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8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

  • 1.  8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-20-2018 01:36 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-20-2018 01:36 PM
    I was in a committee meeting at the EWRI council weekend and we were discussing how millennials consume and use information. I recently did a blog post titled 8 Way Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering. Check it out here!

    8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering
    The Watermark remove preview
    8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering
    Millennials are making waves in the workplace across all industries. They're changing the way we operate our businesses from their expectations as consumers to their performance as employees. Coined Gen Yers or Millennials, these young people are the largest generation the workforce has ever seen.
    View this on The Watermark >


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    Andrea DuMont P.E., M.ASCE
    Austin TX
    (314)401-1480
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-21-2018 05:02 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-21-2018 05:02 PM
    As a gray hair, Andrea's blog post is incredibly helpful. I highly recommend it to our generation. Millennials are not lazy. They are looking for different things and consume information in different ways than we did.

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    Shirley Clark P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
    Professor
    Penn State Harrisburg
    Middletown PA
    (717) 948-6127
    Penn State HarrisburgProfessor
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-22-2018 01:31 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-22-2018 01:30 PM
    ​Yes, this is a great blog!

    I would submit that two really big changes, not just with millennials but also those coming after, has to do with the way people learn and use information.  These are touched on in the article but I suggest we consider them a bit further or more specifically.

    1.  The use of long form print for learning is declining rapidly.  I have found this in my own experience at work and working as an adjunct professor.  Myself I am heavily print dependent.  A lot of that might come from being hard-of-hearing but I believe it also follows the generations, say digital immigrants versus digital natives.  At LCW we touched upon potential changes to how we deliver continuing education products, journals and such, I believe these cannot come fast enough given these changes.  I would recommend the following book, "The End of Reading," perhaps a bit of irony there:
    The End of Reading: From Gutenberg to "Grand Theft Auto (Counterpoints)
    Amazon remove preview
    The End of Reading: From Gutenberg to "Grand Theft Auto (Counterpoints)
    Big changes have been taking place in reading in recent years. While American society has become more visual and digital, the general state of literacy in America is in crisis, with educators and public officials worried about falling educational standards, the rising influence of popular culture...
    View this on Amazon >



    2.  Also the way different generations form relation ships is very important to ASCE/EWRI.  With younger generations the idea of Chapter based organizations faces many challenges, much of this is technology related but also related to the way people think about membership.  Our ASCE president recently recommend the following:
    The End of Membership as We Know It: Building the Fortune-Flipping, Must-Have Association of the Next Century
    Amazon remove preview
    The End of Membership as We Know It: Building the Fortune-Flipping, Must-Have Association of the Next Century
    How new membership models can help associations survive and thrive in today's evolving environment The era when associations could count on members joining and renewing, even with a relatively unchanging menu of membership benefits, has passed. No, membership is not dead, argues author Sarah Slad...
    View this on Amazon >



    I would call myself a grey head but that would imply there is something up top to be grey yet?


    ------------------------------
    Michael Buechter P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
    Program Manager
    Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
    Webster Grvs MO
    (314) 968-9723
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-28-2018 10:25 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-28-2018 10:25 AM
    These are great points Michael! I've added both recs to my reading list. :)

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    Andrea Dumont P.E., M.ASCE
    Austin TX
    (314)401-1480
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-29-2018 08:00 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-29-2018 07:59 AM
    I would note one thing, though, that I am observing with this upcoming generation. We went through several years of the heavy dependency on only visual learning. I would have students download the lecture material but never take notes on it. The last two years, I'm seeing more students taking notes. I've flipped the classroom in a couple of classes, so the students watch videos outside of class. They have noted how they like the video learning, but they are also getting that pen-to-paper learning. What they like is the short pieces, rather than a lecture. They also like the ability to watch it at any point. Finally, they like to be able to go back and watch it when they are working on their projects. I think the flip has worked well because we are able to do more in-depth problems in class. So I'm seeing the switch back to pen-and-paper but to reinforce learning. So I think this next "generation" is going to want these video-accessible learning tools, but they are not dropping the pen. It just may be a stylus.

    ------------------------------
    Shirley Clark P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
    Professor
    Penn State Harrisburg
    Middletown PA
    (717) 948-6127
    Penn State HarrisburgProfessor
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-30-2018 12:20 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-30-2018 12:19 PM
    Shirley has a good point regarding note taking. Students may be able to learn by visual means, but they still have to solve problems with calculations on paper (OK maybe on tablets, too). In practice I see most, if not all, engineers at least starting out with pen and paper. Even complex calculations are usually outlined on pen and paper. Am I wrong or just hopelessly old fashioned?

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    Bevin Beaudet P.E., M.ASCE
    President/Owner
    Bevin A. Beaudet, P.E., LLC.
    West Palm Beach FL
    (561)225-1214
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-30-2018 12:21 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-30-2018 12:20 PM

    ​Shirley,

    Thanks for the follow-up.  I note you state, "What they like is short pieces..."  Note my original comment starts, "...the use of long form print..."  Following in that vein I guess I am thinking of something like my current "personal" reading project, Churchill's six volume History of the Second World War.  I cannot see much more market for something like that, even traditional textbooks and journals would be a challenge.  So your comment seems clever and insightful, "It just may be a stylus."  That gives us something to think about with regards to the continuing education products I mention.  Do we need short you-tube videos with some sort of interaction?  Will text books be completely on-line with videos and short paragraphs versus a lot of hard bound text?  What happens to the Journals?  Whatever the answer I think the change is needed just to set in may ways to see what it might look like.



    ------------------------------
    Michael Buechter P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
    Program Manager
    Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
    Webster Grvs MO
    (314) 968-9723
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-21-2018 05:04 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-21-2018 05:04 PM
    Andi (see I read your blog), and it is really thought provoking.  This is the most comprehensive discussion of the Millennial work force that I have ever read.  I recommend everyone interested in evolving our engineering workplaces for the better to read it.   Let's face it, it won't be long before Millenials will be the top leaders of our profession, and it is starting to happen already.  I can't thank you enough for posting this.

    ------------------------------
    Bevin Beaudet P.E., M.ASCE
    President/Owner
    Bevin A. Beaudet, P.E., LLC.
    West Palm Beach FL
    (561)225-1214
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-22-2018 08:09 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-22-2018 08:08 AM
    I feel that it is somewhat unfair to label change through age groups of debatable allocation. Change doesn't come in giant leaps, but gradually, although some adapt quicker than others. Some called the "Baby Boomers" as the "take-over generation" much before they gradually became the old-timers. If one wants to stick with the "millennial" label, then an alternate list should be made of the areas that they might be deficient in. My son (in his fifties) owns a non-engineering business and is concerned that the millennial working for him or his clients are not good at decision-making, mostly because they fail to understand fully the business they are in.

    Regardless, the engineers stuck in the 'millennial' category that I have met tend to be more concerned about doing a good job rather than transforming the way business is done. I think the future is good in their hands.

    ------------------------------
    James Worrell
    Mostly Retired
    PE, RLS (retired)
    Raleigh NC
    [jimworrell@...]
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-22-2018 12:19 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-22-2018 12:18 PM
    Thank you for posting that comprehensive blog link! In my opinion, this is an ASCE collaborate must-read for anyone hiring, and all current and future managers.

    I am curious as to what engineers are seeing from their employers in response to the changing demands of the workforce. For example, in my experience, almost every younger engineer I've interviewed (and many in other generations too!) would prefer to be able to work remotely some of the time and/or have flexible hours, yet there is still a not-insignificant stigma associated with this at many civil engineering firms. 

    My suspicion is that as some as these policies become more and more common, firms that don't adapt are going to be struggling for talent (if they are not already). But, the bigger concern is that if civil engineering, in general, has a reputation for being "behind the times" in terms of adapting, we could very well lose the best and brightest to other engineering fields that are adapting more quickly.

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    Stephanie Slocum P.E., M.ASCE
    Founder
    Engineers Rising LLC
    www.engineersrising.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-23-2018 08:07 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-23-2018 08:06 AM
    Andrea - great job!  We need more engineers documenting their thoughts and careers through content.  That's how we will spread the word about our profession!

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    Anthony Fasano P.E., M.ASCE
    Engineering Management Institute
    Ridgewood NJ
    (201) 857-2384
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: 8 Ways Millennials Have and Will Change Engineering

    Posted 10-25-2018 10:20 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 10-25-2018 10:20 AM
    Great article, Andi!

    I especially liked the Management section, " Millennials who are ambitious with side hustles and who have romanticized entrepreneurship are asking for their leaders to empower them. Each leader in the employee's life will provide a different perspective: technical expert, social expert, career expert.

    This definitely highlights the importance of finding mentors for the different areas of our lives. It might be because I am a  millennial, but I constantly crave direction and assurance that my career is headed in the right direction.That's why I think the constant feedback throughout the year is crucial, not necessarily for recognition, but for clarity.

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    Fernando Ceballos P.E., M.ASCE
    Project Engineer
    Lewisville TX
    (956)312-8924
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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