I once engaged in technical combat with a government agency.
They said my technical approach was okay for hindcasting salinity in Galveston
Bay, but not for forecasting salinity under a proposed deepening of the
navigation channel. It was a difference
of opinion on a subject too technical for administrators to judge, so naturally
it got bumped up the agency head, an attorney with no technical expertise. I
got a call from his assistant, a woman I had helped with some technical
questions years earlier. Because she
knew and trusted me, she called to get the inside story. I told her my reasoning and explained my
adversary’s reasoning. A short time later, the agency head said that my
approach was appropriate and justified.
There’s some truth in the axiom, “It’s not what you know,
but who you know.” What we engineers know is crucial to doing our jobs but
often we think that’s all there is to it. This experience and many others
showed me that we have to be technically competent, but often that’s not
enough. Knowing the right people and having their trust is essential, too. We
have to know both what and who.
Networking is one way to know the “who.” It requires effort.
Join professional and civic societies, both local and national. Volunteer for committees
and make a real contribution. (Becoming known as someone who is just padding a
resume without actually working won’t help your career.) Professional and civic organizations don’t pay
for our time but sometimes can pay travel expenses, so our bosses have to be
supportive, or at least not opposed, and we have to be prepared to donate our
personal time.
Networking is the best way to find a job and a powerful tool
in career building after you have the job. Networking gains new clients,
educates us on both technical and professional issues, and provide a string of
professional friendships that help in unexpected ways. Do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment