People make mistakes, they say, because we are only humans. We are all equal in that aspect and the difference only lies on how each of us correct those mistakes and learn from them.
For engineers who have just started to work in the field, they are susceptible to making a lot of mistakes. Because engineering school cannot teach everything there is to know about the course and application is so different from theory, the graduates are left to learn on their own once they work.
If not guided, these engineers are bound to fail most of the time. Especially when they do not know if they are doing their jobs correctly or they miss the learning in every mistake, the fresh engineers are going to keep themselves disappointed.
The key here is to make them aware of the mistakes so that they can make the necessary adjustments. Here are 4 of those common mistakes that fresh engineers always make:
Not asking questions
It is indeed scary to ask questions especially when you are with new people around you at work, worried that you would be judged. That is common. But once you become familiar with the environment, it becomes easier to reach to people about certain aspects of the job that you have never encountered. Give it time, or have the balls to speak on the first day of the job so you could proceed with being an engineer head on.
Pretending to know everything
Engineers who say “I don’t know” are actually valued in the workplace rather than those who think they know everything. To be able to learn, one must first accept that he or she does not know anything about it. You should not act as an expert on matters that you have no idea about.
Stock photo
Forgetting people’s names
Engineering is always collaborative work. So you are bound to deal with different people in different levels and departments. The odds are that you will forget the names of the people you deal with because there is too many of them. The solution? List them down!
Undervaluing menial tasks
Each part of the job has something to contribute to your growth as an engineering professional. The smallest of tasks assigned to you at first may seem ridiculous, but that is only at the start. You should be able to get around learning the basics of the job first before handling the bigger ones. Never undervalue or underestimate those tasks which do not require your technical skills as an engineer.
