Wednesday, 20 June 2007
First Stop on my Global Journey
I've been fairly quiet on the blog lately...but with good reason! I am currently traveling throughout Asia as part of my ASCE international trip. Right now I am in Japan, but over the next two weeks, I will visit China and Taiwan as well.
One of the first things I did in Japan was give a talk to about 200 researchers at the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management in Tsukuba. My talk focused on present challenges faced by ASCE as well as key issues for the current state and future of the Society and the civil engineering profession. In my talk, I emphasized the idea that each individual is in charge of his or her own preparation for the future and that ASCE is committed to helping our members prepare. I also emphasized how specialized education plays a crucial role in being properly prepared for a future in the civil engineering profession. During my talk, I had an interesting question from a young engineer. She wanted to know what guidance I could give her if she wanted to have a successful career in research. I told her it was an interesting question and the first bit of guidance I could offer was to get a Ph.D. In my opinion, obtaining a Ph.D. could be considered entry-level education when it comes to a career in research. She responded that she already had a Ph.D from a university in the U.S. This led me to believe that many of the researchers present that day already have a top notch education in research, yet they still yearn for more guidance on how to be successful in a research career. These are the types of civil engineers I have been talking to in Japan and I really admire their drive to excel in their professional careers.
What sort of career do you aspire to have and what steps do you feel you need to take to get to that level of specialization?