Up Time Magazine- February/March 2008

its. Mature reading habits will unquestionably accelerate the acquisition of thoroughly marketable skills in more structured ways than traditional on-the-job learning. The Engineer and On-The-Job Training A measure of on-the-job training is always appropriate. It acknowledges that we can always learn from others. However, we must guard against accepting and absorbing as “fact” whatever others tell us; it certainly will not always be of true benefit. Conversely, the act of discarding everything that others have done before us would not be a very smart approach either. In essence, either extreme must be avoided, and science must always trump gullibility and sales pitches. Testing and understanding “the mechanics of things” and even thoroughly examining underlying thought processes are always sensible choices. This again implies that you should seek a bal- anced view, and that finding and consistently practicing this balance requires a conscious effort. While it is certainly never too late to cultivate a balanced view, it is obviously best to do so early in one’s life. This cultivating requires an investment in time; it certainly implies reading and thinking not just on one’s employer’s time, but also on one’s own time. On the other end of the spectrum, we should not “study things to death” since there are many endeavors that simply do not merit investigation beyond a certain point. Again, this is a matter involving common sense and balance. Shared Learning and Specialization are Important When a person learns or adds experience in a field that is logically related to his or her job function, both employee and employer stand to benefit far beyond their original expectations. The employee gains a sense of self-worth that will allow him or her to confidently look ahead to an otherwise hazy employment future. By nurturing the desire to learn in an employee, an employer stands to gain a value-adding contributor. This contributor’s future ability to make go-no-go decisions that are based on fully understanding risks and consequences can be worth a fortune. A smart employer, therefore, makes training a shared responsibility. Both employer and employee will consistently and conscientiously carry out their respective obligations. If, then, you accept there is merit in having control over your life and future, it would be your desire to increase your marketable knowledge. You would take steps to systematically acquire a definable specialty and strive to know, ultimately, how you measure up against real-world competition. Having accepted and acted on these premises allows you to go into a job interview with greater confidence. The Job Interview and Beyond So, let’s just assume you are a novice mechanical engineer with the goal of specialization in rotating machinery for oil refineries and petrochemical plants, or reliability improvement of fluid machinery (pumps, turbines, compressors). Note that this arbitrarily chosen specialization goal is not 64 february/march 2008 http://www.filterelement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Up Time Magazine- February/March 2008

Up Time Magazine- February/March 2008 Contents Upfront Upclose: Lessons Learned from the Walter Reed Story Information Technology: Parenting and Asset Performance Infrared: It's Alive! Lubrication: A Sense of Change Maintenance Management: PdM, Standardized Motor Testing: Being Well Connected Precision Maintenance: How to be Marketable Reliability: The Voyage of Wells Dairy Ultrasound: Two is Better Than One Vibration: Diagnosing a Cracked Shaft Upgrade: A Different Kind of Journey

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