Tips to be a Good Engineer in Construction Industry

Typically, it takes you 4 years to complete your degree in university to acquire a degree to become an engineer. There are a lot of career paths that you may pursue in the construction sector, be it you graduate from civil, mechanical, building management engineering and etc. Eventually, most construction sector engineers’ dream is to become a construction manager or project manager. Of course, it is also depended on how large is the scale of the project that you are talking about. The skill required by a $million-dollar project is very different from a skill that is required by a $100 million dollar project or even more. That is totally a different-level game. 

We have a few tips for you to excel in your career path in the construction sector.

Technical Skills

Math and physics. A good engineer should have a good level of Mathematics and Physics that allows for the identification and solving of engineering problems. Construction design is about science, with a good logic of science, you can easily solve design problems on the spot. Save up tons of time and cost for your project. Let's put it this way, if a Structural Engineer wasn't able to accurately work out how much weight is being distributed throughout a bridge, I for one wouldn't like to be driving anywhere near that bridge.

Drawings

Building, Infrastructure, and Factory are built based on papers, which are drawings. You need to be proficient in reading and interpreting drawings. With good technical knowledge and logic, you can even spot the mistake made by the design engineer. That makes you even more valuable than a normal engineer. We highly recommend engineers spend a lot of time reading drawings and keep them in mind. 

Communication Skills

In the construction sector, the ability to communicate effectively is a highly sought-after skill, especially if you are working in Singapore. When you have to deal with multi races of people, such as Bangladeshi, Indian, Myammese, Chinese, Malay, and Western, you need to clearly communicate your ideas and instruction to workers or even mid-management personnel, leaving no ambiguity. For the big scale of the project, you will have tons of meeting to attend, either daily coordination meetings, weekly meetings, or monthly meetings, listening and conveying the right message or instruction is crucial to ensure smooth execution.  Also, build a good rapport with your own team, they can teach you a lot. In the olden days, buying cigarettes or coffee for your mentor, in exchange for knowledge and guidance.

Project Management Golden Triangle

The definition of the project is “A task which is completed within a time frame and a budget, with agreed quality” The 3 criteria, cost, schedule, and quality are the pillars of a project. By understanding the contractual scope, you can manage the project toward success. Understand what is a critical path, unit rate, basic understanding of contract and scope of work and supply and etc, and lead you to the way of project manager. 

Maximize Valuable Usage of Your Time

Standing on the construction side looking at workers working sometimes can be very time-wasting. A good engineer should learn how to manage and supervise the work more efficiently, by delegating the work to the supervisor and conveying accurate instructions and KPI ( Key Performance Index). Then, you should spend your time in the office reading drawings, working on planning, and solving another critical engineering issue. 

Creativity

Don't be scared to voice out your creative ideas, even if it sounds not logical. There are a lot of great ideas that sound ridiculous in the first place. Many engineers choose to keep quiet during a meeting to avoid getting scolded or involve in any issues. However, getting yourself involved in more issues and propose with a creative solution can increase your presence and value in a project. That will make your boss think differently of you. Before you throw a problem, think of a solution first!

Think Ahead

Don wait for instruction from your superior. Think ahead and get it done before your superiors tell you to do so. Always prepare an answer for the potential questions in the meeting. Remember, the meeting is the most effective place where you can show your value. Asking the right question or raising a critical concern in the future will bring a good impact on the project execution.

Identify Role Model And Mentor

You can learn a lot from role models and mentors to help you further develop your career. This could be the best engineer in the company you work for, for example. You can formalize the mentoring relationship, but it doesn’t have to be formal. Instead, you can simply talk to them, ask questions, work on teams or projects they are also involved with, etc. You can also seek inspiration from role models outside your company, including industry leaders. When doing this, don’t just look at the great engineering work they do, but also how they became successful.

Work Hard

This applies to every industry and job type, including engineering. You should take your inspiration from Thomas Edison, the great inventor. He said: “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”

Embrace Changes

Rapid advances in technologies and thinking mean nothing in engineering stands still, particularly if you’re involved in software engineering, automation engineering, and similar fields. You should embrace these rapid developments and never get stuck in an attitude of “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. Instead, always be flexible so you’re ready to change.

Learn the Corporate Culture

Keep your eyes and ears open. Notice how successful civil engineers dress and do likewise (but perhaps with a touch of style); save your expressions of independence for more important things. Notice how your colleagues interact and how they get things accomplished. If you cannot be comfortable and effective in your company’s culture, perhaps you’d better go somewhere else!

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