If you’ve been following the engineering-matters blog for a while, you know I’ve written a good bit about CAD over the past year or so. And why not? It’s an industry that’s been re-energized by a number of big shifts in technology during that time. Several old and new software providers are trying harder than …
Low Spatial Intelligence as an Impediment to 3D CAD Read More »
Have you ever heard someone describe intelligence in different ways? I remember while growing up, someone might be called ‘book smart’ if they were good at school studies or ‘street smart’ if they were wise in the ways of life. However, in general, I think this type of concept was dismissed as myth far more …
I remember when the initial trends towards offshoring started. Manufacturers were exploring and pursuing it behind the scenes because, as you might imagine, it was terribly unpopular. The thought of moving american jobs overseas didn’t do good things for the brand and reputation for those companies. But soon enough, it became an open secret. And …
It seems like finding the right engineering talent for your organization is never easy. There’s the STEM shortfall issue where we aren’t graduating enough engineers to fill the roles needed domestically. And even with a number of engineering roles available, organizations, as one article from EETimes suggests, are getting more picky about hiring the right …
A couple weeks ago while up in Boston, I had the chance to talk shop with an engineer about how their staffing had changed after the recession. I know. I know. Maybe not the most thrilling topic initially. But it was actually a extremely worthwhile conversation. I had asked if they were hiring back or …
The New Engineering Career Choice? Hyperspecialization or System Generalization Read More »
Do you know of any engineering project that is overstaffed? Yes. That was a serious question. But I’ll take that as a no nonetheless. In that context, I’ve seen increasingly that engineering managers, even though they have taken on more responsibility in terms of managing a team, are still asked to work as an individual …
Do ‘In-the-Trenches’ Engineering Managers Get More Respect? Read More »
When it comes to sourcing in terms of engineering, it’s interesting to watch the pendulum swing. Over the past decade, a lot of engineering work moved offshore. Either it was outsourced to companies that operated overseas or manufacturers moved their technical and R&D centers offshore. The trend lagged a little behind the movement to offshore …
A Glimpse into Reshoring Engineering in the U.S.? Read More »
Where’s the next generation of engineers going to come from? Longstanding question. Right? At the rate we’re going, we won’t have enough graduating engineers to fulfill the employment needs of manufacturers in the United States as well as several European and Asian countries. Seems we’ve beaten this horse before. Yet I haven’t really seen any …
Apprenticeship as the Future of Engineering Education Read More »
Insight is valuable. Understanding how the executives in your organizations think is important to understanding if you’re aligned to their goals and objectives. And ultimately, that determines a lot in terms of your role and your engineering team’s role within the company.