×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

How do you stay motivated?
12

How do you stay motivated?

How do you stay motivated?

(OP)
As I approach my PE test I find myself with books and time in front of me, yet I can't get motivated. Any ideas or suggestions?

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Perhaps you chose engineering...poorly?
If you don't have enthusiasm for your chosen profession I would be concerned that you are in the wrong profession.

Getting licensed as an engineer was one of my primary goals in my career and it meant furthering my ability to provide engineering services, earn more money for my family, and grow in knowledge and abilities.

Check out Eng-Tips Forum's Policies here:
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: How do you stay motivated?

5
For me personally, the fear of poverty was always a good motivator...

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I have a book on my shelf "Becoming a Master Student" which has some great tips on how to regain focus and get the most out of your studying. My copy is old...Canadian third edition...the tips are still good. For instance, it can be daunting looking at one huge task relatively undefined task (ie study for the exam) but if you break it down into smaller "bite size" pieces, measurable pieces, you may have an easier time getting started (ie today I plan to complete three chapters of a particular text book). Set time lines and achievable goals, and cross them off so you have a visual display of what you have accomplished to help keep you motivated.

A recent study shows that the most productive people work for 52 minutes, then take 17 minute breaks.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I chose not to fail. And I didn't.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)


RE: How do you stay motivated?

(OP)
awe come on JAE you are my favorite.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

You're probably young if you're just coming to your P.E. exam.

Consider how many years are ahead of you. Are satisfied to plateau right now?

I don't know if I'll ever change my mind. Maybe eventually I just stop associating age into the equation but: I am far too young to stop growing and advancing. I don't want my career to "stay the same" for the rest of my life, based upon today. I love what I do and where I'm at but a huge factor in that is my continued education and professional growth.

What doors will be closed to you if you don't pass?

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Stop asking yourself if you feel like working, and work.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Leftwow - I guess I just wasn't sure why you think you aren't motivated.

One of the things that has personally affected me over the years is that I discovered that I do love to get up in the morning and go to work.
The old saying: "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life." always seemed to apply to me attitude.

There were days, and sometimes weeks, when I was working on something that wasn't all that fun and did make it hard to get motivated.
Money, food, etc. are certainly motivators in a way, but taking the PE exam (I've taken PE, SE1 and SE2) all were challenges that I found I was naturally motivated to take on.

For you not being motivated to prepare for the PE could be caused by many things so I guess I was a bit too abrupt with my response...my apologies.



Check out Eng-Tips Forum's Policies here:
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: How do you stay motivated?

For me the problem wasn't getting motivated but rather avoiding getting distracted. A lot of "I shouldn't be looking at eng-tips right now..." moments during my studies.

Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH, MA)
American Concrete Industries
www.americanconcrete.com

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I heard an old timer once say, "Ain't nobody else gonna pull them bootstraps for you, now get to work!"

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I suspect Leftwow's lack of motivation applies only to studying for the PE exam, rather than to engineering as a profession. Some people dread tests and test preparation more than other people, often because they overwhelm themselves with too much preparation instead of efficient preparation. It may have nothing to with love/ambivalence/hate of profession. Other people just get too nervous when confronted with tests and that kills their motivation. I learned years ago to handle the nervousness by telling myself, "It's only a test (of the Emergency Broadcast Systemsmile). There's nobody dying on the operating room table." The right frame of mind is worth a lot of points on the final score.

When I was getting ready to take the California Civil PE in 1983, I created a realistic study schedule that focused on efficient preparation and avoided taking over my life. This was especially important because I had a wife and toddler at home (still have the wife and the toddler is now a mother of two herself). Except for one week down and out with the flu, I stuck to my schedule.
    I limited my study materials exclusively to Lindeburg's PE review manual…well, darned near exclusively. I made this decision after watching a co-worker/friend run himself ragged preparing for the test the previous year. This guy is the best technical engineer in my age group that I have ever worked with. He's smarter than me, but he made several bad decisions related to his preparation. Oh, he passed the test the first time, but until he got his results he thought he had failed and failed badly. Here is what he did wrong: [1] he bought three different review manuals and went through them all, and [2] he took a 12-Saturday review class at a university 90 miles away and across the Los Angeles metro area. He also had a wife and toddler at home at the time.
    When it was my turn, he loaned me two bankers boxes full of his review materials. To be polite I took them, but I didn't even look at them except to note what was in the boxes. I had already decided that Lindeburg's manual was better than the other two he had bought.
    Here is what I did instead. My Lindebrug's manual had 17 chapters, so I set up an 18-week schedule. On Tuesday night (after my daughter went to bed) I would read a chapter and take notes. This usually took about about an hour. On Thursday night (again, after my daughter went to bed) I would work through the example problems in the chapter, which also took about an hour. Then, on Saturday (during my daughter's afternoon nap time), I would work on the problems at the end of the chapter. This took anywhere from less than an hour to about two hours. Wash, rinse, repeat the next week. I had set aside an 18th week for a "flip the pages review". However, since I lost a week due to illness, I compressed the last week's chapter to Tuesday and Thursday night, did a quicky review on Friday, then took the test on Saturday. BTW, if I ever finished early for one of my study sessions, my reward to myself was time to write programs for my HP-41 calculator for topics in that chapter.
    When all was said and done, I felt perfectly prepared AND well-rested. The California Civil PE in those days was 8 word problems in 8 hours. You were given 20 optional problems and 1 mandatory seismic problem to choose from, show your work, and partial credit is scored. As I worked through my 8 problems I kept a running tally of how I thought I scored on each one. Halfway through the afternoon, I knew I had already reached the cut score, which was a big boost of confidence.
I hope this helps. Good luck.

==========
"Is it the only lesson of history that mankind is unteachable?"
--Winston S. Churchill

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Hang around someone that has a PE license and is an a--hole. They will rub it in to no end.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I love engineering. I hated studying for and taking the PE. But gosh it was worth it, and I've had my own company for almost 6 years now.

Good luck!

Please remember: we're not all guys!

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Reasons to be motivated to study for the P.E. exam:
1. You've already paid to take the test and for the testing materials.
2. Potentially more employable, eligible for promotion/raise
3. Future possibilities (e.g., business ownership)
4. It's better than watching reruns on TV ;)
5. P.E. can do some things that other engineers cannot legally do
6. Given all things are equal, a P.E. will probably stay employed longer than a non-P.E. during layoffs
7. May be required to maintain current job
8. It's easier to study alone, than with an infant that is <6 weeks old & mommy just went back to work (promise me, I know)

Even if a P.E. isn't needed for your job, having it gives you a lot more employment possibilities than a non-P.E. I work for a State agency where a P.E. is not required, but every few years management indicates they're considering requiring all of the engineering positions to have a P.E. For myself, since I have my P.E. I don't have any anxiety when these things are announced, but the non-P.E. do get a worried look.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

zelgar,

Another reason that should be added to your list would be to not have to retake the exam.

I know several engineers that struggled with passing the first couple of tries. They felt there was more pressure every time they would have to take it again.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Hunger - in all its many meanings.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Discipline not motivation

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Look yourself in 30+ years and imagine all the nice things you can get as a good engineer. Perhaps study is not fun for you but as engineers we should be get licensed in order to improve ourselves. Just remember, "once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed." By Charles Schulz... I like that phrase...

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I can't possibly agree with any of this, if you have to force yourself to do something and it's not fun, then there's something wrong with it. I think Deming said "People deserve joy in work." well they also deserve joy in learning. If all teachers can be arsed to do is give you meaningless mathematical exercises, well, doesn't sound fun at all right?

RE: How do you stay motivated?

2

Quote (Belgiancadengineer)

if you have to force yourself to do something and it's not fun, then there's something wrong with it

That is some fairly poor logic. You must not be married, or have a job, or not have experienced a [insert any challenging life event]. So much to life is recognizing and following the right thing to do, regardless of our level of immediate enjoyment.

It should be about the long game. The hard work will pay off in the future with sustained enjoyment. Future Leftwow will thank young Leftwow for this.



"It is imperative Cunth doesn't get his hands on those codes."

RE: How do you stay motivated?

The 'right thing' keeps the status-quo in existence. You think marriage is the right thing? It's an ancient concept that ignores basic human reproductive desires. I'm getting off-track here obviously, but just saying.
Same is true for bored ass teachers giving students boring af math puzzles.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Quote (Belgiancadengineer)

if you have to force yourself to do something and it's not fun, then there's something wrong with it.
Pfft. It's no fun to get out of bed at the same early time every morning to go to my job... but I do it because I want to KEEP my job. And I thoroughly enjoy the work I do.

Making the blanket statement "If something isn't fun, you shouldn't do it" is an over-simplification and doesn't hold water for anyone beyond the age of, say, 15.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Seeing someone write "boring af math puzzles" makes me think you aren't terribly far off with the mention of 15 years, MacGyver2000.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

There was a period of time during my early career when I worked for a person whom many considered a bit of a tyrant. He came from a somewhat poor background (his mother was full-blooded Native American) and prior to attending engineering school (which he did on the GI Bill) he had been a merchant seaman and yes, he swore like a sailor. He also tended to play favorites, but in this case, that worked to my advantage. You see, there was a clique in our office. There were five engineers, including myself, who had over the years all graduated from the same engineering school as had the Director of Engineering (the person whom I'm commenting about).

Now as for the good and bad aspects of working, in my situation, being a 'member' of the clique it meant that I often did get better treatment like being given the opportunity for specialized training in new technologies (like being part of the first group sent to learn the CAD/CAM software), attending trade shows, being invited for dinner when a big customer was in town, etc. And of course, part of his reputation was that he tended to ignore those who were not part of the clique. Also he tended to question peoples abilities, often in front of their peers, sometimes along with an appropriate expletive or two. Now don't get me wrong, I had been on the receiving end of these situations, just that I was willing to let it pass since I knew that eventually I would get some sort of 'perk' to make-up for it. But it also meant that we (clique members) often got what other people considered as really rotten assignments, like getting a phone call early on a Saturday morning telling you to get to the airport as there was a ticket waiting for a flight to some industrial paradise like Cleveland, OH or Oakland, CA or Kingston, ONT where some customer was complaining about some piece of equipment that we sold them and they had been promised that someone would be there to 'fix' the problem ASAP. Now it turned out that these 'assignments' were not punishment but rather because our boss trusted up to get the job done. He just assumed that we could do the job and he trusted us to do it no matter what. Of course, we eventually got rewarded, either by getting one of those 'perks' I previously mentioned or even an extra bit when the annual merit raises were handed out or even a promotion when something opened-up.

So I guess the lesson is that there is always good and bad in any job, and even when it may look like the bad is the result of some unfair or unjust situation, it really does depend on where and how you fit in and what its real impact is on you.

Now as for a postscript, the boss that I was taking about was eventually 'fired', but while the official story was that (and it was something that was hard to dispute) he had not treated his subordinates with respect and fairness, the real back-story was that he had had a long-term running feud with upper executives and due to some really odd circumstances, he was very well liked by our UK-based owners and the local executives were afraid that he might blow the whistle on them for some poor decision that they had made that cost the company a lot of money unnecessarily but which had not yet become apparent to those UK-based owners. When I got the opportunity to make a career change a few months later, it was an easier decision to make since I had actually liked my old boss, flaws and all, and felt that he was screwed out of his job in the end, views which I expressed when I had my exit interview.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: How do you stay motivated?

You must have chosen the wrong path in life if you don't want to study for a test? Please don't blow so hard.

The motivation factor is the specific reason I went the prep course route to study for my PE. I did great in school, got a BS and an ME,
honor society, etc., but that doesn't mean I wanted to study for another test! Nor does it mean I chose the wrong career! Sheez. If it's too late to sign up for a prep class, just force yourself to focus in two hour blocks. If you are like me, you will probably find that some things are easier to stay focused on/motivated with than others.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I taught a PE review course a few years ago an advised students to take the test whether prepared or not. Delaying until "fully prepared" and "I'll be more ready next time" are excuses... you may never take the exam. There are no consequences for failing, and you may pass. If you do not pass, at least you have proof that additional study is mandatory.

www.SlideRuleEra.net idea
www.VacuumTubeEra.net r2d2

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Quote (MacGyverS2000)

Making the blanket statement "If something isn't fun, you shouldn't do it" is an over-simplification and doesn't hold water for anyone beyond the age of, say, 15.

I think you'd be surprised how children and teenagers are honest and haven't yet learned to rationalize everything, rationalizing is a coping mechanism we all develop to cope in this rotten world. But that doesn't make it right. I'd trust a teenager more than a middle manager when it comes to telling me what's what. Teenagers truly realize that "if something pretty much sucks... it sucks." I'm not immune to rationalizing and I'll do what I need to keep my job. But I won't let that fool me for a second I'm simply using an irrational coping mechanism.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Yes, I suppose if your goal is to drive after the purely irrational, you've got a good strategy.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I stopped caring a long time ago, I think that's clear. I don't believe in Hollywood, we either get lucky or we don't. You get lucky enough times you feel good about yourself and what you do, and you're happy. You get unlucky enough times and you get bitter and resentful. We're all, only human.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I'm still trying to figure out how the OP made it through college?

f-d

ípapß gordo ainÆt no madre flaca!

RE: How do you stay motivated?

(OP)
College was easy for me. Show up to class, study for test, make A. Difference is, I had someone showing me how to do things. Once you are out you don't have the same resources, boss don't teach shit, upper management clips wings... I'm just a little intimidated by it.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

"Sink or swim" but unfortunately, some places do seem to go out of their way to make the waters extra-choppy. I understand and sympathize. I have been there. Failed to rise enough to the challenge in my very first 'professional' job in my career path, and it still haunts me - but I drew a lot of lessons from it that I still apply today.

Don't make the mistake of not asking for help from your superiors or experienced colleagues, though. Don't be afraid to let them know -early- if you're expecting to not meet an expectation, so a Plan B can be put into place or to get you the help needed. Don't make the mistake of thinking anyone out there is going to hand you the answers. Now you've got to do the legwork to find your own.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

I don't think that your experience is necessarily the norm; all the mentors I've had were more than willing to share their knowledge, and I likewise share my knowledge with those that I mentor. Furthermore, the fact that this site exists and is as successful as it is demonstrates that engineers helping engineers is not an unusual event.

You might have particularly noob managers and mentors, in the sense that they don't seem to know what their job entails. Our company has typically operated under the "truck" scenario, i.e., if a particular engineer got hit by a truck, would the knowledge they had still be available? If not, then something is not being done right. The converse is that you can lead a horse to knowledge, but it's up to them to drink it in.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Quote (Leftwow)

boss don't teach shit, upper management clips wings... I'm just a little intimidated by it.

Even though your decorum is a bit rough, I can understand. It sounds like you need to build a bank of confidence for yourself. Maybe you can try to change your perspective on taking the test for the first time. It isn't the end of the world if you don't pass the first time. If you pass, awesome. If you don't, you can take note of what went wrong; if you think it has to do with a lack of solid experience (at large, good experience requires good mentoring), consider making a move where mentoring is a higher priority. It doesn't have to be a race, particularly if your firm has principals who do all of the sealing.

"It is imperative Cunth doesn't get his hands on those codes."

RE: How do you stay motivated?

My advice is to do as many of the following as possible before your test:
1.) Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't care your age/years of experience, be proud of the work and schooling you've been through to get to this point.
2.) Spend time with friends.
3.) Get outside in the fresh air.
4.) Exercise.
5.) Take a vacation.
6.) Exercise again because it's great for your brain.
7.) Commit to a study schedule.
8.) Study

Many engineers (myself included) too often forget that spending time AWAY from work and studying is a great rejuvenator. Now...you'll still need to study, but how about taking a mental chill for yourself and clear your head a bit before the big push? If anything, it might bring some clarity to your future career path.

A few years ago I was working for a large, national consulting firm...the principal structural engineer admitted to me in private conversation that he did not pass his SE test on the first attempt...life is a journey, and none of us are perfect.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

like slideruleera above, take it anyway, asap.
even if you're not 'motivated', don't 'feel' 'ready' etcetera etcetera etcetera. pay the fee, set the time, commit, now.
i have 5 EITs working for me currently. I am pushing them all for 'asap'... and i really don't care if they fail, i mean i do, but, in the bigger picture, i don't, ecause they can take it again...and with more understanding, wisdom, whatever....
like slideruleera above, take it anyway, ASAP
DO IT NOW
bigsmile

BTW, did you notice in "Apollo 13" the guy using a sliderule in the crisis. Dear Leftwow, It's Time to Kick some Ass.

RE: How do you stay motivated?

Quote (JohnRBaker (Mechanical))

For me personally, the fear of poverty was always a good motivator...

totally agree

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources