The Making of an Expert Engineer

by James Trevelyan

This book sets out the principles of engineering practice, knowledge that has come to light through more than a decade of research by the author and his students studying engineers at work. Until now, this knowledge has been almost entirely unwritten, passed on invisibly from one generation of engineers to the next, what engineers refer to as “experience”. This is a book for all engineers. It distils the knowledge of many experts in one volume. The book will help engineers enjoy a more satisfying and rewarding career and provide more valuable results for their employers and clients. The book focuses on issues often seen as “non-technical” in the world of engineering, yet it shows how these issues are thoroughly technical. Engineering firms traditionally have sought expert advice on these aspects from management schools, often regarding these aspects of engineering practice as something to do with psychology or organisational behaviour. The results are normally disappointing because management schools and psychologists have limited insight and understanding of the technical dimensions in engineering work. Little if any of the material in this book can be obtained from management texts or courses. Management schools have avoided the technical dimension of workplace practices and that is precisely what characterises engineering practice. The technical dimension infuses almost every aspect of an engineer’s working day and cannot be avoided. That’s why this book is so there has not yet been any authoritative source or guidance to bridge the gap between inanimate technical issues and organisational behaviour. This book fills this gap in our knowledge, is based on rigorous research, and yet is written in a style which is accessible for a wide audience.

Genres: Engineering

612 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2014

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. Thoughtful and well supported by what scientific research there is in an ill-researched area, but based ultimately in the experience of engineers. His 85 practice concepts and 17 misconceptions are almost all right on the money.

If my first book goes to a second edition in 2018, I'll be including this in further reading.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not for the experienced but yet Engineer straight out of college. Being an engineer for a few years now and not having that much college experience, it was a challenge most of the time to relate to the book.

[Ghassan Samaha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among professions, engineering sits at the peak, among engineering electrical is cheek, among electrical, instrumentation and control, makes a sleek.

[Kevin Mathew Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very systematic discussions on how to start your career, and where to spend most of your time as a newly graduated engineer.

[Steinbjörn Jónsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense text but extremely useful for anyone who wants to better understand how to deal with the other non-technical aspects of being an expert such as collaboration, negotion, influencing and aligning project stakeholders. A must read for practicing engineers in any field.