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The Business and Problem-Solving Skills Needed for Success in Your Engineering Career!
The Structural Engineer's Professional Training Manual offers a solid foundation in the real-world business and problem-solving skills needed in the engineering workplace.
Filled with illustrations and practical "punch-list" summaries, this career-building guide provides an introduction to the practice and business of structural and civil engineering, including lots of detailed advice on developing competence and communicating ideas. Comprehensive and easy-to-understand, The Structural Engineer's Professional Training Manual features:
- Recommendations for successfully training engineers who are new to the field.
- Methods for bringing together ideas from a variety of sources to find workable solutions to difficult problems.
- Information on the real-world behaviors of building materials.
- Guidance on licensing, liability, regulations, and employment.
- Techniques for responsibly estimating design time and cost.
- Tips on communicating design ideas effectively.
- Strategies for working successfully as part of a team.
Inside this Skills-Building Engineering Resource:
• The Dynamics of Training • The World of Professional Engineering • The Business of Structural Engineering • Building Projects • Bridge Projects • Building Your Own Competence • Communicating Your Designs • Engineering Mechanics • Soil Mechanics • Understanding the Behavior of Concrete • Understanding the Behavior of Masonry Construction • Understanding the Behavior of Structural Steel • Understanding the Behavior of Wood Framing
From the Preface
One of the most difficult things about writing this book was coming up with a title, believe it or not. It needed to be something descriptive, yet succinct; imaginative, yet practical; and inspiring, yet memorable. The book's title, simple as it may be, gives an indication that a variety of topics will be covered; being a manual for such a broad-based subject as training engineering graduates. The process of training is a human one, where individual personalities can either hamper or enhance effort of both mentor and protégé, and each party must be certain of his or her role in the experience. It is for graduate and experienced professional alike. It is for licensed engineers from all ranges of society to refresh their knowledge of business practice, material behavior, and personal improvement in communicating with others. Most importantly of all, I trust that this book will benefit the profession of structural engineering, as we all work together to advance a solid reputation for service to others from all walks of life, all races and creeds, and all economic backgrounds.
Over the years, I have gathered articles, clippings, books, videos, and other information to help in the process of mentoring new graduates who are eager to begin their careers on the right foot. This information was also helpful to my own professional growth, as teaching others caused me to examine my own life, resulting in a benefit for everyone involved in that process. I will be the first to admit that I have not always consistently remembered or applied principles found in this book, nor have I had 100% success with bringing out the best in others that I have trained over the years. However, the information is timely and relevant to all skill levels within the profession.
I'm quite certain that each chapter will have its own share of critics who ask, "Why didn't you cover this?" or "You didn't spend enough time on that," and I am in agreement with many objections that could be raised. There is so much to talk about, but a choice had to be made as to what seems to be most important and what might be easily found in another resource. Within these pages, the reader will not find detailed instructions for designing a wood-frame shear wall, nor a reinforced concrete drilled pier, nor even for monitoring the financial health of a sole proprietorship, as all of these duties are exhaustively presented in other references. Rather, this book has three main objectives: (1) introduce the reader to subject matter that is important to know in order to discover the best solutions to real engineering problems; (2) provide a logical, comprehensive collection of recommendations, facts, and figures to help a mentor guide protégés along an accelerated path of career growth in confidence; and (3) bring together information that is usually scattered around in different references, yet important to consider in a unified manner to develop an intimacy with the practice of structural engineering.
Chapter 1 begins with the essence of training, including a look inside an engineer's toolbox that must be opened for solving real-world problems. These tools are defined in such a way that a mentor learns how to recognize and pass them along in the context of building upon a basic engineering education. The practice of structural engineering is also described as not just a career, but an experience that can only be lived out through reasonable knowledge of what makes everything around us work and why care is necessary in all dealings.
Chapters 2 and 3 introduce the big world and business of professional engineering in a manner that encourages active participation in the betterment of society. The subject of ethical practice is not learned to any great degree in college, but it is a key point of behavior in this profession, as engineers learn how to responsibly apply design regulations to the affairs of business. Different players in the business world affect the health of this profession and wise associations, as described in this book, will help to relieve stressful situations. Chapter 3 closes with an important presentation on managing business-related crises, though the material certainly has application in one's own personal life as well.
Chapters 4 and 5 paint a picture of the major trades involved in completing the design and construction of a building and a bridge, respectively. Different systems are described that may at first seem to have little relevance to the work of a structural engineer, but the more intimately we are connected with our structures, the better able we will be to design them or to solve problems when something goes wrong. Each chapter reviews phases that exist in the creation of these types of structures, and the reader will discover that some terms and conditions certainly are relevant to both buildings and bridges.
Chapters 6 and 7 present material useful for personal advancement in confidence and competence as related to engineering practice. Engineers must have a strong ability to solve problems strategically, to be as productive as humanly possible, and to communicate well enough to leave little room for misinterpretation. This is also where Chapter 7 comes in: we communicate to others through project documents such as structural calculations, specifications, drawings, and reports, all of which should be clear and presentable. An ability to translate three-dimensional thought into two dimensions is challenging, but nonetheless critical for success, and some of the principles described in these chapters will help for training on this matter.
Chapters 8 through 13 describe the background, composition, and behavior characteristics of common construction materials when subjected to load, which make up the technical backbone of everything that a structural engineer does, and is therefore relevant to the whole process of training. The most obvious starting point is a remembrance of engineering principles learned at college, plus an introduction to further patterns of material behavior that may not have been covered to a great extent elsewhere. Each of the material chapters begins with a list of some common definitions used within that particular industry (by no means exhaustive lists), continues with a discussion on the origin of those materials, and is laced with different references to model codes or design standards for description.
I decided to reference the most current editions of model structural codes and material standards so the reader can look up the stated sections for further review, as well as to establish a mindset toward specifics rather than randomness. I felt that generic code titles with specific sections referenced didn't make a lot of sense.
In closing, this book will be beneficial as a tool in a variety of different situations:
(1) to show a mentor the material necessary to pass along and how to teach it; (2) to further the education of a new graduate, or a student nearing graduation, in personal study on relevant subjects they will have to deal with during the course of their career; (3) as a course book, where a mentor can assign a number of pages or sections to a trainee, then get together at a later time to discuss or work on practical applications of the material; (4) as further reading during undergraduate or graduate work in classes relevant to each topic covered; or (5) as a reference for practical knowledge of subjects certain to broaden an engineer's problem-solving capabilities. Any way you choose to use it, I trust that it will make a difference in your understanding of this dynamic career.
Happy mentoring,
Dave K. Adams, S.E.
Tulare, California
About the Author
David K Adams SE is a registered civil and structural engineer in California. He graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Structural Engineering and has practiced with Lane Engineers, Inc., in Tulare, California, since 1990. A typical workday for Mr. Adams includes completion of structural calculations, drawings, and reports on buildings and other structures for commercial, residential, educational, institutional, and industrial uses. In addition to providing plan checking services for local municipalities to determine building compliance with life safety, accessibility, and structural requirements of current codes, the author also provides expert review services for California's engineer licensing board, has participated in the development of national and California-specific structural engineering licensing examinations, and is currently an instructor for the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Table of Contents
Preface. Acknowledgments. Chapter 1: The Dynamics of Training. Chapter 2: The World of Professional Engineering. Chapter 3: The Business of Structural Engineering. Chapter 4: Building Projects. Chapter 5: Bridge Projects. Chapter 6: Building Your Own Competence. Chapter 7: Communicating Your Designs. Chapter 8: Engineering Mechanics. Chapter 9: Soil Mechanics. Chapter 10: Understanding the Behavior of Concrete. Chapter 11: Understanding the Behavior of Masonry Construction. Chapter 12: Understanding the Behavior of Structural Steel. Chapter 13: Understanding the Behavior of Wood Framing. References. Index. |
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