Consulting-Specifying Engineer - August 2008 - (Page 45) Can’t you just fax it to me? BY JOEL ORR, PHD, Chief Visionary, Cyon Research Corp., Bethesda, Md. There is a mismatch affecting engineering at all communication levels. Computer software is part of a young engineer’s education, but many experienced engineers are not comfortable with what computers have to offer. Learn how the two generations can bridge the gap. E ssential communications in engineering often are broken because of mismatches of various kinds. CAD system formats don’t match, the occasional Mac shows up in a world of PCs, someone sends a Word 2007 file to someone who uses Word 2003. It’s natural that everyone uses what they own. It is considered unnecessary to change software just for the sake of change. But there is another mismatch that is affecting engineering communication at all levels: The generation gap. Young engineers grew up with computers at home and in school. Computers are part and parcel of their world and their infrastructures. They text with their cell phones, their fingers do CTRL-C for “copy” and CTRLV for “paste” without thinking about it. Computers were central to their engineering education. Some of their textbooks were available only on their computers. Except for math courses, they probably handed in papers prepared only in word-processing or spreadsheet software. Meanwhile, many senior engineers and managers, both in their firms and in those of their clients, arrived at the company before the computer was ubiquitous. And while all have become computer users, not all are comfortable with them. Picture this conversation: Young engineer: “I have that report for you, sir. I pulled the standard figures off a website I found, and lined them up with what we found for energy model in a spreadsheet. I’m e-mailing it to you as we speak.” Client: “Thanks. But I may have some difficulty with that. Can’t you just fax it to me?” Young engineer: “Oh, I guess you’re concerned because you have the older version of Excel? No worries—I’ll make a PDF. You’ll have it in just a minute.” Client: “I appreciate that. But can’t you just fax it to me?” Young engineer: “Well, OK. I’ll print it out and fax it. But—may I ask why? Isn’t it more convenient in electronic form?” Client: “Maybe it is for you. But all I want is a piece of paper in my hand. I know what to do with that.” Computers in an engineer’s life Common to almost every activity in the life of the engineer is the helpful presence Consulting-Specifying Engineer • AUGUST 2008 45
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