I'm terrible at remembering any specific words of advice I've heard from those around me, particularly when the question is asked directly. However, here are a few things that have stayed in my mind over the years.
1. (Professional) I had a college professor who also works as a consulting engineer. I expressed to him some concerns once about being interested in a phd, but being worried that I wouldn't be able to find a job once I got a phd. Conversely, I was worried that if I got a job after undergrad, I wouldn't have time to go back for an advanced degree.
He helped encourage me to pursue an advanced degree (a masters) by sharing his thoughts on employers, saying "if a company isn't going to appreciate you for what you learn in graduate school, then I wouldn't want to work for them anyway."
2. (Personal) As simple as it sounds, my mom's advice of "Be nice to everyone you meet" has been instrumental in how I try to live and associate with those around me. Similarly, my dad would always encourage me to "go out and try things". This was consistent encouragement to not be afraid to pursue new directions in life.
3. Finally, two more things from books I've read. One was for kids, and one was for adults.
The first was a quote I read when I was about 14 years old, in the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini. "Follow those who seek the truth, but beware those who claim to have found it". I always took this to mean "associate with those who are curious about the world around them and wish to explore the things they want to know more about, and avoid those who feel they know it all already."
The second quote was from "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. To paraphrase this exceptional book "Ultimately the meaning in one's life is the meaning that one assigns to it oneself."
Cheers!
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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-22-2021 07:00 AM
From: Heidi Wallace
Subject: Memorable Advice
On an ASCE Thursdays @ 3 a few weeks ago I quoted one of my mentors a few times. Since then I've thought about a couple other pieces of advice from mentors in my life that have stuck with me. Below are just a couple examples that came to mind.
What is a piece of advice from a mentor that has stuck with you?
The one I mentioned on the call a few weeks ago was about coworker relationships. He often says that we spend more waking hours with each other than with our families, so we'd better like each other. That attitude has permeated our group, and my coworkers are some of my closest friends.
Another piece of advice that came from my mom was that intelligence isn't something that makes you better than others; it is a tool to be used to help those around you. I think that mindset is part of the reason I ended up in civil engineering.
I'd love to hear any examples you have of advice that has stayed with you or made an impact in your life!
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Heidi Wallace EI, P.E., M.ASCE
P.E.
Tulsa OK
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