What is the best engineering advice you ever received? 205

[tulum]

I would like to continue engineerdaves series of threads; what frustrates you at work, and what satisfies you at work...

I just finished reading one of Donald Trumps books entitled "the way to the top". What he did was he asked the top executives across the US to submit the one single most important thing they learned to help them achieve businees success.

For example one qoute was (and is very applicable to engineering):

"Although you can't always control where you are planted-to which department or specific project you are assigned-you can control the experience while you are there...bloom where you are planted."

So my question to the forum is: What is the best engineering advice you ever received?

 

[Rich2001]

Take up smoking a pipe.

The idea is to create a ritual so that when someone asked you a hard question it gave you 10 to 15 seconds to gather your thoughts and formulated an answer.

What you select as your ritual is not as important as training (programming) yourself to automatically do it, give your time to relax and formulate an answer… Think, before engaging the mouth.

 

[GregLocock]

Someone quotable once said " A pipe gives a wise man time to think, and a fool something to stick in his mouth".



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[ChrisConley]

The other pipe quote I've heard is:

Never hire a man who smokes a pipe. He already has a full time job.

 

[AG62]

DNA - Do Not Assume

 

[StiLLiving]

I like this:

If someone says you're crazy, then you're probably heading in the right direction.

 

[flamby]

If one person calleth you a donkey, pay him no mind. If two persons call you a donkey, get yourself a saddle.

 

[GGOSS]

AG62,

Thanks for the clarification. I always thought DNA was an abbreviation used by the National Dislexics Association.

Regards,
GGOSS

 

[NickelMet]

One saying that an ex-boss of mine had:

"Problems that go away by themselves, return by themselves."

My addition (at the end): "...at the most inopportune times."

My interpretation of that was that I should always strive to find a solution that prevented a problem from recurring. That included researching the problem until the causes were understood and could be acted upon. However, sometimes we don't have time for that type of research and we tend to go with quick fixes. That is what leads to the problem recurring. That leads to another quote (I don't know who to attribute this one to though):

"Do it right the first time."

~NiM

 

[Rich2001]

Read everything, listen to tapes, watch TV programs, continue your education … Not just information you are interested in, and information you are not. Gain knowledge on many topics not just your area of interest but others as well. True innovations come from the fringes, not the mainstream.

Keep a logbook not just of phone conversations, project details, et cetera, but also of dreams thoughts, and ideas. If you have a particularly hard problem to resolve think about if before you sleep, let you subconscious mind work on solving it, when you wake up write down your ideas.

Wrie papers and give talks and presentations. Teaching or presenting ideas to others increases your knowledge, and skills.

 

[Sparweb]

"Teaching or presenting ideas to others increases your knowledge, and skills", which is why many of us are on Eng-Tips, in fact.

Steven Fahey, CET
"Simplicate, and add more lightness" - Bill Stout

 

[Speedy]

"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail"

"There is no such thing as a statistical blip"

My favourite;
"Everyone is replaceable"

I have to say that I like Thane's quote on Nov 10.

 

[attilon]

"When everything is going too well, be prepared for a very big problem, that you were missing in the big picture."

 

[tulum]

attilon,

Good advice... been there a few times...

Regards,
TULUM

 

[DemarEngr]

Not advice, but seems to fit the thread.

Put the following note on every drawing.

"Contractor to cut to dimensions, beat to fit, and paint to match"

 

[haggis]

When you design something,listen to the trades people who will build it and also the end user. Some good ideas can be had from these two areas. Analyse their ideas and go with them if they are sound, but don't try to incorporate them with what you were thinking. Go with one or the other...the best one.

This lends creedence to the phrase:
"A camel is really a horse that was designed by a commitee"

 

[unclesyd]

Aside form receiving all of the above and more, the one that has served me the most is one that I use and tend to pass on.

Don't lead with your lips!

 

[Speedy]

"Cut your way in, weld your way out"

Motto of the maintenance crew of a bog hervesting company in Ireland.

 

[Latexman]

When you buy a piece of equipment and you need a certain size hole in it, say 3", and you don't know where to locate it yet, tell the fabricator to "ship an extra 3" hole with the unit and we'll install it in the field". ROFLMAO!

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[MTPipeliner]

"Paper is cheap, and I'll buy you more paper"

When I was in about 6th grade my Dad told me not to try to get too much onto one sheet of paper. Since then I've used lots of paper and always made my work look neat rather than schrunched.

 

[unclesyd]

PatrickR,
Wake up!
You are in the computer age where paperwork is a thing of the past.