Pamela Quillin, P.E.
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Engineers Are Commodities

4/29/2011

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Engineers are commodities.  We've done it to ourselves, which is my personal opinion.  Many of us don't ask for more.  As a profession, we don't take care of it the way doctors and lawyers care for theirs.  It isn't for lack of smarts.  I know doctors and lawyers, who couldn't cut engineering, that aren't too smart in their chosen profession.  They have great memories but can't translate or correlate knowledge and ideas too good.  Yet, they've made a lot more than I have.  Part of the reason is licensing.  They have to be licensed to practice.  Very few US engineers get the license, which indicates to many that our profession is easy, unregulated, and not to be taken seriously.  Years ago I heard the stat that roughly 2% of all engineering graduates get the license.  I doubt that has changed.  I've met young and not so young graduates that have never heard of Engineer-In-Training or Professional Engineer,.

Many technicians and technologists are quite happy to denigrate the engineer because engineering is easy.  Anyone can understand it and EE is the easiest of all.  I've heard it many times.  One maintenance hand criticized me greatly for one of my solutions.  I had budget constraints and unsuccessfully lobbied to get more money to spend.  A solution was not worth more money than they had budgeted.  The maintenance hand convinced the Process Engineer to spend more money.  He had greater access to him and they were buds.  He then exclaimed loudly to anyone who would listen that he could do EE and much better than I ever could.  I let him go on and kept silent.  He enrolled in engineering and dropped out the first semester because he couldn't handle math.  He had the courtesy and grace to apologize to me for his criticisms.  I had the courtesy and grace to accept.

But that, ladies and gentlemen, is how our profession is viewed by too many people.  They cannot see the value we bring through building materials and products, buildings, transportation, fuel, computers, appliances, food products, medications, medical equipment, entertainment, etc.  We, collectively and individually, do a very poor job of educating the public in all the ways we touch their lives.

I doubt too many people with mental illness, cancer, depression, epilepsy, etc. would want to do without their medications.  Without engineers, their medications would not be possible.  I doubt they ever consider this throughout all the years they pop the pills, take the injections, etc.

One of the fundamental problems is that people are so entertainment oriented today they don't want to be bothered with how products are made and reach their periphery.  But, I digress......

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Mother's Wisdom

4/29/2011

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When I was a kid, Mother told me, "There will always be someone willing to lead you astray, if you are willing to follow."

I had followed the wrong lead, which led to her advice.  I love Mother for a lot of reasons and one was her wisdom.

I've followed the wrong lead many times but as I matured, I learned discernment.  I learned to think better.  Knowledge helps one to think better.  I had a lot to learn, too.  Indeed, I am still learning.

It takes a lot of courage to do the right thing in the face of extreme pressure to do the opposite.  It takes independent thinking and discernment to differentiate good from bad.  You cannot be asleep and recognize a problem ahead.  You cannot be part of the herd and be immune from being led astray.  You always have to be thinking and making adjustments to stay the course.
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Everything Gets a Grade

4/16/2011

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Many vendors have employees that have never worked in a plant environment so they don't know, it seems, what happens on projects when things go wrong.

Every time I've installed a piece of equipment that didn't work, as the Project Engineer or Project Manager, management knew.  They knew as soon as I did or soon after.  As the Project Engineer or Project Manager, it is your responsibility to report it up the chain of command.  If you don't, rest assured someone else will and not out of ill will, usually, but the need for management to know.  Management has a vested interest in an engineer's ability to do their job.

Engineers like me have suppliers, whether it is the manufacturer or representative of the manufacturer, report to us the problems and solutions, which get pushed up our chain of command.  Everyone has someone to answer to.  This information gets communicated to other managers and is sometimes spread across corporations.  If the experience is bad enough, a corporate wide ban is implemented against the company or companies involved.

This accountability is not limited to my area of expertise.  It happens across the board.

Some industries are small communities and information, good and bad, gets communicated across the industry.

Experiences get shared at technical meetings of all kinds so performance, good and bad, gets shared across industries.  More often you hear of  bad performance issues.  The heartaches provide more "lessons learned" than anything else.

As a manufacturer, you need to ensure it will perform good in the field, for the service intended, or risk a bad reputation.  This applies to manufacturers of tanks, mixers, motors, transformers, piping, structural steel, cement, valves, etc.  Everything gets a grade, which is why plants have preferred suppliers.
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Delegate Authority

4/13/2011

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I met a skilled worker recently, who was hired to correct a lot of problems in the shop.  He's older and experienced with an excellent ability to articulate ideas.  He is smart.

He made his suggestions and implemented his ideas.  Things were turning around.  Consistency was improving, which means quality was increasing.  The result?  Fewer customer complaints and less rework.

Over time, management became less interested in his ideas and claimed they had no relevance.  This skilled worker was unable to continue his program without management's support.

Because he saw no support from management, he didn't see a point in remaining with them.  He planned to submit his resignation this week and look for employment elsewhere.  He wanted to make a difference somewhere else.

Many of us have experienced this and understand the frustrations that come with it.  It is puzzling that companies will hire people for specific reasons and ultimately not allow them the latitude to accomplish the goals.

Ronald Reagan had an excellent quote that applies to this:

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere.
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A Truthful Admission from an Old Manager

4/7/2011

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Several years ago I talked with a former manager, who admitted management does not like people like me.  Why?  People like me are not dependent on a company as much as they would like.

He admitted that companies want people to marry, sign up for the $250,000 mortgage, the 2.5 kids, the minivan, the SUV, the boat, the camper, expensive vacations, etc.  It is debt that takes decades to repay.  Debt keeps them dependent on the company thus less likely to leave it.  You are the slave of the company and essentially have to put up with whatever you receive.

I was shocked to hear this and then to realize his admission.  I would not have thought companies would want employees that "have" to work there but "want" to work there.  After all, even people loaded with debt can sell everything and find another job.  It does happen for them, too.

Had he told me those words early in my career, I would have made many decisions differently.  I would have done as my good friend, Ronnie Belcher, wanted me to do.  Foolishly, I did not heed Ronnie's advice as I should have.  But, I can pass it on to others and I do.
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Bad Things Happen to Good People

4/2/2011

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Many people say those that were laid off deserved it and that only the good people were retained.  That is not always true.  Bad things happen to good people just as good things happen to bad people.

I was laid off.  I have worked very hard in life to improve myself and to make life better for those around me.  The desire to do and improve has been misunderstood by some and caused problems.

I was laid off due to LIFO, i.e.,, Last In First Out.  I have worked hard on and off the job.  I am a good person with high standards. I like to do a good job.

I know people who are still working that should not be for various reasons.

I know wonderful people that have worked very hard and sacrificed a lot and often to work in Corporate America and provide for their family's.  Some of them are still out of work today and living off the fruits of their labor now.

Being laid off for an extended period guts your life.  It takes everything you have worked towards for 30 years.  It forces you to take a look at other ways to earn income and provide for your family.  It forces you to choose one.  It forces you to get outside the box.  It forces you to economize.  It forces you to think new thoughts.  It forces you to learn new things completely different from anything you have done before.  It can be devastating, if you let it.  Being in that situation take resiliency.

Fortunately, most of the people I know in that situation are not letting it devastate them.  They are hearty and doing what they need to do to change paths.  They are doing it on their own without help from anyone or any government agency.  They have spunk and fire in the belly to get on track with their new path.  They have determination to not work for a company again but to build their own company.  They have the same desire to do right by others and themselves.

Some of these same people do the maintenance on their own homes, yards, and vehicles.  Does that sound like they are defective units?  Not to me.  it takes gumption to take care of so much in your own life and start a company in a new industry.

Gumption.  That is what they have.  I admire them!
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    I have spent years in the bowels of manufacturing plants helping to bring numerous products to market that touch virtually every aspect of life.

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