If I Could Start Over
Publication: Leadership and Management in Engineering
Volume 8, Issue 4
Someone on the other side of the restaurant said rather loudly, maybe in frustration or regret, “If I could start over . . .” The words and the tone struck me and prompted this essay.
Granted, we cannot actually start over. However, we could start anew—that is, make some major changes from here on. By hearing what others would do if they could “start over” it might motivate and inform such a restart. The very young, if they heard the “start over” reflections of others, might get off to a better start.
So where do we get these insightful “if I could start over” thoughts? I contacted friends and colleagues in the private, public, and academic sectors of engineering who have—in my view—achieved success and significance. By success, I mean they seem to have done well materially and they are reasonably well off. By significance—and this is more important—the individuals I contacted appear to have had many positive impacts on others, their communities, our environment, and infrastructure.
I approached these individuals because experience teaches me that inherent in success and significance is a tendency to frequently reflect—to review the past and learn lessons (positive and negative) from it. I asked each individual to consider sharing at least one “if I could start over” thought related to their professional and related activities, recognizing that they may not want to do so given the topic’s personal nature. If anyone agreed to share their thoughts I assured him or her that I would not connect their comment with their name. If they did not object, I said I would acknowledge them at the end of the essay. Their insightful and specific responses are included in the following list of verbatim comments.
•
I would have made better use of my education in exploring fields outside of engineering. For example, I did not take advantage of the opportunities available to me in the areas of humanities and social sciences.
•
I would have taken the Fundamentals of Engineering exam while still in college. In my hurry to graduate and “move on with my life,” I put off the exam. Four years into my career, when I pursued my professional license, it was very difficult to remember the many subjects included in the exam. I struggled with the exam material and took it twice before passing.
•
I would have ensured that my early career included the opportunity to practice, for at least a couple of years, the profession of engineering in countries other than the United States. I did not foresee the importance of learning and appreciating other cultures and their methods of operation in a world that was globalizing. I now observe how well those who had an early exposure (especially our European counterparts) are able to practice their profession in a borderless environment.
•
I would have moved more quickly through my various public, private, and academic employers and started my consulting business sooner. Most professional experiences exhibit diminishing returns, especially when one is a change agent.
•
I would have done a better job of career and financial planning early in my career. My career has been outstanding, but it might have been even better with better planning. Or at least I would have been more comfortable with the decisions I’ve made.
•
I would have become actively involved in a professional society sooner. I was active in ASCE as a student but my active involvement waned after graduation. Now that I am actively involved again I see how active participation would have helped expand my technical knowledge, increased my professional network, but most of all, kept me engaged in my career as an engineer.
•
I would be intentional about finding a mentor and doing quality networking.
•
I wish that I had learned a foreign language. It was not mandatory in either high school or college, so I took all the math and science courses instead. With all the foreign travel I have done in the last twenty years I really feel the need, and I am definitely embarrassed when I am overseas and people wonder what other languages I speak. Globalization is not a theory, it is reality; and young engineers can probably get by with only English, but they are cheating themselves out of many worthwhile experiences—personal and professional.
•
During my formal education I could never understand why really bad classes were really bad. Now I realize that pedagogy at many universities is in distant second place to research, if it is in the running at all. So we have a system of education that systematically doesn’t value teaching quality. If I could do it all over again, I would make all of the systems perfect!
•
I wish that I had published more technical papers. I believe it is our duty to spread the knowledge that we have gained and that is most easily done by publishing and by giving technical talks.
•
I would have pursued an advanced degree immediately after my undergraduate studies. I find it more difficult to go back to school as I get older and take on more responsibilities. I see the advantages that an advanced degree would provide in my career. Additionally, I would have taken more foreign language to allow more mobility.
•
In college, I would have tried harder to understand the classes I really did not like because I would like to have that knowledge now.
•
I would have pushed to have a wider range of experience in the field versus in the office. The knowledge and experience gained by seeing actual construction and learning about the challenges of project implementation are always beneficial in future design or project management work.
•
I regret not being more engaged and reflective in my early development as a professional. I could have had more of an impact and grown more as an individual if I spoke up earlier, was more flexible, listened to others, and was more open minded where I really contemplated what I thought I believed and why.
•
I would have sought a mentor at each place of employment. As a young graduate, I did not seek out mentors (naively thinking a senior staff would seek me out to mentor), and during the challenging times in my early career, I struggled alone. In hindsight, I may have stayed at any one of my previous employers had I had a mentor to support me through those challenges. My connection with my current mentors, both within my current place of employment and within the profession, has strengthened my professional and personal skills and continually affirms my choice in careers.
•
I would have worked harder to have a balance between my professional life and personal life. No one on their deathbed ever said they wished they had spent more time in the office.
•
I would look to find a more appropriate balance between my technical studies and those more general subjects, looking for a more balanced education. I would also have increased community involvement earlier in my career.
•
I would have focused more on two aspects of our engineering profession that I didn’t realize were critical to the success of a project: people and communicating with them. Sounds obvious, but we engineers tend to be very deliberate and technically focused. We cannot start or complete a project without effectively communicating with others. This is not easy for most of us, but it is possible. In addition to communication, getting to know and care about the people you work with and the people you are working for is essential. In the end, it’s all about people.
•
I would have accepted more opportunities to travel and work on projects in a variety of locations. It is far more difficult to do this later in one’s career. Engineering can offer a wide range of geographic and cultural opportunities.
•
Maybe if I could start over again, I would be born without three left feet.
•
I would NOT have changed the significant time and effort expended in professional organizations. The learning experiences, professional friendships, influence in my field, and opportunity to give back to my profession have been thoroughly rewarding.
Notice the thoughtful, highly varied nature of the “if I could start over” thoughts, as well as the touches of humor. Appreciate the breadth of topics. Included are: foreign languages, travel, international experience, communication, professional societies, construction experience, financial planning, humanities and social sciences, mentoring, networking, community involvement, technical papers and presentations, college studies, advanced degrees, personal reflection, and life balance.
Lest there be any misunderstanding, none of their thoughts are intended to apply directly to you, the reader. However, my hope is that the above comments stimulate you to think about ways you could restart your professional life for your benefit (success) and for the benefit of others (significance).
Making fundamental changes in our professional or other roles is not easy. Such a restart requires self-discipline, which leadership writer John Maxwell defines as “Achieving what you really want by doing things you don’t really want to do.”
I have one more thought about the challenge and wisdom of restarting, and the discipline it requires. This is from motivational speaker Jim Rohn: “We must all suffer one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret . . . discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”
You young readers, which includes students, are in the best position to consider the “if I could start over again” thoughts. Given that I value my associations with the accomplished, contributing individuals, please contemplate their advice for possible application to you. I wish I’d had that advantage at the beginning of my career.
Acknowledgments
Individuals who kindly shared the insightful thoughts presented in this essay include: Richard O. Anderson, SOMAT Engineering, Detroit, MI; Brian Brenner, Fay, Spofford, & Thorndike, Burlington, MA; Steve Fitzgerald, Harris County Flood Control, Houston, TX; Eric Flicker, Pennoni Associates, Philadelphia, PA; Gerry Galloway, University of Maryland, College Park MD; John Hardwick, City Utilities, Valparaiso, IN; Jeffrey Russell, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Ralph B. “Rusty” Schroedel, Jr., Earth Tech, Sheboygan, WI; and Deborah Snyder, CDM, Centennial, CO.
This article is reprinted, with permission, from Indiana Professional Engineer.
Biographies
Stuart G. Walesh is an engineering, management, and leadership consultant, and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Leadership and Management in Engineering
Volume 8 • Issue 4 • October 2008
Pages: 318 - 320
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Published online: Oct 1, 2008
Published in print: Oct 2008
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.