Do We Ever Really Graduate?

Manufacturing Engineering, Sep 2004 by Peters, Richard C

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Recently I read something that gave me a little chuckle. It went something like: "September is the month when millions of faces radiating happiness turn toward school-they all belong to fathers and mothers."

While humorous, this no doubt holds true in a majority of households, but it took me back to my childhood days in rural Ohio, and to my memory of being an exception to this rule. Yes, I was one of those abnormal kids who actually looked forward to the start of the school year. Oh sure, I loved summer with Little League baseball, camping out, swimming, family vacations and such, but by mid-August I was ready to get back to the matter of learning. Whether the topic was math, science or reading, there were always new equations and words and principles to discover-and I couldn't wait to hit the books and learn about them all.

I'm guessing many of you grew up with a similar story. I think it's something inherent to manufacturing engineers. As a group, we tend to hunger for knowledge and have a quest for learning that started in our K-12 years, and carries on into the present day-whether attending trade schools, colleges, apprenticeships, business education classes or anything in between.

A few months back, as I sat in attendance at the college graduation of my eldest son, Matt, I was reminded of all the hard work that it takes to complete a formal education: the numerous lectures, the endless stream of homework, the term papers, the all-night cramming for finals. Yes, graduation meant the end of all of that, but (and as I told my son, there's always a but) graduation doesn't mean any of us are anywhere near finished with the learning process. While a college education is an excellent foundation for knowledge, it is only a start.

What I've found through 25 years in real-life manufacturing is this: the speed of advances in processes and technology means that continuous learning is a job requirement. Every new application or solution that I've picked up or been taught becomes obsolete quickly, to be replaced by something even better. For those couple of minutes here and there where I may have felt like I had something truly mastered, a puzzling new challenge inevitably came up to knock sense into me, and remind me of just how much I don't know.

By constantly increasing our knowledge base, we are more able to apply new technologies, new approaches, and new techniques, as the demands of our customers and economies change. And they change quickly these days, don't they?

By staying current in our fields, we manufacturing engineers are able to deliver the best solutions and greatest value to our employers and to society. The most well-rounded practitioners, people who understand and can apply their expertise to add value throughout the entire manufacturing enterprise, are the ones who become indispensable to their employers and make the greatest contributions to advancing their industries.

In addition to the priceless on-the-job training I've received every day of my career, my involvement in SME has also played a large part in my continuous learning. And, in recognition of our members' need for knowledge that spans the entire manufacturing enterprise, the Society recently restructured our technical activities to give members a broader and deeper base of problem-solving and information resources. With the addition of new communities and resources focused on lean manufacturing, supply-chain, advanced materials, emerging technologies, and much more, the Society's new Technical Community Network (TCN) has expanded the knowledge manufacturers can obtain beyond the core metalworking areas of the manufacturing enterprise. And we've made it easier for members to work with each other to solve their mutual challenges. As one example of how members use the benefits of the new TCN, they are posting and answering questions through on-line discussions, 24/7. So for those of you longing for those old college days, I guess you can still experience the excitement of the all-night cramming session!

But there's more! SME provides a host of educational conferences, technical forums, and manufacturing expositions to help you enhance your knowledge base. And we provide industry-recognized certification opportunities that will 1) increase your understanding; 2) document your expertise; and 3) give you a leg-up on your competition. So whether you're interested in becoming recognized as a Certified Manufacturing Technologist or Engineer (CMfgT or CMfgE), Certified Engineering Manager (CEM), or Certified Engineering Integrator (CEI), there is a certification for you!

Personally, as a manufacturing engineer, I've always felt like a student. You can't be in this profession without a profound commitment to continuous learning. This commitment is also shared by the world's greatest leaders, change agents, and inventors. People like Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison were driven not by applying existing knowledge but by the process of learning, of questioning, by experimentation balanced by optimism, and the humble understanding that there are no limits to how much is out there to learn. Ford once said, "I'm looking for a lot of men [and women] who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done."