Danne_83:
You should probably not be getting your ‘young engineer’ help from that particular colleague given the fact that he is so dismissive. Given his 40 years of experience, he doesn’t really give that problem a second thought, other than to put some top stl. in the slab and grade beam, and doesn’t seem to appreciate or care that you are trying to understand. Talk to your boss about who might be a real good mentor within or outside the company, so you do have someone who is willing and patient enough to spend some time to really be helpful. I’m all for helping young engineers learn the ropes and understand some of the things that were glossed over in school. I’m often accused of being grumpy here on E-Tips, I just don’t suffer fools or laziness lightly. You do have to do your own homework, a serious effort at learning what you need to know. You should not have to (or be allowed to) ask the same question too many times, without a kick in the pants. But, we (good mentors) should be patient enough and willing to help, if we care, so you do understand the basics of an issue before we put it to rest. You have to come with well thought out questions, showing that you have given things considerable thought, maybe several possible solutions. Then, we can go over the pros and cons of each, and how and why we would do it this way. These mentors are freely giving you their time and efforts, so every once in a while, you should buy the beer and pizza, or the box lunches, to show your appreciation. A good and dependable mentor is really invaluable.