Momentum - October 2020 - 19

CAREER
PATH

 RACTICING THE
P
"ART OF LEARNING"
"TOO OFTEN," SIDDARTH (SID) ATTRAVANAM TOLD
MOMENTUM, "people get out of school and they think they are
done studying. But from what I've noticed, at least personally
and from observation, going to school teaches you, in a way,
how to learn. You learn the art of learning in school. And when
you get out and start working, now you have the mental
framework to either learn from someone else or teach yourself
through observation."
Attravanam practices what he preaches, and his learn-first
mindset-"always maintain that student mindset," he said-has
helped him develop the tools necessary to manage a team of
nine people at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. His title is
manager of tire and vehicle dynamics, a position he has held for
three years.
Asked by MOMENTUM how that student mindset plays out
in the workforce, he said: "From my own experience, I can say
that when you are an engineer, almost every day brings some
new challenge, be it a bit of a technical, leadership, or
managerial kind. It's very important to have an open mind
when going into a situation, to realize that there's always
something that I can learn. So when you go in with that
mindset, you don't blind yourself to any preconceived notions.
A lot of people hold preconceived notions that blind them, and
they're not always receptive to feedback or suggestions or
new knowledge."
Attravanam is aware that his words of advice are just that:
words. Unless put to practice in a co-op or internship, the
words don't pack as much punch as they could.
"It's very difficult at that age of a student to understand the
concept," he said. "Just as you can't learn a sport by reading
about it, you have to do it, to experience it." Once in a work
environment, the student mindset clicks to those who are
looking for it. "Then they go, huh, now I see it!"
"Doing co-ops and internships-getting that kind of

Offering tips to a Formula SAE driver. Starting in 2008, Attravanam himself
belonged to a Formula SAE team, at the University of Texas - Arlington.

MOMENTUM

Sid Attravanam offers
advice to students in
his role as a speaker in
SAE's Industrial Lecture
Program, which is an
exclusive, and free, SAE
Student Member
benefit that brings
professional engineers
to SAE collegiate
chapters for sharing of
their topical knowledge
and career advice.
experience-is really valuable, Attravanam continued. "You go
from being a student to being in the industry, and then back to
being a student. That transition helps students." Mental agility
helps one maintain an "always a student" mindset, he noted.

"The idea of being one person who is successful
alone...honestly, that's just a made-up thing. It
just doesn't work like that."
Siddarth Attravanam
Working a co-op or an internship constitutes a mentorship
of sorts, guided as students are in those positions by
professional engineers. Attravanam considers himself a mentor
by leading his team. "I tell all of them, 'I'm here to help you
become the best version of yourself.' As a mentor, I don't
remove obstacles for them. I tell them, 'I will help you conquer
your obstacles so that you learn how to fight them yourself in
the future.'"
Attravanam's other main piece of advice for students is to
develop a teamwork mindset by recognizing and working
against the impulse to "figure it out by myself." The problem
there is lack diversity of ideas and opinions. "And so, my
recommendation is always seek out opinions and feedback and
advice from people. The idea of being one person who is
successful alone...honestly, that's just a made-up thing. There's
nothing in the real world that I think we see where just one
person does everything. It just doesn't work like that. But
unfortunately, when you're in university, it's very difficult to
have that sink in because it's mostly about 'you'-you are
graded by your work, after all. But once you get to industry,
now it's a team effort." n
By Patrick Ponticel, MOMENTUM editor

October 2020 19
Momentum - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Momentum - October 2020
