Was it a particular job? Did school make all the difference? Was it a mentor? Was it professional classes? Was it a lifelong habit of reading manuals and textbooks?
All of the above.
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To answer your questions would be kind of pretentious which is seldom a trait of good engineers. Usually if a bridge officer, engineer or any other crewmember say theyâre a good whatever, theyâre usually not as good as they think.
Below are some quotes from a book about a fictional good engineer written by an actual, retired good engineer. Then 2 of my personal observation about good engineering.
âMachinery only cared about what a man knew and what he could do with his hands,âŚâ
âJake Holman loved machinery in the way some other men loved God, women and their country.â
âThe way to get killed around machinery is to take things for grantedâ
âThere was always a clique of old hands in an engine room, and they always wanted a new man to learn from them as much as they wanted him to know and wait his time for admission to the clique. It always disturbed them to see Jake Holman learning by himself. They were afraid he would learn too much and have power over them, and they were right. It was rough on them. They couldnât try to learn more themselves, because they had spent too many years pretending they already knew it all. They couldnât openly stop Holman from learning, because learning the plant was supposed to be good. So they always tried by the weight of their silent disapproval to force Jake Holman to stay as fumbling and ignorant as they were, and nothing in the world could spur Jake Holman on more than that silent disapproval. The machinery was always on Jake Holmanâs side, because machinery was never taken in by pretense and ignorance.â
All by Richard McKenna.
The last McKenna quote is pretty deep for me. Never pretend to know something if you donât because youâll never learn it. Even after you think you know it, be humble & keep an open mind because you might not know as much as you think & you donât want to be stuck being a dumbass.
And finally, always ask yourself, âWhat would Geordi La Forge do?â then do that.
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My mantra is that Iâm only as good as my last fuck up.
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Never accept failure and learn from it for the next time after you fail.
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Iâll be retiring in a few years. I am still not a good engineer. I still learn something every day.
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A passion for learning about how things work. Tinkering with them until you figured it out. Learning a bunch about cars from my uncle who was an auto mechanic for 40+ years. A lot of luck working with great Chiefâs and 1st engineers who mentored and pushed me outside my comfort zone. Listening to criticism and critiques without taking it personal. Being humble enough to admit what I didnât know and ask for help. Once I made 1st, becoming a mentor and passing on my experiences to young engineers who went on to lead their own engine rooms.
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How did you become a good engineer? I donât think Iâm good enough yet, but I do think I am moderately competent on a good day, but always trying to be better. I have a decent level of self confidence in my skills, but am not that cocky to forget that a 60yr old Perma-QMED will know the the ship & the plant far better than I ever will.
How? Donât be the lazy guy. Donât be the guy that doesnât want to do certain jobs. Donât be afraid to say âI donât knowâ or âI need some helpâ. Donât think cleaning or a menial task is below you. It goes a long way to make your subordinates respect you. Never stop trying to learn. When you get bored or sleepy donât be the guy that hides in the workshop or sits in the control room for half the watch. Be the guy that decides to go figure out something youâre not 100% on. Donât be the guy that knows everything.
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I remember a joke from years ago. Paraphrasing because I canât find the joke again.
I was a recently graduated 3rd and I knew everything. Then I upgraded to 2nd and found out there were some things I didnât know. When I became a 1st I realized there was a LOT I didnât know. Now I am a Chief and realize I donât know shit, but its okay because I have a 3rd that knows everything.
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The best engineers still learn something new every day.
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A combination of classroom/shop classes, listening to other black gangers, and trial and error.
Who said I was a good engineer?
Iâve sailed on tugs , ATBs, OSVs, spent years on a 6th gen Drillship and now CE on a Tanker. Iâve seen a lot of good engineers. Some stand out. Some incredible knowledge that they should not possess. Not a single one knows it all. If this job doesnât humble you, youâre lying to yourself and not as good as you think you are.
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I could say âby fucking up a bunchâ, while true I can also say I always appreciated any schooling I could participate in and rather envied those ââgraduatesââ. Mostly though believe in the mantra "you canât fix anything unless you know how it works and boy thatâll keep you reading tech manuals the rest of your life! Though I still say good engineers are born not made, plain experience and learning from your goof ups goes a long way.
itâs said of the tribes of israel there were preachers, musicians, prophets, and the like. In our world it may be: musicians, artists, ⌠and etc. but I equate Healers and mechanics as being the same. Some people are just better at it than others.
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