Weingardt Column for Structural Engineer – Column No. 08-7 (July 2008)

* Don’t wish your life away *

By Richard G. Weingardt, PE, Hon.M.ASCE
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Because my father was a general contractor, I spent a lot of time at construction job sites. Sometimes I just tagged along as he made his rounds. Later when I was big enough, he employed me to do real construction work – hammering nails, digging ditches, pouring concrete, pushing wheel barrels, and so on. I always liked building things, so working at construction was fantastic – a dream job, I thought. Plus, I only did it full time during summers and occasionally part time during the school year.
When any engineers would come to the job site, my father (who was quite impressed with engineers, much more so than with architects) made sure I was around to hear what they had to say. He told me, “Engineers are smart. They have the answers and know what they’re talking about.” Plus, they always dressed well and looked clean. It wasn’t long before my dad had me convinced that being an engineer held more promise than being a construction worker without a college education.
After 50 years of being a design engineer, I’m glad he did. Still, I love construction and hanging out at project work sites watching designs on paper become reality. Some of the most meaningful, thoughtful and useful advice I’ve ever received was from some of my dad’s salty construction hands and colleagues. One of my favorite pieces was, “Young man, don’t wish your life away. Enjoy every minute of it, no matter what you’re doing.” This came from a seasoned old painter who overheard me complain about how I hated putting up drywall and could hardly wait for the day to end.
Even though I was a sophomore in high school when this grizzled, white-haired gentleman gave me his opinion of my attitude, I’ve never forgotten it – or forgotten him. His point wasn’t just that time is fleeting but that people should enjoy and learn something from whatever they’re doing, no matter how lowly or unpleasant it seems at the time. He’d repeat my father and say that what you become is made up of all your life experiences, from elementary and high school, college and beyond, within and outside of engineering – and from your current circumstances.
My first assignment after graduating from college was designing a septic tank for a small government camp with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. I remember feeling miffed by the pettiness of the task. I thought I was such a “hotshot” structural expert having earned high grades in engineering school. But I remembered the old painter’s words – and a few from my father like “the journey is part of the experience, too” – so I approached this septic tank job with gusto. I decided to design the best one ever built. I could have picked out a standard design from the Bureau’s handbook. Instead I designed something better (often working at it after hours and at home), which reduced the amount of concrete and reinforcement steel needed. Nobody seemed to notice or say anything.
Later, however, when I received my first job evaluation, my supervisor mentioned this accomplishment and rewarded me with a small raise. And, even better, for the rest of the years I worked for the government, I was assigned more than my share of plum projects. All of these I approached in the same way I did the septic tank exercise. It made my work exciting and rewarding. I never found myself “wishing away” any assignment.
It was natural for me to take this attitude into the private sector when I went to work for a leading consulting engineering firm. Not surprisingly, it never failed to lead to increasingly better assignments. Most of my peers say they have experienced similar results, including rapid advancement in their companies or success in founding and running their own firms.
Richard Tomasetti, co-founder of Thornton Tomasetti headquartered in NYC, said, “I tell new engineers to treat the project they are given as if it were their job, not just the firm’s, and that its success is their total responsibility. How well they do it depends on them and on their performance, not the company’s. The buck stops with them, and so will the praise be theirs for good well-done job.”
What does that say to you? It means you’re in charge, responsible for all items involved, big and small alike – everything from overall design to every mundane detail. You’re even responsible for making sure documents are delivered in an orderly, timely fashion. Those who can accomplish that and assume leadership, Tomasetti alleged, always advance more rapidly in his company.
So wherever you are in your career – emerging, journeyman, or advanced – when faced with a difficult or unpleasant task, it will behoove you to listen to the old painter’s words, “Don’t wish your life away.” Rather, enjoy and make the most of every minute. You’ll learn from the effort and it will, more likely than not, motivate you to do a more thorough job. That’s how to open the door to better assignments and faster advancement.
Never wish your life away.