How much do you REALLY want to mentor young engineers? 3

[JRESE]

I recently offered the manager of five young engineers to be an on-premises unpaid, part-time mentor/coach/resource. I have 38 years of structural engineering experience.

First, I asked him how he thought he was doing with mentoring and developing his subordinates. His reply was that he could probably do better. Then, I mentioned that I was thinking of offering to be available in a structural design office, part-time, unpaid. I explained that I was retired, but restless, and that I wanted to give back to the profession by sharing my experience and wisdom. His reaction was that it sounded like a good idea. However, on further discussion, I got the distinct impression that he really had no interest in persuing the idea, and that there was an underlying concern that having a mentor in the office would reduce billable hours.

If you manage young engineers, my question for you is this: If you were offered the opportunity to have a very experienced senior engineer in your office a couple of days each week to be an un-paid mentor to your young engineers, what would you do?

 

[MacGyverS2000]

First, I would try to define what the mentor was there to provide. Second would be a rough time estimate the younglings would be sucking at the experienced teet.

If I can't get a warm and fuzzy for those two things, anything beyond is irrelevant. I have a business to run, so a 50%-capable employee working 40 hours is better than a 70% capable one working 20.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[PEDARRIN2]

Long term, you are correct, but eventually the 70% effective engineer will graduate to being a 90% effective employee working 30 hours and then go on to being 95% effective working 40 hours.

But if that 20% extra effectiveness keeps the young engineer from making a $10,000 mistake, you will have made up for the fewer hours he spent that week.

 

[moltenmetal]

I would NEVER offer engineering services of value to a for-profit enterprise for FREE. Period. Full stop. Regardless how bored I was.

Training young engineers is engineering work. It has value. It can be done by people being paid to do it, or not at all.

Want that badly to do it? Take pay for it. They don't want to pay? Don't do it. Feel conflicted about taking the money because you're retired? Donate it to charity. But don't volunteer to do work for a for-profit company for free. Your unpaid work has consequences for people who ARE being paid to do that work, or should be.

 

[HamburgerHelper]

Lost cause. If they don't value your knowledge when it is free, what do you think they will think about it when it has value placed on it? Why not spend your time putting together seminars or something for PE personal development hours?

 

[oldestguy]

A nice thought, but perhaps if would work better if you were hired part time, with the understanding some of your time would be as a mentor "upon demand".

Another way is to contact a start-up firm, probably by young engineers again as part time, but at a nominal rate. I speak from experience with two such firms, one still "in need" mainly reviewing what goes out. The "thank you"s keep coming.

 

[weldstan]

I would like to mentor young engineers on a consulting basis but only with appropriate compensation.

 

[drawoh]

JRESE,

How about contacting your local professional engineer's society? This could be a good activity or event for them. I am on the local chapter committee of a technicians and technologists association, and I am trying set up some skills seminars. Knowledge, skill and professionalism is what we are selling. Anything we do to enhance these is good.

--
JHG

 

[truckandbus]

I've mentored many engineers for the selfish reason that I wanted to multiply my effectiveness. For the most part, I create mini me's that generally move the work along in the same direction i would take it.

I'm not sure I would want another person mentoring my staff unless I knew of and agreed with that person's work habits

The OP may want to consider working in Junior Acheivement or local high school technology programs or tutoring college students

 

[berkshire]

Maybe the OP would like to take this out of the office, and either work as a adjunct professor at a local college, or on a lower level , run a course at an open source maker lab ( OSML ) workshop? Then point the young engineers towards the resource .
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[Triangled]

I think it'd be cool if it could be worked out with the following two concerns. First I too have a business to run; and second, I have a particular philosophical approach to projects and clients. Billable hours would not be a concern but productivity would be. For the first concern, a half hour per day reviewing the day's tasks and tomorrows tasks could impart immense value to my 4 young'uns without harming productivity and I would expect productivity would increase over time. Second I'd simply request that any conflicts in our philosophical approaches be worked out with me in private... hey I'd welcome 38 years of experience for my own mentoring! But to be sure, I'd be willing and probably prefer to pay you.

 

[Ron]

JRESE....one problem that some engineers have with us older guys is they think we have nothing new to contribute...that our ways are archaic and not responsive to current needs and not in keeping with the "progress" of the profession. They sometimes think that because we still might like ASD over LRFD, that we have less relevance. Oh those naive children!

Mentoring was inherent for most of us over 50. We learned from engineers who were more experienced in engineering "life" not just engineering ritual. Processes and techniques were passed along one-on-one, or collectively as standard policy and techniques were developed. Today, no one has time to develop anything....they barely have enough time to get projects done and remain competitive.

I have mentored numerous engineers in my career and will continue to do so. As they grow, they need less and less of my input, as it should be. When I work myself out of a mentoring job for each engineer I mentor, I consider it a plus!