PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
‘The best advice I ever
Did someone’s words of wisdom change your life? Give you that push you needed to reach your goals? Inspire you to take a chance? We all learn from the experiences of others, and it’s true no matter what your age. Particularly in need of some good advice are the thousands of Alberta university grads about to embark on careers as engineering and geoscience professionals. Degrees and resumes in hand, the Class of 2016 faces a tough job market few would have envisioned when they enrolled. No doubt they’ll be offered lots of advice at commencement ceremonies, and from professors, mentors, professionals, family, and friends. APEGA decided to round up some of that advice from a selection of successful APEGA Members. We asked them to share with graduates, through The PEG , the best career or life advice they’ve ever received — or perhaps their own best advice, based on life lessons learned. These people come from a diverse mix of backgrounds: entrepreneurs, academics, experts, up-and-comers, high-level managers. You don’t need to be a graduate, of course, to find a gem in this treasure chest. The encouragement and motivation here apply to graduates and seasoned professionals alike — and might just change the way you work, live, and think.
Rachael L’Orsa, E.I.T. Calgary • electrical engineering master’s student at the University of Calgary, where she works on adaptive control systems for neurosurgical robots • Avenue magazine Top 40 Under 40 of 2014 Two pieces of advice have driven all my successes from a young age, and a third is something I’ve learned over time. From my mom: You can be anything you want to be. Her advice left me oblivious to existing or imagined barriers for any career path. From my high school wrestling coach Mike Richey: If you want it, don’t just work for it. Fight for it! This opened my eyes to the fact that having a dream is insufficient, as is simply working towards it. To guarantee it will be achieved, you have to be so intensely focused on it that one might think it were necessary for your survival. Motivation, work ethic, and adaptability are the three pillars that continue to support the achievement of my goals. They provide 90 per cent of the final outcome, while natural smarts and talent only contribute the last 10 per cent. My own advice is based on life lessons: People are the most important part of any system. I actually wish someone had told me this a long time ago. The stereo- typical engineer is famously lacking in social skills. It’s so easy to become absorbed by the fascinating details of whatever our system of choice is, such that the tremendous importance of communication, trust, and teamwork is ignored or relegated to the back- ground. I personally made the mistake of not building my confidence in social arenas, assuming that sincerity, dedication, and work ethic would automatically earn the trust and support of others.
RACHAEL L’ORSA, E.I.T… …people are the most important part of any system -photo courtesy Red Olino, E.I.T.
40 | PEG SPRING 2016
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