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?

 

[GGOSS]

Hell all,

Not sure if it's already been covered here, but even if it has it's probably worth re-stating.

It is how other people view you, that will determine how far you progress in any organisation.

Find yourself a mentor, let that person know that you want to learn from them and make sure you take the information they provide you (both good & bad) on board.

Regards,
GGOSS

 

[mshimko]

Amazing, I actually use a varient of one mentioned by sprintcar above, his quote was "Part of your job is to keep your boss's boss of your boss's back".

I use this variation with new engineers after I hire them, and occasionally thereafter: "you have a very difficult job - you have to make me look good".

Another one I heard years ago from an admiral was: "don't pass on information without checking it out yourself". I don't recall using this one myself, but it was and is very good advice.

 

[VeryPicky]

The sweetness of low price is long forgotten, while bitterness of poor quality lingers forever.

Putting Human Factor Back in Engineering

 

[jesstermac]

Walk fast and look worried.

 

[That1Guy]

I heard this second-hand, but, knowing the source, I do not doubt the validity of the statement at all.

Apparently there is a current practice at a place I used to work where each of the lead engineers gives an update during lunch meetings of the projects they are working on.

This one particular guy gave his presentation and at the end, wrapped up with a nugget of advice I won't forget, even second hand. As close as I can come to writing what I heard follows:

When you're done with everything, re-verify your facts, make sure your assumptions are reasonable, and double check your calculations. Do this because, and I apologize to those who I might offend, but it's extremely difficult to un-f**k something.

I would have put that in quotes, but I do not know he said that for a fact. In its way, it's very good advice though. Just thought I'd pass it on.

Byron T.

 

[737eng]

My current's boss's statement to a group of Engineer's screaming about being shorthanded and wanting to know why the interview process was taking so long.

"It is hard to find a good Engineer, it is even harder to get rid of a bad one!!"

When hiring new employee's ensure they not only have the technical abilities and the drive req'd to accomplish the task, but also has the personality and communication skills to meet the corporate or company culture.

 

[jhambham]

Very good thread. Even old dogs are willing to learn new tricks

Here's my two cents worth:

Know your clients requirements and don't be afraid to question them!

jhambham

 

[coug]

Life is short, so stick to what you can do best.

Enjoy life!

 

[MJCronin]

The best carrer advice for an engineer is...

Marry a rich woman....

MJC

 

[HgTX]

Lemme work on that and get back to you. This could get interesting.

Hg

 

[ewh]

HgTX,

If you are going to heed the advice given by MJC, you had better hurry! TX is about to make it an impossibility.

 

[PSE]

My father told me to "Never marry for money. But it does not mean you can't hang around the rich folks and hope you fall in love"!

Regards,

 

[TrevorP]

One of my favourites, that a manager in a company I used to work for had stapled to his front door - "The best thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete and utter surprise!"

 

[Thane]

Great thread.

Right out of college I worked with an older engineer that told me "The first two or three times you change jobs you change for idealistic reasons (to get away from politics, better morals, better ethics, etc.), but after that you find out that every company is the same except they call it something different. After that you just whore yourself out to who ever pays you the most."

I have found that to be closer to the truth than I had hoped it would be.

 

[25362]

Some more one-liners that prompt us to think and ponder.

How did the great rivers and seas gain dominion over the hundred lesser streams ?... By being lower than they.
Lao Tse

Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
Picasso

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Arthur Black

Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.
John Galsworthy

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.
Jonathan Swift

An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.
H.L. Mencken

Aristotle would have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men if he had simply asked Mrs. Aristotle to open her mouth.
Bertrand Russell

Thinking is more interesting than knowing but less interesting than looking.
J.W. von Goethe

 

[Rjeffery]

As an engineering technician the best advise I could give is:

Say "Thank you," when someone makes you look good, does a good job or just goes out in the rain to retreve your test specimens. Ask me questions. You may find that, because I look at it from down to up, not up to down that my response may aid in the solution to the problem. Always remember that my job is to make your boss look good to the client and to keep your A$$ out of court.

Semper Fi.

 

[Xofa]

I have noticed further up in this column that some have discussed Managers promising more than they can deliver & also a note about the danger of acting in what you feel is the best interest of the company. I always act in what I feel is the best interest of the company. I ask my boss if we disagree and often reach a middle ground that works for both of us. To prevent your work from being used by another for thier personal promotion I do the following: 1) always print your finding in memo or report format with your name on the letterhead (after all you are a degreed engineer making responsible decisions is what you are getting paid for). 2) pass out your findings in print (not email) so that you get credit for what you have done. 3) Don't be afraid to take a stand for what you believe in. None of the people at the top of their fields got their by only being average.

-John

That's my 2 cents.

 

[gjm78]

Great thread. I saw this quote the other day and it struck a bit of a raw nerve with me. In my experience many people see a nicely rendered CAD drawing and think you have a working design ready for manufacture when nothing could be further from the truth. Pretty pictures cause all kinds of problems since they often seem to carry more weight than they deserve to.

"There is nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept" - Ansell Adams

Regards,

 

[BigH]

Slightly modified from a Thailand shop of sartorial splendor -

Quality is NEVER an Accident
It is ALWAYS the Result of Intelligent Effort
There MUST be a Passion to Produce Superior Things

I happen to like the "passion" aspect; but, in today's age of regulations/rules/codes on just about everything, lawsuits, and just plain ol' sheisse at every turn, one senior person I knew suggested the following advice.

RETIRE
for a pretty good thread!

 

[VeryPicky]

There was an anecdote about a Med. Doctor and a Painter. The Doctor had fairly stressful and responsible duty to save people's lives. Painter, well, he painted pictures. However when it came to comparing the results of their errors, the Painters logic was impeccable:

Doctor's errors landed under thick layers of dirt, out of human sight;
Painter's mistakes were hanging on the walls - eternal proof of his ignorance.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that your errors will be hidden by layers of dirt...


Putting Human Factor Back in Engineering