Podcast #4 - Top Engineering Habits
Audio Brief
Show transcript
This episode covers essential non-technical skills and fundamental principles learned early in structural engineering careers.
There are four key takeaways from this discussion. First, prioritize creating clean, organized, and traceable calculation packages. Second, always verify a complete and continuous load path for all forces. Third, treat your drawings as the final, critical product and instruction manual. Fourth, seek out effective mentorship that explains underlying principles and allows for learning through challenges.
Good calculation packages are not just accurate, but also well-organized, easy to follow, and traceable for review by other engineers. This includes a clear outline, documented assumptions, and appropriate precision, ensuring clarity and transparency.
A fundamental concept is ensuring a complete and continuous load path for all forces, from where they are applied all the way down to the foundation. This continuous path is critical for a building's stability and overall structural integrity.
All engineering analysis and design efforts ultimately culminate in a set of drawings. These documents serve as the instruction manual for construction and must be impeccably clear and comprehensive to accurately convey the design intent.
Effective mentorship provides invaluable guidance by explaining the "why" behind engineering principles. It fosters an environment where new engineers can learn and grow through supported struggle and practical application.
These insights underscore the critical importance of foundational non-technical skills and strategic professional development for aspiring structural engineers.
Episode Overview
- The hosts, Max and Zach, discuss the most valuable lessons they learned early in their careers as structural engineers.
- They cover essential non-technical skills, including the importance of maintaining clear, organized, and traceable calculations.
- The episode highlights fundamental engineering principles like ensuring a complete load path and understanding that drawings are the ultimate deliverable.
- The hosts also explore the crucial role of mentorship in guiding a new engineer's growth and professional development.
Key Concepts
- Good Calcs: The practice of creating calculation packages that are not only accurate but also well-organized, easy to follow, and traceable for other engineers to review. This includes a clear outline, documented assumptions, and appropriate precision.
- Load Path: A fundamental concept in structural engineering that involves ensuring every load applied to a structure has a continuous path down to the foundation. A complete load path is critical for a building's stability.
- Drawings as the Final Deliverable: The idea that all engineering analysis and design efforts ultimately culminate in a set of drawings, which serve as the instruction manual for construction. These documents must be perfectly clear and comprehensive to convey the design intent accurately.
- Mentorship: The importance of having experienced mentors who can explain the "why" behind engineering principles, provide guidance, and create an environment that allows for learning through supported struggle.
Quotes
- At 00:44 - "Um, make sure it's recording." - In a humorous moment, Max shares the first lesson he's learned from their podcasting experience, referencing a past mistake.
- At 06:31 - "The only thing that we provide is an instruction set." - Max quotes a former architecture boss to emphasize that the final, most valuable product of an engineer's work is the set of drawings given to the construction team.
- At 08:23 - "If you have load path, it'll work." - Zach simplifies a core structural principle, highlighting that ensuring a continuous path for loads to travel to the foundation is the key to a functional and safe structure.
Takeaways
- Prioritize creating clean, organized, and traceable calculation packages to ensure clarity and allow for easy review by others.
- Always verify a complete and continuous load path for all forces, from where they are applied all the way down to the foundation.
- Treat your drawings as the final, critical product; they are the instruction manual for building your design and must be impeccably clear.
- Seek out effective mentorship that not only provides answers but also explains the underlying principles and allows you the space to learn by working through challenges.
