We discuss how to stay sane while dealing with the day-to-day stresses of being an engineer.
Besides whatever form of music happens to pass through his headset, Carmen enjoys listening to numerous podcasts, including: Nerdist, with Chris Hardwick, and Roderick on the Line, with Merlin Mann and John Roderick.
Jeff relies on his Twitter feed and RSS reader for news, while Brian turns to Fark and Reddit. Brian gets defense industry news from The Dew Line and Alert 5.
In this episode, Adam, Carmen and Jeff talk about engineering skills, and where they are obtained.
Adam has used “soft” skills more than “hard” skills thus far in his engineering career.
On the other hand, Carmen makes heavy use, at least on occasion, of the “hard” skills he learned in his engineering education.
Adam notes that the ABET criteria for civil engineering requires a focus on the areas of management, business, policy, and leadership not required by other engineering fields.
Jeff highlights a presentation by Richard Miller, the president of Olin College, that discusses the challenge of balancing hard and soft skills in the engineering curriculum.
A thesis by Kristen Wolfe discuses the skills that mechanical engineers from MIT use five years after graduation, which tended to be more collaborative than technical.
Conflict with co-workers seems to be a common reason for dismissal, so hiring firms are spending more time checking the collaborative skills of potential employees.
In accessing soft skills at career fairs, Carmen finds that many engineering graduates have trouble presenting themselves in a professional manner.
Carmen got better at interviewing by going on multiple interviews; a case of practice makes perfect? He aspires to be like Jim Williams and Bob Pease.
Adam and Carmen offer suggestions for improving one’s social skills, mainly by getting into situations where you have to deal with others on a regular basis.
Schools should focus on the hard skills, Carmen claims, because engineering students can pick up the soft skills elsewhere.
Some research indicates that a minority of engineering graduates remain in science and engineering five years after graduation.
Adam was rewarded in his school work for recognizing when an answer was incorrect.
Carmen and Adam both felt like they benefited greatly from participating in co-op programs.
Where are engineering graduates supposed to learn “tools,” such as CAD systems, or simulation software? There’s no clear answer, but many employers expect their new hires to have experience with specific software packages.
We may be entering an age of hyperspecialization (PDF of article from Harvard Business Review.)
.
Thanks to Dean Jackson for the photo titled “NooNoo studying calculus.” Podcast theme music provided by Paul Stevenson
Brian and Jeff talk with Ann McMahon about sharing one’s passion for engineering with pre-college students.
Brian has experienced the glassy-eyed look of others listening to his engineering stories.
Our guest for this episode is Ann McMahon, an aerospace engineer who advises educators on how best to share science and engineering with K-12 students.
Ann originally wanted to be an astrophysicist, but ended up in the aerospace industry after acquiring degrees in mechanical engineering.
After a career with McDonnell Douglas, our guest started volunteering in her son’s classroom; this led to an interest in educational matters.
For the past decade, Ann has been working with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Science Resources Center as a National Faculty member for a program called Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER).
Brian wonders if engineering will ever be taught as its own subject; Ann is hopeful that schools are moving their curricula in this direction.
“Wicked” problems are complex issues that have no “right” or “wrong” answers; and each possible solution presents even more potentially unforeseen consequences.
In comparison, “tame” problems are definitively right or wrong, and lack the complexity of real-world issues.
Having right or wrong answers, rather than evaluating tradeoffs, misses the essence of the engineering profession.
It will likely take time for educators to determine how to assign grades in the absence of easily-defended solutions.
An effort is being made in many classrooms to emphasize non-cognitive skills, such as collaborating, taking on the perspectives of others, arguing from evidence, and getting along with other team members.
The concept of an “object world” is introduced in Designing Engineers by Louis L. Bucciarelli.
Ann recently gave a TEDx talked titled Engineering Empathy (use password tedxgladstone).
We learn best when we are supported by relationships with important others who help us stretch to master new challenges and cope with potentially overwhelming situations.
Relationships that a child has with a teacher and peers at school are influenced by the child’s earlier experiences.
Our ability to learn is influenced by our mental state, as indicated in the following diagram.
Ann believes that engineering offers unique opportunities for students to acquire important cognitive and social skills, including a chance to practice emotional regulation.
Design competitions are great for some students, but others may not thrive in such an environment.
Sharing what we know, at an appropriate level, is the best way to convey our interest in engineering with students.
Ann can be reached at annpmcmahon *at* gmail.com; or found online at AnnPMcMahon.com.
Thanks to PiK Yeoh for the photo titled “Child-craft.” Podcast theme music provided by Paul Stevenson
We discuss how to stay sane while dealing with the day-to-day stresses of being an engineer.
