Everything I Know about Being a Good Engineer I Learned from My Dogs

Abstract

The book of Genesis tells us that in the Garden of Eden, humans had dominion over all of the beasts in the field, birds in the air, and fish in the sea. In this day and age, even with the hundreds of thousands of species inhabiting the earth, only one of these creatures has earned the title of man’s best friend. As friends to their masters, protectors of our households, and playmates of our children, dogs hold very special places in our culture. No other animal is as revered and loved. I have two dogs: Kira, my personal favorite, a 4-year-old chow-collie mix that we rescued from the Humane Society, and Lucy, a blond cocker spaniel that a friend found abandoned and wandering in their neighborhood. I am an observer of life, and I enjoy watching things happen around me. So it is no surprise that I spend a good bit of my time around the house watching my dogs. They spend time together and alone, and they exhibit their own unique personalities in everything they do. They are actually a lot more pleasant to have around than a lot of people I know. By watching my dogs, I have learned a good bit about life in general, and particularly about life in the professional world. We, as professional engineers, are college graduates. We certainly can ~and usually do! argue about how our school is better than any other. However, in most cases, colleges of engineering in the United States provide a high-quality education to all of their students. During our years in college ~four, five, six, or more for some of us!, we learned a great deal about formulas, solutions, theories, assumptions, design processes, and analytical methods. Basically, we learned how to effectively address and solve problems. We learned how to do engineering and by studying hard and applying our best efforts, we learn how to do it as well as or better than the other guy. However, I have observed through my work and teaching experiences that although colleges do a pretty good job teaching engineers how to perform good engineering, they do not generally take up the task of teaching them how to be good engineers. Make no mistake, there is a definite difference between these two skill sets. Knowing how to arrive at the right answer is important, even critical, to becoming a successful engineer. It is important, but it is not enough. To be a good engineer, one must become knowledgeable and proficient in a number of areas not ordinarily taught in school or, unfortunately in many cases, on the job. So what does all of this have to do with my dogs? As I mentioned, I have learned a lot by watching my dogs interact with each other, my family, and the people and pets in my neighborhood. Believe it or not, they exhibit a lot of the skills needed to be a good professional. I can understand a certain degree of skepticism on this point, but bear with me as we explore lessons that I learned from my dogs that have helped me to become a better engineer.