Why SmartEngineer?
The driver for creating SmartEngineer was twofold:
One – Realising what drives success – I have seen far too many engineers struggle with what is required of a CEng – in terms of completing the paperwork plus realising the competence level required. The trap they fell into was getting wrapped up in the administration of their IPD and CPR submissions to the point that – as T.S. Elliot would say – they had an experience but missed the meaning. So the question is where should the focus be?
Two – Learning from others – I discovered as I spoke with graduate engineers that there was a group that did not fit the standard profile. This group did not ask the same questions, they did not need the same support, and in fact as I spoke with them it was clear I was the one learning more for them. The support they needed was basically just verification on some minor points that they already knew the answer to. They wanted the comfort of having a second opinion as opposed to requiring the first opinion, first. In reality, even this need to have a second opinion, was, in my view, based on the nervousness of their peers as opposed to them having a real need. I suppose even if you are 100% confident but all around you are not then it creates a doubt.
This group I would call the Top 5%. They are highly driven, highly capable and will manage themselves to success. However, all is not lost for the rest of us, as we can benefit from their success by borrowing their behaviours and also raising our game. So here the question is what can I learn from others? Or as Woodrow Wilson put, “I not only use all the brains I have but all I can borrow”.
SmartEngineer helps answer those two questions to those who engage, play and adapt the tools and ideas presented.