Engineer/Manager

Engineering work is not management work. Managerial work emphasises organisational goals, resolving conflicts, planning and control. Engineering work is the application of theories, problem-solving and technically creative thought.

Upon graduation, engineers now expect to be provided with exciting, fulfilling and satisfying roles immediately.   Before this ‘instant gratification’, there was an expectation that an engineer’s first few years would be spent on the drawing board.

What has been lost in all the enthusiasm for immediately fulfilling roles, is that in doing the menial work (before technology took that over), much knowledge and understanding accumulated. That ‘menial’ work built real-world foundational knowledge.