An Engineer's Guide to Solving Problems

by Bob Schmidt

Engineers want to get employed and stay employed.An Engineer's Guide to Solving Problems targets engineering students and fresh graduates.

The transition from engineering school to real world problem solver can be rough. Suddenly, there is not just one correct response for a problem. There might be an infinite number of correct solutions, where some are simply better than others. Some problems are so layered and twisted that their solutions seem absurdly complex.

Arm yourself for success with the methods in this Five Questions every problem solver must answer.The best and worst ways to communicate your ideas.New ways to see what other observers miss.Mastering the right tools.Six warnings to heed when you think you have a solution.Critical challenge questions you must answer before you declare victory.Employers and customers cherish engineers who consistently meet their toughest challenges.  This book delivers simple methods, practical advice, and entertaining stories to help you sharpen your skills.

This book is intended for mature readers.  The author occasionally uses strong language to humorous effect or makes references not intended for children.

The Second Edition includes some updates plus a new cover and shorter title. The first edition was originally published as The Dog Barks When the Phone An Engineer's Guide to Solving Problems.

Genres: Engineering

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

Librarian note: there are multiple authors with this name on Goodreads.

Reviews

[Riley McQuay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. As I find myself in the transitional period of working in the industry as an engineer, I sought out a book like this.

I enjoyed Bob's discussion of various problem solving methods as they are applicable to many facets of day-to-day situations. His examples (and lessons) of real situations were helpful as well, especially the concept of learning from mistakes.

I highly recommend this book to anyone relatively new to the industry as it will only enhance their problem solving capabilities.

[Diana Pojar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good book and a strong recommendation for any engineer, especially at the beginning of their career. Even though the examples are focused on electrical situations, they can easily be abstracted and applied to software engineering too.

It’s a great book that goes over the fundamentals for debugging and approaches of solving different problems and situation during your work.