5
O P I N I O N
A CEO’s advice for young professionals Here are nine tips on how to be successful in the A/E/P business. Hint, most of these tips are not specific to the A/E/P business.
I have the honor of being a guest lecturer once a semester for a senior-level course at the University of Arkansas. It’s fun because I get to be with these “kids” right before they enter the workforce. After we’re done with the technical part of the class, I share a little free advice with them about what I think are the keys for success in our industry. I offer those same points here for your consideration.
Matt Crafton ENGINEERING INSIGHTS
stamp construction plans and studies. Besides basic pride in the accomplishment, being a licensed pro- fessional makes one marketable, and clients and em- ployers need that expertise. I’ve never met anyone who said: “Boy, I sure regret getting my P.E. license.” 4)Be a team player. I don’t think we’ve ever had a project in our business that was completely pro- duced by one person; design and construction proj- ects are all about working with people. You’ve got to “I’ll take someone with a strong work ethic any day over someone who is supposedly ‘gifted’ but can’t meet deadlines or take pride in the quality of his/her work.”
1)Work hard. It may sound old fashioned and “un- hip,” but there is no substitute for a person who gives his or her boss the extra effort to get the job done. I’ll take someone with a strong work ethic any day over someone who is supposedly “gifted” but can’t meet deadlines or take pride in the quality of his/her work. Labor Omnia Vincit! 2)Dress for success – the “I just got back from a kegger look” won’t cut it. Mark Zweig wrote about this in the April 25 edition of The Zweig Letter , and he was right on point. Even in the business casual world of 2016, our clients expect professionalism from us, and that starts with how we present our- selves. If we want to charge those healthy hourly rates, we need to look and act like we deserve it. Make a good impression on your clients and your boss by dressing sharp for work. 3)Establish technical expertise – become a profes- sional. Fortunately, in the U.S. we have laws that require qualified professionals to design projects and
See MATT CRAFTON, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER June 6, 2016, ISSUE 1155
Made with FlippingBook Annual report