What Engineers Want [Part Two] - Day in the Sun

Thanks for joining me for the almighty conclusion to a subject visibly heart felt by Engineers, the world over.

Pay & Status of Engineers. Or lack of.

I am not big on repeating time and time again the same debate until someone gives up. A war of attrition. It annoys me because no one seems to learn anything, and in the long run, no one wins. Trust me.

Sitting in the Mud Dock Cafe, near to the resting place of SS Great Britain had given me an inspirational shot in the arm to deal with our dilemma.

Dilemma for some, storm in a tea cup for others, and exciting realisations for a small group of us.

I don't agree that the pay is low. There is money to be made in structural engineering. There's money in any field and every type of career. You just have to be excellent at what you do and have a knack for business that goes along with it. You have to be driven by money to make money. [Structural Engineer]





Isambard Brunel was known for a great many things. If you are an Engineer or engineering student and haven't quite found the time to read up on some of the all time engineering greats [see my blog posts or #greatengineers on Twitter for a list] then do it. Do it now.

Quite simply we have a responsibility for the betterment of our industry, to learn about histories greatest engineers. I will one day bring a few to life in a blog post, but for today add this job to YOUR 'to do' list.

Brunel teaches us an large amount about how to overcome our concern for the perceived lack of appreciation [appreciation = money + status] of our profession.

During the mid 1800's existed an Engineer who was insatiable in his desire for the lime light. A shameless self promoter who created newsworthy spectacles over the entire country.

He profusely sacked poor and average performers, he put countless builders out of business before they knew what a real contract looked like. Above all he worked hard, so that he could keep all the professional accolades to himself.

Selfish and unstoppable? No. Selfish and partial to a mistake or two. Brunel struggled with continuous political in-house squabbling. Criticism from Architects and Engineers flooded in from the north whilst he built the great western railway in the south.

He status and knowledge was not beyond being sniped at either. In fact he built himself up so high that it became too easy to have a go at knocking him of his perch.

Luckily for Brunel, he is better known for his courageous spirit and engineering talent - rather than his failures and his susceptibility to stress and poor health.

So what has this got to do with our quest to understand why in society we as Engineers still feel like a square peg in a round hole? Why are some of us satisfied [the minority] and the rest of us are only satisfied to mutter discontent from the shadows?

Echoes of the Pareto Principle grows all over this discussion. This suggests that 80% of the value of our Institutions deliverables comes from a measly 20% of us. If you haven't guessed yet, we are the 'tail' end of that graph. Look it up.

We are holding on to an ideal. We think that we are doing more for the society today than we actually are .Yeah sure we take the risks. More importantly though, is we are actively taking on the risks. Why? It is in our education and upbringing.

The Profession of Structural engineer shall be compared to doctors. Each doctor's mistake cost people health or even life. The same can be said of the failure of structural design. Even small mistakes may cause big problems. It's risk, stress, pressure at work on daily basis.[Structural Engineer]





There was a time when we 'built the world', there was even a time when we 'rebuilt the world'. Don't misunderstand me, the engineering 'behemoths' like Arup and Atkins are still wowing the world at large. Mega structures like the Milau Bridge are testament to our professions engineering creativity. Question. Do you feel part of that community?

The good news is, even if you don't feel like part of that 20%, the engineering masses [like my good self], we are still able to bring value to what we do.

Perhaps we are guilty of under selling ourselves, or not even bothering to 'sell' our skills, but what we lack in taking advantage of the opportunities to reinforce our social ranking, we make up in grit and determination to do a mighty fine job.

I believe that more often than not, structural engineers are our own worst enemy. We have to understand what we provide and appreciate the importance of our service before we can expect our clients to do the same [Structural Engineer]

After digesting all the pleas made by our brethren, demanding that the 'ultimate umpire' call 'new balls' on our industry and the change the game for us, I came to realise that this will never happen easily. Well, not without tapping into some of that trademark grit, and innovative thinking that is...

The engineers which lead our industry into the new world are software engineers [Steve Jobs RIP], environmental engineers, product design and industrial engineers [Sir James Dyson]. These guys and gals will be aspiring to change the world around us. Invention by invention. Step by step.

We had our time in the sun.

Don't be despondent though. We have options. Our skill-set is still incredibly useful. It's quite exciting really, you all hold the raw abilities to apply our analytical and thoughtful design processes to business too. Some of us are already doing it. These guys and gals are making it happen and definitely not complaining about a lack of status. They are taking back our professional respect by doing good business.

Warning. I have witnessed signs of lack of caring for one another though. Perhaps this is a by-product of the frustration that our industry delivers to us, generation after generation. I implore you, we have to care and nurture one another too.

We have the technical skills, the motivation which we need to grow personally and professionally. So where's the frustration? We appear to have forgotten what the most important part of our industry is.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel needs YOU!

YOU, me and us.

I touched upon this point during a discussion a few days ago. It was mentioned that there were very little by way of barriers to engineering, hence we dilute our industry, generation after generation.

Wrong. This is so wrong. We have the ultimate barrier to success in our industry and it is us.

We are obligated to not only carry out our duties as technicians and engineers, but to train the next entourage of talent too. It is one of our Institutions promises to society, and the built environment. They take this job very seriously, and deliver, year in, year out. How? We do it for them.

So, my conclusion?

It has taken me 2 weeks of typing, retyping and a few sleepless nights to eventually feel comfortable with what i am about to say. I'm not afraid of the future. I am pretty excited to tell you the truth, and the as the dust settles on the poll, the discussions become more meaningful and emotionally charged.

The answer is correctly identifying our customer first. We know that our small scale works may well go unnoticed in the publics eyes. We live to be involved in a project which is enjoyed and marvelled at by generations. That one sexy project where our piers can finally recognise the hard hard work we put in... and it's just a pipe dream for most of us.

What if you were to look at it from a slightly different angle? What if you were able to train the next generation of world changing, and pioneering engineers? How would that make you feel? Good?

When I said that I had answers, I meant that I had a vision. If we were to stop being so self indulgent and blinkered only to our personal business aspirations and careers, then just imagine what we could achieve by sharing the responsibility of shepherding a new generation.

Can you you remember your first engineering job? I ask you this, do you remember the Engineer[s] who advised, and helped through your formative years? So do I.

Our customers? They are engineering graduates. We have to educate them, nurture them, and let them loose on the world. We also have to make a huge effort to make an impression on their lives.


Engine[er]

PS this post is likely to change slightly over the next few days. Keep checking back for comments and DEFINITELY read it twice before commenting. Do me proud.