New Waters and Cold Feet
When building a ship- from my limited knowledge totally based on 'House of Dragons'- hundreds of individuals with very specialized jobs aid in the creation of a successful sea worthy vessel, not too different from the creation of an engineer.
You see specialists worked on the sails, others shaping very specific pieces of wood, some worked on just creating rope just as professors molded and shaped a young engineers skills with math's and the sciences.
Just like in the creation of glorious frigate - a new engineer is created. When all is said and done and the only sight we have left comes from that instinct to peer over our shoulder at the weight so suddenly removed leaving in place a jaunting vastness - emptiness - we take in the Mountain we have climbed from this seemingly time consumptive and costly process in awe. Yet another untested vessel launched into the open ocean.
Nothing before it but the vastness of a unidirectional anythingness.
What next?
I know what you are thinking, "wow get this girl a glass of 'chill', it isn't that bad." Your absolutely right, having left school for a while with a plan and direction, I thought graduating was a no brainer. I had my life mapped out into the next 20 some years.
Most of my colleagues that I have meet from around the country through ASCE's Student Presidential group were the same.
Little Leslie Knope carbon copies ready to brave the waters of a very chartered path.
However recently a group of students had a 'real chat' with me where I was made aware, some 80% of new grads never joined their ASCE student chapter, of those some never had internships, never found a mentor and will probably never know what ASCE Collaborate is until eventually they encouraged by their company's to participate in some sort of professional networking event to meet and greet prospective clients.
Those new engineers are left sightless and drifting. Asking themselves with a vagueness of shoulder shrugging resolve, "What Next?"
Rant aside this post is a call for action for the lucky few that had great experiences in school. Past ASCE Student Presidents, Ambassadors or local new Officers in your younger member forums! Look around and consider the people at your company that could gain a bit of value from joining ASCE. Take a peek at those new hires trying to cope with the complete culture shock of corporate America - they are at the greatest risk for burnout,. Not to mention missing great opportunities to find their own internal calling of responsibility all engineers share to better our societies share - opportunities they may not even know exist.
Ode to the Engineer!
Next time you amazing collaborate readers go to your local ASCE chapter event, I dare you to bring a friend. Invite that loner at the company or even just a neighbor person interested in what engineers do. Next time you go volunteer do the same thing!
Take that silent step forward, print a little flyer for the break room, offer the opportunity to learn and join your local chapters society picnic or golf outing.
Increasing membership numbers isn't the point here, the point is you have no idea how meaningful just being asked to be apart of something could be -especially to that lost new grad drifting like a boat in the ocean.
So my amazing friends - expand your bubbles and enjoy the journey!