Selfless engineering

A close friend died last month, and it was devastating for everyone who knew her. She emulated compassion, sheer joy, love for family and friends and, most of all, willingness to help everyone. This openness to helping anyone she crossed paths with made her truly stand out.

Her family knows the most about her selflessness, and people who spent time with her could see that her generosity was deep-rooted — it wasn’t something forced or burdensome. From her, I’ve learned that giving 100% is clearly the best way to go. When she took something on, she took it on with every ounce of her 5-foot frame.

In a time when so many people are struggling, my friend’s personal drive to give is something we can all learn from. As an educator, she spent a lot of time mentoring and working one-on-one with students. Even after retiring, she carried that mentality into her volunteer work, and made sure that projects she handled were passed on to younger team members, and carefully explained.

My friend’s determination to pass on her knowledge and share her years of experience mirrors what a lot of engineers are doing right now. Even though communication may be virtual or slightly disjointed because of current working conditions, mentors and supervisors are taking time to ensure new staff and other team members have the knowledge and tools they need to get through heavy workloads.

And, because many professionals may be rethinking careers at the moment, the need for education is even greater as technical experts retire or move to part-time work. Data have shown that there is going to be a shortage of engineers and building experts in the next few years, which is common across all industries as baby boomers continue to retire.

Online coursework has been an anchor for Consulting-Specifying Engineer over the past several years. Conferences and associations have turned to all-virtual education, a new way for some of them to educate. Learning online opens the door to many more people attending, and to professionals from all levels of knowledge sharing their expertise.

CFE Media and Technology’s Virtual Training Week, scheduled five days beginning Oct. 5, 2020, should help take some of the burden off the shoulders of management and mentors. Over the course of the week, engineers and professionals can sign up for courses and roundtable discussions, and obtain continuing education on their own schedules.

Much like my friend, the educators for these sessions are selflessly giving their time and knowledge to help others do their jobs better. Register for these training sessions, where you can share your own experiences and join Q&A sessions with others in the industry: www.csemag.com/online-courses

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