situation right after college. There was one very knowledgable structural engineer in a more geotech and environmental oriented firm. I could tell quickly that I wasn't going to work on the type of projects that interested me and I left........ quickly.

That being said, do not, under any circumstance, be afraid to ask questions. I asked a ton of questions when I first started working. It's how you gain confidence and that ever powerful "engineering judgment". I would not ask questions that you haven't thought about or formulated an opinion on. Most engineers I ask questions of appreciate the dialogue as it helps keep them sharp and teaches me.

I always formulate my opinion and enter the question realm prepared to convince or be convinced.

Use this forum, too. I've asked so many questions on here that I've lost track. I can tell you that I'm a much better engineer for it and have gained a lot of technical insight that would have taken me far, far longer to get were it not for this forum.

Thanks, everyone, for all the help and insight!!

 

[ctopher]

Great responses.
I feel no question is stupid when you are learning your job.
If he really is a good, and very experienced, engineer...he will answer your questions.
It also doesn't hurt to ask yourself "Why is this like this, or that?"
Finding out 'why' something is done that way will help you learn it better.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[IRstuff]

Just keep in mind the adage, "Someone who never makes a mistake probably never does anything." Life has risks; job tasks have risks. Learn EVERYTHING that you can, as soon as you can. You never know whether your current mentor might vaporize, or you might be massively reorganized.

The more things you try that are just outside of your current comfort zone, the quicker you'll develop, and the quicker you'll become the go-to guy, because people will have confidence that you're going to tackle problem, and come up with a solution.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[FSS]

Asking the question is better than explaining afterwards why you did not ask.

You can also come up with an alter ego screen name and fire away with all the dumb questions. Not that anyone would do that....