Mentoring Blog

The Importance of Obtaining Your Professional Engineering License

By Bernie Berson, P.E., F.NSPE

You can be sure that a BLOG sponsored by NSPE will strongly urge you to strive to obtain a license to practice engineering (the PE license) in at least one state. The path to licensure is time-consuming; it will cost you some money. In the long run the career enhancements of licensure far outweigh the costs of time and money. What value does it hold for you?

• Licensure is evidence that one has spent time and money to gain access to a class of engineers that influences the safety, health, and welfare of the public, one which is charged to comport with a code of ethical conduct and a lofty set of standards;
• Licensure elevates you above other graduate engineers who don’t have the professional resolve to prove it in a well-recognized way;
• Licensure permits you to be legally in responsible charge of engineering work;
• Licensure will enhance your personal worth and value in the engineering marketplace;
• Licensure will provide you with a broader set of occupational options, should you wish (or be forced) to seek alternate employment;
• As a licensed professional engineer, you will be part of a group that is highly respected by the public; and
• Your salary level will almost certainly exceed that of an unlicensed engineering graduate in the same firm. Furthermore, your highest salary level will definitely be higher in most organizations.

Licensure has been called “the highest calling” of engineering. Those of us who have attained licensure in one or more states have found the added values to include prestige, respect, and personal pride in our achievement. We have also realized greater lifetime earnings than might have been reached without licensure. If you have any reservations, seek out and speak with a licensed professional engineer.

For more on the subject of licensure, including salary guidance, see http://career-advice.monster.com/career-development/education-training/professional-engineer-license-pe/article.aspx.

Develop These Traits

Engineers are known for having certain traits. They are often viewed as:
 
Curious;
Logical;
Able to concentrate;
Respectful of intelligence;
Demanding high ethical standards;
Reserved and having poor social skills;
Desiring structure and order;
Somewhat dogmatic in their beliefs;
Perfectionists;
Dislike change and ambiguity; and
Having a good sense of humor.
 
In comparing these traits with those typically associated with successful managers, leaders, and business people, you’ll find several similarities…and two key differences. The similarities are:
 
Integrity;
Assertive;
Being creative; and
Having a sense of humor.
 
The two key variances are those traits which we should all focus on growing. These are:
 
Being open (both to other opinions and beliefs); and
Good people skills.
 
Both involve interaction with other people and communications. For some these are difficult traits to embrace, because as engineers we are not comfortable with the ambiguity and differences in logic that can come from working with other people. It’s never fun to have your ideas questioned or your work critiqued. Yet this exact interchange is what makes life a learning experience and what ultimately yields the best end result.

Attitude is Everything

There are a lot of variables that go into determining whether we’ll successfully bring our goals and aspirations into existence. However, I only count one of them as the quintessential element that must be present to ensure success: a good attitude. Definitely having sound technical skills, knowing how to plan, and maintaining a life full of learning are key to creating a fulfilling life and career. Without a good attitude, however, you’ll find it hard to build the successful career you envision.
 
What is attitude? It’s our programmed way of responding to our environment and it’s derived from the generalizations we make about other people and the system in which we live. It evolves over time and is the result of two specific belief structures:
 
Outcome-to-Expectation Belief: The beliefs built over time from the differences between what we achieve and what our expectations were at the beginning.

Efficacy Belief. Our belief about our capabilities to organize and execute courses that produce the results we want.
 
If we predominantly see outcomes matching expectations and/or have a high-order of confidence that we can deliver the goods and produce what we want, our attitude is generally positive.
 
Why is a Good Attitude Important?
There are a multitude of reasons. In general, our attitude is who we are. Try as we might to hide it, our attitude shows up in every conversation we have, the quality of our work and relationships, and strongly affects whether we’ll take certain courses in life. In leaders, a good attitude is essential for building teams, influencing others, and achieving objectives. Good attitude is also important because:
 
It’s contagious;
It’s something that everyone around us can see or perceive;
It affects our health;
It affects our relationships;
It determines how far we’ll advance in any endeavor; and
It’s your trademark…it’s who you are to others.
 
Maintaining a good attitude allows you to stay aligned with your goals and bring about success in every project you undertake. Understanding that you have the responsibility and capability to change your attitude can give you the reassurance necessary to embark on any task, regardless of how daunting it might be.
 
“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” –Lou Holtz

Appearance Does Count

Regardless of how you want to slice it, your appearance plays a part in how you are received by those looking at you. I realize this may be a taboo topic, but I’ll venture into it nonetheless. In your business, the business of life or career, how you present yourself will directly impact what you achieve.

As engineers, those with whom we interact expect a certain, as my wife puts it, “engineer-like appearance.” I know what she means. Conservative, organized, put-together. Perhaps not a pocket-protector, but definitely clean-cut and, as the British say, “smart.” Why is this? Because people expect an engineer to be conservative, trustworthy, and managers of risk. We wouldn’t feel right committing our life savings to a bank where everyone wears cut-offs and T-shirts or working with a gym trainer who smokes heavily. The reason why is that we expect specific types of people, bankers or physical trainers, to look and act a certain way. This is neither right nor wrong, it just is.

I won’t suggest you begin wearing tailored suits, high-gloss shoes, and a conservative haircut from today onwards. I will suggest, however, that you take a look at who you work with, who your clients are, who you serve, and what’s expected of you and attire yourself appropriately. If you work for an avant-garde firm, then spiking your hair and wearing primary colors might work. But for the rest of us, adjusting our appearance to fit what is expected is not only smart, it’s good business. In a similar fashion, if you are a subcontractor or consultant, perhaps you should take your cue from those you are working with. On the other hand, if you have a style that is not acceptable to the client or customer, you need to be willing to lose that work, because sometimes appearance does count.

How a Mentoring Relationship Can Fail

By Bernie Berson, P.E., F.NSPE

While mentoring is widely recognized as a valuable career asset for mentees and mentors alike, there are several potentially negative factors that can diminish or actually destroy the relationship. Normally, the problematic issues will arise early in the relationship. Both parties should be aware of potential problems. Should anything be perceived by either party, it should be addressed and rectified, if possible, or the relationship should be quietly and respectfully terminated.

Here are just a few potential difficulties that can arise:

• Unattained expectations: Mentees may have entered into a relationship anticipating more from a mentor than is realistic. A mentor cannot be a “King Solomon” to the mentee, nor should he/she be expected to champion the mentee’s ascent within the firm. The mentee needs to realize that the manner in which he/she implements the guidance from the mentor is the mentee’s sole responsibility. On the other hand, the mentor must maintain objectivity, and remember that the guidance furnished is not mandatory for the mentee to implement. The mentor cannot assume “ownership” of the mentee’s career development, nor should a mentor expect vicarious satisfaction through a mentee’s behavior.
• Confidentiality violations: It has been noted in other blog entries that confidentiality is a paramount duty in a Mentoring relationship. If ever either party “leaks” information about guidance given by the Mentor, or sought by the Mentee, the severity of that breach is sufficient to terminate the relationship.
• Personality issues: Although it is important at the outset of a mentoring relationship to explore personality similarities and differences between the parties, it may not be immediately apparent that irreconcilable character or value differences could provide rough going for the relationship. If the mentee and mentor are not comfortable with each other because of such characteristics, it would be wise to recognize that and terminate the relationship.

The message here is that while we have urged the formation of mentoring relationships as part of the toolkit for overall personal and professional development, the formation of long-term mentoring relationships requires a good bit of sensitivity to the potential for fallout in the future. Even wise selections may go awry. Continuing a malfunctioning mentoring relationship can be extremely harmful. Both parties need to rise to the occasion if bad vibes arise because of the areas mentioned, or any other area. Faith and trust are essential ingredients for the relationship to be as fully beneficial as hoped, and the parties should not be reluctant to broach discussion to clear the air.

Bernie Berson, P.E., F.NSPE, is a member of NSPE's Mentoring Task Force.

Supporting Your Boss

Unless you’re self-employed, you have a boss. Perhaps no other relationship is more important to get right than the one you hold with your boss. This is the person who will give you tasks, give you direction, and in the end give you performance ratings. This is also the person who can give you opportunities to grow, challenging assignments, and a wide latitude to perform with limited control. However, you’ll only receive these gifts through the establishment of trust, a record of performance, and communication.

Your boss has a lot of demands. Between fulfilling the expectations of their numerous bosses (their immediate boss, clients, shareholders, and so on), accomplishing their work, meetings, phone calls, and e-mail, their time is limited. When they interact with you on the tasks they’ve given you, they expect to see well-reasoned responses and solutions, not half-baked ideas and more problems. To gain the latitude you desire in your position, along with the challenging opportunities and good performance ratings, you need to fulfill their expectations. You need to deliver logical solutions, apply well-reasoned processes, and offer answers to problems. When you do this, you provide material from which your boss can make decisions and provide direction. And you don’t waste their time.

When starting out in a new position, you don’t have all of the answers. You do, however, have logical thought-processes learned in college or from previous positions. Apply these, then listen to the questions your boss asks and the suggestions they provide. From this, adjust your processes for providing information and solutions to your boss. Each person is different in how they consume information, approach problems, and make decisions. Pay attention early in your new position to observe how your boss makes decisions, then adjust accordingly.

In the end, it’s a part of your job to get along with your boss. The best way to accomplish this, while simultaneously gaining the latitude to operate freely, opportunities for advancement, and strong performance ratings, is to fulfill their expectations and make their job of decision-making on the material you present easy. Do this, and you’ll support your boss marvelously.

E-mail Etiquette

An effective skill in any undertaking, well-honed e-mail etiquette is vitally important to the engineer. By the nature of our work, we communicate with many people every day. It’s a necessity for proceeding forward on a design, securing approval for a phase of work from a boss or client, winning the hearts and minds of a community on a new development, or asking for advice. The manner and format in which we convey, or request, information has a direct correlation to the manner, and format, in which we receive responses.

One way to gain experience on the best e-mail etiquette is to make mistakes. This will undoubtedly happen in your career. However, I offer the following tips to limit the number of those mistakes you’ll make:

Be clear. Nothing gets an idea across better than being very clear on why the e-mail was sent. Right up front, state what’s needed. For many people using e-mail readers, they may have one or two lines revealed, so by stating your “bottom line up front” at the start, they’ll see your request immediately.

The 2-4-2 rule. A very simple formula to keep e-mails concise and to the point is to apply the “2-4-2” rule: 2 sentences in the first paragraph, 4 in the second, 2 in the closing paragraph. I first learned this from a general I worked for a number of years ago and have used it ever since. It’s effective in eliminating verbosity and conveying the meat of an issue. By the way...it works great for letters as well.

Don’t write anything you wouldn’t say openly. E-mail is a great way to communicate to many people. It’s also a great way to have your message transmitted to others whom you may never have intended to communicate with. Unless you’re certain that the people with whom you’re communicating will not pass along sensitive information, do not put it in an e-mail. Use the phone.

Validate the audience. We’ve all been copied on messages with which we have no involvement. Someone along the way decided you might care, so they added you to the “CC:” line. Know that you don’t like it when it happens to you, don’t do it to others. Always skim the “To:” and “CC:” lines to ensure those on the e-mail need to be.

Fear the send button. Franklin Roosevelt told the world that “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I agree, but only with the addition of fearing the send button. Before you hit send, ensure you’ve proofread your e-mail for grammar and spelling; checked the “To:” and “CC:” lines to ensure the right audience is included; added attachments (if any); and verified the format and content conveys thoughts coherently. Once you hit send, your message has been conveyed. Ensure always that the message you want sent is sent.

Signature blocks. Keep these concise and professional. It’s my opinion, but quotes, sports logos, or any nonprofessional/relevant imagery is a distraction. As well as inappropriate in business e-mail.

You’ll still make mistakes in e-mail. However, by following these hints you can limit the number of times you frantically seek the recall option in your e-mail program.

Creating Realistic Expectations

Entering into a mentoring relationship, like embarking on a new goal or learning a new skill, requires realistic expectations. Too often the relationship starts without any expectations being established, leading to frustration on both the part of the mentor and the mentee. When this happens, the relationship can fall apart simply because there was no established framework within which to measure outcomes. All of this can be avoided if time is invested up front in establishing realistic expectations about the relationship.
 
The process of establishing expectations is very close to establishing goals, and in fact, often takes place at the same time without us realizing it. Expectations are the bars we set, along with the goal, that dictate what we assume or anticipate about a relationship or a goal we’re working towards. For example, we expect that a challenging goal, like earning our PE, will take hours of dedicated study. We also may expect that a mentoring relationship with a firm principal will give us inside wisdom on how to shape our career to achieve their same level of success.

In creating realistic expectations for the mentoring relationship:
 
Set your expectations high and keep them there. If you expect much, you’ll often receive much. If you enter into a mentoring relationship expecting nothing to come of it, that’s exactly what you’ll get.
 
Identify the purpose of the mentoring relationship. Is the relationship for career advancement? Technical skills or research assistance? Life in general? Clarify the relationship type up front so both parties know what’s expected of them in content.
Specify the mechanics of the relationship. These are the “administrative” aspects of the relationship - how often you’ll communicate, when, what method, and for how long. Specifying these expectations allow you and the mentor to know workload expectations.

Understand that you’ll have to do your own push-ups. The mentoring relationship is about imparting wisdom, not about relieving you of doing your own work. While you may learn much from the relationship that can help you in your career and life, the knowledge won’t be of any use unless you do something with it.

Establishing realistic expectations on the front end of a mentoring relationship is the best way to maximize the gains for both parties. As stated by the French writer A. Godin, “The quality of our expectations determines the quality of our actions.” Likewise, the quality of our expectations about a mentoring relationship will determine the quality of the relationship.

Taking Feedback Constructively

By Christian Knutson, P.E.

When you enter into a mentoring relationship you do so for self-improvement and to get another point of view. As part of the relationship, you and your mentor will analyze your thinking, planning, and activities as a means to improve your performance and move you closer to achieving your goals. Along with this will come feedback. How you take the feedback will determine how successful you make the mentoring relationship.

To keep from getting hurt when you begin taking feedback, there are some key things to remember.

All feedback is valid from the mentor’s perspective. For example, let's say your mentor tells you that they don’t think you’re applying yourself hard enough in a particular area or that you should re-evaluate how you will approach a particular problem on which you feel very strongly. Before you react, discuss with your mentor what they see, or don’t see, from their vantage point. Find out what, from their experience, leads them to their perspective.

Disregard the judgmental aspects of feedback and address issues that can be beneficial to you. In effect, separate you from the feedback. Every feedback has some take-away point you can benefit from. Put aside your ego and listen for the lesson from the feedback.

Keep your mind open to all viewpoints. Remember that all forms of feedback are opportunities to learn. If you adopt the attitude that says, "I want to know if I have blind spots or shortfalls," then you will gain much from your mentor’s views.

Avoid taking a defensive position when feedback is leveled at you. Don’t say, "How could you say such a thing?" or "I can’t believe you would say that." These statements will discourage honesty in the future, the very thing you’re looking for from the relationship.

As a final take-away, always remember that you voluntarily entered into the mentoring relationship. Relish the feedback. It gives you a glimpse inside who you are and can only make you better if taken constructively.

Lack of Knowledge or Motivation?

By Christian Knutson, P.E.

Throughout our engineering career we will be faced with obstacles. Challenges that seem to loom very large and appear to keep us from reaching what we’ve identified as our desired goal. It might be completion of our undergraduate degree, obtaining our PE, or working on a particular type of project. If left unaddressed, the obstacle might loom so large that it eclipses the spark of light that drove us to seek the goal in the first place. When this happens, you need to ask yourself if the obstacle is due to a lack of knowledge or motivation?

If you’re stymied in reaching your goal due to a lack of knowledge, then there’s an easy fix: gain the knowledge. You can gain it through more self-study or enlisting the help of a teacher, tutor, or mentor. Your natural talent may lack in a particular area, but given enough effort and time, you’ll develop the knowledge needed. You can overcome the lack of knowledge and hence, overcome the obstacle.

If you’re held-up due to a lack of motivation, then it’s time to do some serious self-inspection. Why? What’s caused you to lose the motivation to achieve the goal that you began seeking with high motivation? Is it because you sought after a goal simply because others sought it, and like a lemming, you were compelled to do the same? Or is it because you didn’t do enough homework in advance to realize that it’s a goal you truly don’t care about achieving? Or is it because you took on more than you can handle? In any case, you need to come clean with yourself and drop the goal. Or come clean with yourself and reignite the fire. In either case, make an honest decision and move on.

On the hard goals in your life, only lack of knowledge or lack of motivation will keep you from achievement. Figure out which one that’s holding your back and take action to fix it. As Vince Lombardi so aptly put it: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”

NSPE member Chris Knutson, P.E., PMP, is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force with over 18 years of leadership and management experience in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. He’s also the author of The Engineer Leader blog; you can read more at www.engineerleader.com.

Listening for Effect

By Christian Knutson, P.E.

Growing up, I was continually reminded by parents and teachers that I was provided with two ears and one mouth-better that I listen twice as much as I speak. Later as I entered college and then the Air Force, I realized that this wisdom from my elders had deeper meaning than simply to open up my ears and keep my mouth closed. The deeper meaning was this: listening is more than simply hearing and not talking. It’s focusing your mind and your attention on the person with whom you’re communicating. It’s about listening for effect.

As you go about your day in conversations with anyone, how much are you listening versus hearing? A day doesn’t go by where I don’t have a conversation with someone who is hearing me, but not listening. You can see it in the way they stand...their body language...their eyes constantly scanning behind you for someone or thing...the iPhone conspicuously placed on the table when you’re having a discussion. All clues that they may be hearing, but may not be listening. And as you read this, you may realize you do the same from time to time.

Listening for effect, or active listening, takes you above simply hearing what is being said. When listening for effect, your mind is singularly focused, your attention, your eyes, and your ears decisively on the person with whom you’re conversing. In so doing, you give the other person a very valuable item-your attention. In return, you gain respect, understanding, and additional experience that will allow you to listen for effect in every situation.

The benefits of listening for effect at school is a deeper understanding of the subject material. In business, stronger relationships with clients. With your family and friends, a deeper connection. In your mentoring relationships, a stronger bond with your mentor and a greater grasp of the lessons imparted. As John Marshall has stated: "Listening well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well."

NSPE member Chris Knutson, P.E., PMP, is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force with over 18 years of leadership and management experience in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. He’s also the author of The Engineer Leader blog; you can read more at www.engineerleader.com.

Don't Leave Your Success to Chance

By Christian Knutson, P.E.

A great strategic planning tool used in business for analyzing an environment for a new project is the SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Business planners know that in order for a project to be successful, they need to scope the playing field to determine what resources to allocate, what challenges will be faced, and what outside support is going to be required.

From strategic planning in your organization to determining what new projects your son’s Boy Scout troop will undertake to analyzing your personal-professional aspirations, using the SWOT analysis is a useful tool for achieving your objectives. The reason the tool is so effective is that it focuses your thinking on the key factors that spell success for any project. Doing this highlights the internal (strengths, weaknesses) and external (opportunities, threats) factors involved, and in so doing, eliminates risk through awareness.

You can employ the SWOT analysis on your objectives by:

1. Define the goal or objective. In our professional lives, this might be earning a master’s degree, professional licensure, or launching our own company. Work on the goal until you can clearly articulate what you want in no more than eight words, for example: “Obtain my PE by April 2012” or “Secure two federal contracts by January 2013.”

2. Strengths. These will be your characteristics that give you an advantage over others in your organization, career field, or specialty. Some examples might be technical or life experience, education, perseverance, and charisma.

3. Weaknesses. Counter to the previous, these are your characteristics placing you at a disadvantage relative to others. Examples here might include a lack of education, experience, or contacts in a specific field.

4. Opportunities. These are the external known-knowns that increase your chances in achieving your goal. Examples here might include referrals from colleagues, business leads from a friend, an upcoming conference with a speaking engagement, or a scheduled PE examination prep course.

5. Threats. These are the outside elements conspiring to keep you from achieving your objectives. Threats can include things such as procrastination; fear of failure, rejection, or unknowns; competing interests on time, competition from others, and health concerns.

6. Action Plan. From the SWOT above, you build an action plan and time line for meeting your goal by leveraging your strengths and opportunities, while being on the lookout for your weaknesses and scanning for the threats.

Success in any endeavor we undertake can be planned and must not be left to chance. As professional engineers, we invest a lot of time in eliminating risk in our clients’ projects. We do this in order to make the projects successful, make us successful, and therefore build a reputation of success and due diligence. Invest the time to analyze your personal objectives and eliminate risk through analysis.

“Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.”
--Lester Robert Bittel

NSPE member Chris Knutson, P.E., has over 17 years in the U.S. Air Force as an engineer officer and currently serves as a lieutenant colonel commanding a civil engineer squadron in New Mexico. He is a member of the NSPE Mentoring Task Force.

Gems of Career Guidance

Here are some helpful suggestions edited from Career Success in Engineering by NSPE Past President Bernard Berson, P.E., F.NSPE, and Douglas Benner P.E., F.NSPE.

• Develop a formal career plan
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
• Show enthusiasm for your work
• Meet your deadlines
• Deliver on your promises
• Develop and use a mentor
• Find a champion
• Always act and speak like a professional
• Always dress like a professional
• Seek diversity in your assignments
• Never stop learning
• Never stop networking
• Have backup plans: not all projects can be highly successful
• Try to select a supervisor you can learn from
• Learn to deal with stress
• Always maintain the highest degree of integrity
• Time Management: Use the 80/20 Principle, that is, try to spend 80% of your time on the most vital 20% of your tasks.

A Motivational Work About Mentoring

I have held a number of leadership positions throughout my career. As is the case for all leaders, during those opportunities I attempted to inspire, motivate, and otherwise influence the listening audience, I frequently relied upon quotes from famous persons, as well as selected literary passages.

One of the most powerful literary pieces I have ever come across was written by Will Allen Dromgoole, a prolific author and poet born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1860. During her life, she wrote literally thousands of poems and essays, as well as thirteen books.

Ms. Dromgoole died on September 3, 1934. If that date sounds familiar to you, it may be because it was on that day that our founder, Dr. David B. Steinman, P.E., convened a meeting of the PE societies of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. It was NSPE’s organizational meeting where the first NSPE officers were elected and the Society’s constitution was adopted. I did not know that fact when I found and began to use one of Ms. Dromgoole’s best known poems, The  Bridgebuilder, as a motivational tool. To me, the coincidence of NSPE’s birth occurring on the day of her death is almost mystical.

Please read this poem from the frame of mind of a mentor. I have always believed that The Bridgebuilder embodied what NSPE is about, but now that I am immersed in the Mentoring function of NSPE, it holds even more vivid meaning for me.

THE BRIDGE BUILDER
by Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man going a lone highway
Came at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and wide and steep,
With waters rolling cold and deep.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fears for him:
But he turned when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man", said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting your strength with building here.
"Your journey will end with the ending day,
"You never again will pass this way.

"You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
"Why build you this bridge at eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,

"There followeth after me today
"A youth whose feet must pass this way.
"The chasm that was as naught to me
"To that fair haired youth may a pitfall be;
"He, too, must cross in the twilight dim 
"Good friend, I am building this bridge
for him"

Does Mentoring Really Work?

If anyone even slightly doubts that each of us can positively affect the life and career of a mentee, then this post should restore a bit of faith. Mentoring can give a mentee more than just new-found knowledge.

One of the members of NSPE’s Mentoring Task Force recently learned that one of his former employees had been promoted to the post of municipal engineer to fill the vacancy resulting from the promotion of his boss to the position of municipal administrator. He called the fellow to congratulate him, but missed him, leaving a voicemail message of congratulations. A few days later, our member received an e-mail from the brand new municipal engineer that provided him with a great deal of inner satisfaction and a reward that he had never sought, but truly appreciated. He has furnished us with a slightly edited version to keep the parties anonymous, but other than that, the words are truly those of a mentee who never forgot the experience and values gained through their relationship. Our member doesn't seek any sort of pat on the back or personal recognition, but he thought that seeing a real-life expression of the value of mentoring might make for a good blog entry. The slightly modified e-mail appears below:

Dear Mentor:

It was great to hear from you. You were the first person to congratulate me outside the municipal staff. I'm sorry I missed your call and that it has taken me a while to get back to you.

I just wanted you to know that this promotion is the latest in my career that all began when I was working for your firm. Who knew then that your advice to get my license would lead here?

Thank you for all your help over the years and your inspiration to be a good engineer. Trying to emulate the way you are as an engineer and person has kept me improving myself both professionally and personally.

I look forward to seeing you at our chapter meetings.

Thanks,

Anonymous PE
Township Engineer
Director of Municipal Services