It's becoming easier to be Rebel Scum

Last post I mentioned Kevin Taylor. A structural engineer who has worked his way through engineering technician status, had a long stint checking calculations for a local authority, and now busies himself with running his own one-man-band engineering practice [+ sub consultants].

Since posting up the links to his engineering websites to my [blog], I have had the opportunity to briefly chat with him on the telephone. I asked a few questions, like about how and why he is trying to push into a predominantly web based market? Also, I enquired as to how his business was fairing - at this stage.

A summary of Kevins' online ventures can be found within the [links] at the end of my last post.

What drew me to Kevin's online [businesses] was his apparent disregard for formalities. Paying no homage to the tried and tested business plans, which exist within smaller structural and civil engineering enterprises. The man has a plan, and it appears that he is not afraid to journey into the unknown, just to see what happens.

As you can imagine - I'm loving that. As an engineer, designer, creative and fledgling entrepreneur... I'm loving that adventurous spirit.

Please do not misunderstand me, Kevin obviously has thought long and hard before committing time and money to his ventures. Citing business and engineering role models such as Chris Wise, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and Bill Gates, Kevin appears to have transferred our trade mark engineering 'have a go' attitude into his businesses too.

The question is; will the time spent, pay off for him? To put it in Kevin's words "Time will tell" and "I didn't go into this expecting immediate results". Good man.

What I think is that this form of engineering business style is only the beginning. Since the established 'mini-me' consultancy paradigms seem to rely [in part] upon following the same analogous route of putting in time, leveraging connections, earning your stripes [blah, blah], and making the most of any opportunities thrown our way, it is only logical that small companies like Kevin's, will grab more and more ground through guerilla style marketing techniques. Or indeed, they will evolve in such ways so that the limitations in growth set by the larger, established engineering and construction companies become insignificant, and easy to circumnavigate.

Another question we should be asking ourselves as engineers is, what are we physically doing to reinforce or break down the status-quo of our industries historical business practices here? Why is it becoming easier to rebel, and who stands to benefit from the ensuing anarchy?

From my personal viewpoint - so long as we have strive for ingenuity and ethical behaviour; we are professionally capable, knowledgeable, AND we do not expose ourselves, our clients and benefactors to unesseccary risks... then innovation will out itself eventually. So change is a foot, and is a good thing.

• Why is it easier to rebel? The long tale has become unsettled, and is begging for change. Faster, more pervasive communication is readily available.
• Who stands to benefit? We all do. Even those who stand to loose the most, will gain a newly motivated, educated and business-like workforce. 

So what is standing in the way of change? I could say tradition. I might even be tempted to utter the word loyalty. Loyalty to a business paradigm which non-longer deserves our undying faithfulness to it.

The problem with both of those words, is with what value do you attach to them? Especially when your business is cracking up, or you are being pushed from one redundancy package to another. Or indeed, you can't even seem to give your time away to a local engineering consultancy, just so you can flesh out your CV, in readiness for better times.

Times are not good for the long tail... or are they?

I finished my last blog by remarking that I was scared, and I also invited the readers of this blog, to pose an answer as to why this might be the case. No comments back. But that's OK, because I am quite happy to reveal to you my thoughts.

There is an entrepreneurial spirit out there, amongst us engineers. With every new business start-up, the owners dreams [like seeds] are being cast upwards and outwards in the hope that they will land fortunately, and germinate in a nutritious environment.

The truth is, there really is no fertile soil left. We have over farmed this particular field.

Yes, Long tails like Kevin can survive in a less than welcoming environment, and represent the metaphorical localised testing of new 'super crops'. Unfortunately though, it is still far too easy to remain on the sidelines, to criticise, to abstain from providing support and to apply the 'if I had a time machine' retort to each and every venture we witness.

I'm scared because, what Kevin needs is support. Support from his clients and from his peers. But will he get it? Only the remaining engineering long-tails can answer that. That's you and me [of course]. 

As you know, I launched a small collaborative effort which has only cost me time, energy and the sharing of another idea from my mind. An experiment; the results of which are expected to help me plan my next engineering endeavour. By the way, please keep coming back here and supporting me where ever you can!

I really appreciate the emails and messages through LinkedIn. They all keep me going.

To finish off I would like to leave you with this cool reminder. We do make a difference to each others lives, careers, futures. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are on your own in this world. There are always people out there who can help you - should they choose to.

So give innovation a go. Kevin is. 


Engine[er]

BIG SHOUT OUT TO RICHARD SALMON. Thanks for the support :-)

Engineers are like Homeless Bums [Transitions in Construction]

"Homeless people, like the rest of society, have goals that, if not met, can lead to feelings of loss. Even though homeless people may have some supports, their disconnection from society and inability to achieve basic goals may lead to low self-esteem" Frederick A. Diblasio , John R. Belcher

For us Engineers, LinkedIn is fast becoming a virulent breeding ground for many cool existential engineering debates. It is also managing to provide us with a forum capable of bearing the seeds from a few perplexing engineering problems too.

Off the back of a LinkedIn discussion around the pay & wages of Engineers [here], has come some rather rare opportunities to take an engineering analogy or two for a test spin. Let me share with you a great attack, parry, and riposte if I may.

It was mentioned that a fellow Engineers suggestion to "stop moaning about pay and just get out there and make some money" was akin to telling a homeless person to get a job or asking a depressed person to cheer up. Facile and less than constructive. [Kat Lai, LinkedIn Discussion, Structural Engineer – Group]
I believe that we are more like homeless people than a person with depressive tendencies, but they are in some way linked.

One of my close family members was made homeless for a while. He was a great guy - but there is no easy way to help someone who does not wish for or indeed need the assistance. You see I had come to the conclusion years ago that those of us who find themselves becoming trapped in these ill-conceived circumstances, will follow one or several of these lines of action;

1. Shocked into taking action. This appears as an explosive reminder to avert a life disaster, and they use this realisation to do something about it. Most of these will find a way to resolve their problems, and self-heal along the way. Highly motivated, if in a retrospective capacity.

2. Making do. Critically this involves the down trodden to loose self-belief and eventually accept their circumstances. Upon further investigation you will find that they genuinely believe that this is all they deserve out of life. Any attempt to help them needs to first tackle the key reasons why they are content to languish, before galvanising them for their triumphant return to status.

3. Addiction. The person is addicted to a particular 'thing' or 'way of being' which works against their currently held status. It is inevitable that they will fail. Until the addiction has been broken, then they will continuously fall short of the necessary motivation to raise their status back to the norm.

4. The Tribe. Some people choose this way in life because the alternatives are way too complicated. In society, we build highly dynamic groups of friends, where status, empathy and acceptance form a social understanding which can be tiring to some. The thought of becoming a member of an uncomplicated tribe who never judges you, is an enticing idea. No internal judgement, status free, uncomplicated.

There are of course lots of reasons why someone might become homeless, and the majority of them offer opportunities of return to status. For example, loose a job - find another job. This is obviously not as easy as just writing it.

For this post, I would like us Engineers to think on the 4 points above and try to understand how we can turn our need for greater 'pay and status' into a plan for the future.

If we are 'making do' with our position, then we have to understand the hidden reasons for our inaction. If we are addicted to a 'way of being', focussing only on our own business and career, then we have to begin to wean ourselves off this selfish behaviour.

Finally, if we plan on making this philosophy the secret mantra of our 'tribe', as many generations of Engineers have do so before us - simply because it is a less complicated existence... then it's about time we admitted to it. Time to move on, I think.

This post raises some important parallels between Structural/Civil Engineers and the homeless and you can also find it on Dr Dan Engström's incredibly interesting construction futures blog-site, Transitions in Construction.


Drop by and offer up a comment, I'm sure that he would love to chat to you all.




Engine[er]