Yesterday was the one year mark of my career in the engineering industry. I meant to post something last night but got caught up in some grad school homework and whatnot.
Just some observations I've made:
- An engineering degree is more of a means to obtain an engineering job. It doesn't necessarily help you do your job well. I don't do a whole lot of real engineering.
- You learn 90% of your job while working.
- Office politics are real and have to be dealt with.
- People usually assume you know something when you probably don't. Asking questions is not only used to obtain information; it helps you get out of trouble by not making an ass out of yourself. Always ask questions.
- Older engineers are, in general, really great guys and are great to talk to. I prefer talking to them more than some of the guys my age.
- Person to person communication is more effective than just e-mailing people. This is something I definitely need to work on, but I also find myself enjoying it more and more. E-mailing people only really helps when you're working with software or need to send a massive amount of information.
- People are extremely defensive when criticized, especially when their work is questioned.
- Ageism works both ways.
- You often have to deal with things by yourself, including finding work to do. People don't just hand things to you.
Overall, it's been an enjoyable experience thus far. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next year will be like.
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