Entries from June 2009 ↓
June 25th, 2009 — office life
You know, currently things are getting pretty darn slow in the office I’m in. It’s a massive change for a project engineer to move from a project site back into the office in town. I’ve noticed a few small differences-
On site:
- fast paced
- high sense of urgency
- very productive
- more responsibility
- get things done
In the office:
- slower than a snail’s pace
- sense of urgency relatively low
- struggle to stay awake
- less outcome oriented
- less accountability
- things get done… whenever
Imagine my chagrin! It’s like driving your brand new ferrari straight into a gridlock! Needless to say I’m really struggling to stay awake during the day. I spend a hour at lunch time just walking around the city to get some fresh air.
A Project Engineer’s Tips On Staying Awake In The Office
> Try to reduce the amount of coffee you drink… go for dried fruit and nut snacks. It can boost your energy without the sugar crash after that unsustainable peak. Maybe try some gum as well. (In between, not together!)
> Grab a calc pad and make a list of all the things you would rather be doing than sitting there at work with not much to do. For bonus points, circle words and use arrows to make it look work-related.
> Take the time to analyse your peers. Do a SWOT test on them. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Better yet, do one on yourself. Weakness: struggle to stay awake while trying to look busy when you’re really not.
> Have some fun with Excel Macros if you know how to write them. (Watch this space for some Macro Fun For Engineers in the coming days…) Write a macro on a spreadsheet you are working on so that when it opens a funny message comes up. It will give the person receiving it a nice surprise later! Make it look like a legit Excel message.
> Join the HubPages community. It’s not an online store, so it’s likely not blocked by SurfControl. Write a hub about anything you like (if you don’t want to do this online at work, then write an outline on that handy calc pad for now). Make sure to look me up and become my fan!
> Plan your weekend!
June 4th, 2009 — miscellaneous
As a result of the Global Financial Crisis and subsequent closures of many mines, there have been a lot of Project Engineers and tradesmen losing their jobs. Companies are currently trying hard to do everything in their power to ensure that there are minimal casualties of this downturn in the market…
June 1st, 2009 — careers
After completing their university degree, most engineering graduates tend to go into one of two lines of work:
1. Engineering Design – I’ve been told approximately 10% of engineers end up in this area. I find this a little bit surprising because there is a group of us from uni that hang out together regularly and out of us 80% are working for a design consultancy.
2. Project Management – At uni we were told 90% of engineers end up working in the field. Apart from approximately half a year in the office I’ve spent about 5 years working on site as a construction engineer or “project engineer” as opposed to a structural/civil or design engineer. (It seems that regardless of one’s discipline, those that work in design refer to their discipline in their title and those that work in the field are just project engineers – weird)
Design Engineer Career Path
The way I see it sometimes is – if you’re a designer you tend to spend pretty much all your time in the office, calculating, designing, drawing etc. As time goes on you move up the ladder to managing other designers. There is the risk of not having a good feel for constructability. When you get bogged down in the detailed design you sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture or design a structure such that it is difficult and/or expensive to build.
But design can be fun. I did a little bit of design as a graduate and really enjoyed being “smart” about it – writing spreadsheets that do quick calculations for me such that I can design a bridge very quickly. I had no idea about construction and I struggled with that – it is just something that has to come with experience.
Project Engineer Career Path
I worked mainly in the field on projects involving the construction of roads and reservoirs. As a project engineer I was exposed to a massive range of experience. I personally enjoyed it a lot more than design work. It was more challenging. I was exposed to managing people, safety, quality, technical queries (liasing with designers), commercial, procurement and basically interfacing with every other area found in an engineering construction company.
As I move up the “food chain” in the company, I feel like I can jump into any area of management I choose and excel at it. I can step into a project management role or a commercial manager role for example. I feel like I have a more diverse range of skills. On the flip side, working away from home for an extended period of time can get tiring and if you have a family, working closer to home would probably start looking more attractive.
Project Engineering: The Essential Toolbox for Young Engineers
