My blueprint in the engineering industry
Time flies so fast indeed.
Four years as an engineer and I can’t contain enough my happiness.
I can still reminisce the day when I was taking the oath and receiving my certificate of passing and licensure ID. That was one of the happiest days of my life.
After passing the licensure exam, the job hunt began.
Every engineer’s job search begins differently. Some choose to make a career change, while others find themselves looking for a job through no choice of their own.
I was fortunate that it did not took long for me to find my first job.
Now here’s a thought!
How was the experience through the years as an engineer?
Well, the industry is really at high stake of competition. I started as a cadet engineer, in a boiler and pressure vessel manufacturing company.
It is no secret that the engineering industry is struggling against a widespread skill and staff shortage. Technology is developing rapidly, and the global population is growing apace. It is in the hands of current and future engineers to maintain and sustain many crucial aspects of our lives.
After six months of cadetship program, I was officially delegated as a technical engineer. Part of my role is doing design calculations, fabrication drawings, and technical documentation. It is at this time that I appreciate the engineering theories taught in the academe, such as the thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, fuels and combustion, and mathematics. I felt the excitement and the urge to learn more, seek more.
I will always find myself browsing our online library with a bunch of publications, research and term papers about our products. I spend my spare time reading all those articles and it even more ignite the potent desire to keep studying and learn more.
Until opportunity knocked!
March of 2018, our company got a project from South Africa. I was designated as the design engineer and to work hand-in-hand with our project management team. This project is no ordinary project, not only because it is overseas, but also because it is ASME project. Our company is the only boiler manufacturer in the Philippines that is accredited and certified by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This manifests our compliance to international standards and dominance in the global market.
Later in the implementation of the project, I was designated to lead the project to compensate the resignation of our project manager. This time, I don’t just have the design responsibility, but also the overall project coordination. I knew that I have to work harder than ever to ensure that the project meets its goal and objectives.
I work hand-in-hand with our inventory, procurement, production, quality control and technical services. And talking to them, I’ve gained the unparalleled learnings one cannot just take for granted. These people demonstrated their expertise, agility and innovation from their years of experience in the industry, and I am beyond grateful that they share it with me.
On July 2019, my team flew to South Africa for the installation phase of the project. We went there to supervise the installation of two units of 18 TPH biomass boiler. My team is composed of a senior mechanical engineer, mechanical foreman, quality inspector and I, field engineer.
The South Africans are a mixture of the native blacks and the offspring of colonizing white. They work hard and are family oriented people. We work from eight in the morning ’til four in the afternoon. They are accommodating. They are comprehensive. They are cheerful.
Our welders are Indians and Pakistanis. They are more challenging to work with than the Africans. They don’t listen upfront. They do their task, but not completely listen to one’s instructions. But still, there’s no question at all as to the quality of their work.
That experience abroad has paved the way for me to develop my language skills, communication skills and other work-based skills. It’s been a memorable experience to truly immerse myself in the culture of another country and meet other people. More importantly, it gives me an insight of the engineering industry from another cultural perspective.
And of course, the chance to travel a beautiful country. The beauty of South Africa is breathed through the smiles of friendly faces, the mosaic of cultures and cuisines, and the complex history that has shaped it. South Africa’s landscapes are made up of valleys, mountains, forests, deserts, coastlines, and grassy savannahs that are breath-taking in their picturesque scale.
10 months in South Africa and it’s such an experience that I’m losing an adjective to describe. I am confident that our team was able to place the Philippines in the global market. It makes us a genuine Filipino standing out amongst the competitive market.
I am confident that this experience working overseas has enabled me to clearly demonstrate my independence and adaptability which is vital in the fast paced environment of many companies. I firmly believe that in an increasingly globalized world, having an open mind and being tolerant are essential qualities in any engineer — working abroad is a great way to enhance these skills.
February of 2020, we came back here in the Philippines. I have with me the renewed sense of responsibility, the strong repository of new learnings and experience and the excitement to share what I have gained overseas.
On that same month, our company renewed our ASME Certifications. And I was our Engineering Department representative as design engineer. Third Party ASME Authorized Inspectors from Korea and Malaysia visited our company to conduct process integration audit, inspection and witnessing of actual demonstration of our quality fabrication.
The good news is . . . after rigorous process, the renewal of our certifications was granted.
Then the Pandemic came.
There is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in great change for all industries and employers, and the engineering sector is no exception.
Community quarantine was implemented. Many companies were forced to shut down and were not able to recover even after the quarantine was lifted, at least gradually.
We’re back in the office after two months. We are still grateful that the company have been relatively resilient to the impacts of the pandemic.
Just a few days after going back to the office, I was promoted as Project Management Supervisor. I was entrusted with a bigger role. It was a challenge leading a team that I was not used to work with. I came from the Design Engineering and now I’ll be joining a different environment.
My experience leading our South Africa project has honed the blueprint of not only leading a team, but also be in the frontline of all our projects.
I accepted the promotion, and whole heartedly lead the team. Part of my new role is to ensure that projects are executed in compliance to standards, policies and procedures, to meet its goals and objectives. Most of time are occupied leading coordination meetings, strategizing action plans and contingencies, controlling discrepancies between plans and actuals, project risk mitigation and other project management functions.
Now, after more than a year in the project management, the process of education is continuous. I always makes use of the bunch of internet sites about project management to read articles and researches. I also attend several webinars and online lectures.
Here’s the final takeaway:
Think about the skills you feel most confident in and those attributes that make you stand out to the rest of the group.
Perceive a new engineer in you. Shape your character and identity as an engineer. Assert yourself acting in a situation where your skills will be valuable. It is your commitment to yourself. Create an affirmation for yourself to continually live by the discipline of your new-learned skills. And if you ever see yourself “fell off the wagon”, immediately regain your posture, reclaim your focus and restate your affirmation.
