رونوشت کامل Bonus Episode - Getting In & Growing Up: Career Advice & The Story Behind The Engineerd Life with AJ Waters

they're in comp sci programs. 20 00:02:21,21.02083333 --> 00:02:21,406.02083333 Do we... 21 00:02:21,707.02083333 --> 00:02:26,81.02083333 How do you attract them into the industry, or? Oh, that's a really good question. 22 00:02:26,125.02083333 --> 00:02:31,456.02083333 I think, again, part of that goes back to getting good at AI and understanding AI. 23 00:02:32,0.02083333 --> 00:02:40,356.02083333 And the other part, I think, g- goes to being curious about alternative topics and industries. 24 00:02:40,709.02083333 --> 00:02:58,257.02083333 Because if you get super laser focused on just the data or the, the software or the, even the, the math side of the house when it comes to the algorithms, if you get really focused in on that and you don't see the bigger picture of what you're trying to solve for... 25 00:02:58,590.02083333 --> 00:03:00,751.02083333 get curious about the industry. 26 00:03:01,236.02083333 --> 00:03:03,844.02083333 Go to a con- a construction conference. 27 00:03:04,464.02083333 --> 00:03:10,18.02083333 See if you can visit a job site with, uh, with the engineering department at the school that you're at. 28 00:03:10,389.02083333 --> 00:03:24,219.02083333 Or just read up on the industry at large on, on things like ENR and Construction Dive and, and other places, because the context is huge in this industry. 29 00:03:24,275.02083333 --> 00:03:48,764.02083333 I was having a conversation with someone else this morning about how, like the sequencing of the schedule, they're thinking about robotics when it comes to certain tasks on the job site, but they're assuming a flat concrete floor has already been installed, and they don't realize that the, the slab on grade pad inside a building isn't necessarily there when the roof is getting hangers on it. 30 00:03:48,865.02083333 --> 00:03:53,236.02083333 Sometimes that is last because they're doing in-floor recesses and things like that. 31 00:03:53,772.02083333 --> 00:03:57,185.02083333 The concrete, you're not always gonna have a flat concrete surface. 32 00:03:57,283.02083333 --> 00:04:02,883.02083333 That context is huge in whatever you're trying to build technologically. 33 00:04:03,207.02083333 --> 00:04:08,108.02083333 And so get curious about the industry All right. 34 00:04:08,337.02083333 --> 00:04:09,34.02083333 I love that. 35 00:04:09,232.02083333 --> 00:04:13,800.02083333 It makes me feel like I should start a job board or something on our podcast- Yeah to attract these people. 36 00:04:14,191.02083333 --> 00:04:22,964.02083333 Um, one other question for the students, and maybe even younger than college students, uh, you were told that you weren't smart enough to be an engineer. 37 00:04:22,964.02083333 --> 00:04:23,991.02083333 You opened up with that. 38 00:04:24,0.02083333 --> 00:04:29,588.02083333 Like, what do you tell that kid now that's struggling with that? Oh. 39 00:04:29,642.02083333 --> 00:04:32,54.02083333 The for me it was a comparison thing. 40 00:04:32,484.02083333 --> 00:04:45,835.02083333 Someone else had gone off and flunked out that was way smarter than me in high school, and so they were assuming that I was gonna flunk out, too, right? What I would tell you is you are you. 41 00:04:46,574.02083333 --> 00:04:47,796.02083333 You're not someone else. 42 00:04:48,253.02083333 --> 00:04:49,939.02083333 You're not someone else's experience. 43 00:04:49,940.02083333 --> 00:04:51,910.02083333 You're not someone else's learning abilities. 44 00:04:51,911.02083333 --> 00:04:54,78.02083333 You're not someone el- You are you. 45 00:04:54,485.02083333 --> 00:04:56,545.02083333 You know what you're willing to put in. 46 00:04:56,759.02083333 --> 00:04:58,528.02083333 You know what you're willing to study. 47 00:04:58,558.02083333 --> 00:05:01,107.02083333 You know the effort that you're willing to give it. 48 00:05:01,840.02083333 --> 00:05:07,891.02083333 And so don't let comparison steal your joy Yeah. 49 00:05:08,383.02083334 --> 00:05:09,377.02083333 That's great advice. 50 00:05:09,727.02083334 --> 00:05:12,61.02083333 And I I tend- I believe... 51 00:05:12,891.02083333 --> 00:05:13,171.02083333 On the... 52 00:05:13,171.02083333 --> 00:05:14,668.02083333 I'll just add to this point a little bit. 53 00:05:14,703.02083333 --> 00:05:21,361.02083333 I I had an interesting track because I actually started in, like, special education, the bottom. 54 00:05:21,751.02083333 --> 00:05:24,470.02083333 And then I also ended up in the honors program. 55 00:05:24,477.02083333 --> 00:05:32,476.02083333 So I've seen both- Both ends sort of remedial education all the way through the, like, highest level of, honors. 56 00:05:32,824.02083333 --> 00:05:35,303.02083333 Because I was sort of, like, not neurotypical or whatever. 57 00:05:35,303.02083333 --> 00:05:35,883.02083334 I don't know. 58 00:05:35,990.02083333 --> 00:05:46,233.02083333 Long story short, what I learned from that was that th- there's a lot more about just the crew that you're running with than your own- internal capabilities. 59 00:05:46,559.02083334 --> 00:05:51,341.02083333 There are very few people, in my estimation, that aren't smart enough to be an engineer. 60 00:05:51,575.02083333 --> 00:06:03,527.02083333 I think a lot of times if you feel like you're not smart enough for something, it might just be that you're not put into the right stream of people, because people move together. 61 00:06:03,767.02083333 --> 00:06:11,217.02083333 And so sometimes it's just a matter of saying, like, yeah, you, if you hang out with people that are smart enough, you might notice that there's no magic to it. 62 00:06:11,531.02083333 --> 00:06:15,442.02083333 They're just do- Yeah they just have different habits than you, and they believe in themselves. 63 00:06:15,777.02083333 --> 00:06:22,945.02083333 And then if you go to another group, like a remedial group, maybe they don't believe in themselves, and they have a

habit of not believing in themselves. 64 00:06:22,946.02083333 --> 00:06:24,784.02083333 Like, yeah, you're not gonna achieve things. 65 00:06:24,786.02083333 --> 00:06:27,160.02083333 So I, I believe people are actually, uh... 66 00:06:27,161.02083333 --> 00:06:36,76.02083333 There was something that said, uh, "Genius is as common as dirt," was a quote somebody gave, which is like everybody is incredibly, exceptionally smart. 67 00:06:36,373.02083333 --> 00:06:42,93.02083333 And I think that people say, "Oh, you can't be smart enough for something," I think generally they're wrong. 68 00:06:42,349.02083333 --> 00:06:47,627.02083333 And I think there's really great ways that, you know, younger folks can, like, get smart at stuff. 69 00:06:47,669.02083333 --> 00:06:49,619.02083333 I think people have incredible potential. 70 00:06:49,943.02083333 --> 00:06:51,285.02083333 I think anyone can be an engineer. 71 00:06:51,906.02083333 --> 00:06:52,188.02083333 Yeah. 72 00:06:52,237.02083333 --> 00:06:52,902.02083333 I love that. 73 00:06:53,374.02083333 --> 00:06:53,560.02083333 Yeah. 74 00:06:53,560.02083333 --> 00:06:54,330.02083333 I couldn't agree more. 75 00:06:54,565.02083333 --> 00:06:54,857.02083333 Yep. 76 00:06:55,18.02083333 --> 00:07:05,102.02083333 So just kind of wrapping up here with some takeaways, what kind of books would, you know, really spoke to you? Other podcasts, where obviously The Engineered Life is a great one. 77 00:07:05,436.02083333 --> 00:07:07,818.02083334 Or other people that you follow, associations. 78 00:07:07,819.02083333 --> 00:07:13,968.02083333 Like, what advice do you have for people for some ways to explore more some of these concepts you've learned? Yeah. 79 00:07:13,985.02083333 --> 00:07:16,770.02083333 So I have a couple of really great books. 80 00:07:16,772.02083333 --> 00:07:18,770.02083333 I, I already mentioned Extreme Ownership. 81 00:07:18,782.02083333 --> 00:07:19,773.02083333 That's a pretty good one. 82 00:07:19,870.02083333 --> 00:07:20,485.02083334 My... 83 00:07:20,884.02083333 --> 00:07:25,718.02083333 probably my favorite book to recommend to people is, uh, Leadership and Self-Deception. 84 00:07:26,257.02083334 --> 00:07:34,212.02083334 And it- Mm has to do with, uh, with your role in, uh, in what could be a problem state. 85 00:07:34,436.02083334 --> 00:07:42,348.02083333 And so there are sever- several examples in the book, uh, but the easiest one is like baby starts crying in the middle of the night. 86 00:07:42,439.02083334 --> 00:07:43,204.02083334 You wake up. 87 00:07:43,674.02083333 --> 00:07:45,776.02083333 Your wife's not getting out of bed yet. 88 00:07:46,713.02083333 --> 00:07:48,365.02083333 And you aren't getting out of bed yet. 89 00:07:48,377.02083333 --> 00:07:56,121.02083333 You're kinda waiting on each other, right? And so you're thinking in your mind, "I've gotta do this tomorrow, I've gotta do that tomorrow, I've gotta do this. 90 00:07:56,410.02083333 --> 00:07:58,192.02083333 Doesn't she understand? Doesn't it..." 91 00:07:58,456.02083333 --> 00:08:02,826.02083333 You're kinda raising yourself up while putting them down. 92 00:08:02,830.02083333 --> 00:08:04,743.02083333 Like, "Why don't they get this? Why don't they... 93 00:08:04,757.02083333 --> 00:08:07,877.02083333 They don't have as much work to do or whatev-" Right? Yeah. 94 00:08:07,877.02083333 --> 00:08:16,555.02083333 And so you're deceiving yourself about how good of a person you are and how terrible, and now you're blaming them for not... 95 00:08:17,100.02083333 --> 00:08:32,444.02083333 Whereas if you would've just gotten up at the sound of the cry, it would've been over already, right? And so that's just one, like, real small example from the book, but it's an incredible book about how problems really start based on your actions, not someone else's. 96 00:08:32,972.02083333 --> 00:08:44,755.02083333 That is an interesting book Yeah And then any podcasts that you follow or associations that you really- Yeah think are pretty awesome? And maybe- So- conferences too that y- Well- Since you're the man. 97 00:08:45,118.02083333 --> 00:08:46,198.02083333 There's a lot of those. 98 00:08:46,470.02083333 --> 00:08:51,594.02083333 So I came up on Construction Brothers, so Eddie and Tyler Campbell, still one of my all-time favorites. 99 00:08:51,849.02083333 --> 00:08:56,262.02083333 The Contact Crew was one that I, I kinda grew up with as well. 100 00:08:56,554.02083333 --> 00:09:00,520.02083333 There are so many podcasts out there, it's really not hard. 101 00:09:00,756.02083333 --> 00:09:03,852.02083333 But there's this one called the Megaprojects Podcast. 102 00:09:03,889.02083333 --> 00:09:05,704.02083333 I would really recommend that one. 103 00:09:05,998.02083333 --> 00:09:06,977.02083333 It's super good. 104 00:09:07,6.02083333 --> 00:09:12,264.02083333 The host is, is a lot of fun, and, uh, and does a great, great job with it. 105 00:09:12,670.02083333 --> 00:09:18,724.02083333 And then, um, as far as conferences associations I, I've been a part of a lot of them. 106 00:09:18,783.02083333 --> 00:09:22,913.02083333 ASPE as an estimator, CMAA, COA Curt. 107 00:09:23,671.02083333 --> 00:09:26,323.02083333 There's, again, there's a lot out there, DBIA. 108 00:09:26,324.02083333 --> 00:09:30,655.02083333 It kinda depends on what your role is in construction and what makes sense. 109 00:09:31,297.02083333 --> 00:09:33,296.02083333 There are tons of great ones. 110 00:09:33,297.02083333 --> 00:09:38,167.02083333 I, I would kinda ask around your peer group, back to the people you follow in your peer group. 111 00:09:38,195.02083333 --> 00:09:40,794.02083333 See what they're up to and who they're listening to. 112 00:09:41,569.02083333 --> 00:09:46,960.02083333 But don't just use that, right? Also do a little bit of searching so that you can expand. 113 00:09:46,973.02083333 -->

00:09:49,216.02083333 Be curious about the rest of the industry. 114 00:09:49,782.02083333 --> 00:09:57,694.02083333 And then when it comes to conferences, man, there are so many to name, but a lot of those that we just talked about, those associations have their own conferences. 115 00:09:57,698.02083333 --> 00:09:59,510.02083333 Curt, DBIA's got multiple. 116 00:09:59,830.02083333 --> 00:10:01,787.02083333 COA, CMAA's- CMAE got multiple. 117 00:10:01,787.02083333 --> 00:10:01,954.02083333 Yeah. 118 00:10:01,993.02083333 --> 00:10:02,996.02083333 AACE. 119 00:10:03,268.02083333 --> 00:10:03,589.02083333 Yep. 120 00:10:03,887.02083333 --> 00:10:11,69.02083333 There, there are so many different conferences out there that, uh, that you're hard-pressed to not find one. 121 00:10:11,402.02083333 --> 00:10:17,755.02083333 My favorite two the one that happens yearly that I really love is Western Winter Workshop. 122 00:10:18,207.02083333 --> 00:10:21,857.02083333 It's more networking than conference, which is why I like it. 123 00:10:22,509.02083333 --> 00:10:30,677.02083333 And then the one that happens every three years is ConExpo, and it's like the world on steroids for construction. 124 00:10:31,93.02083333 --> 00:10:33,606.02083333 100,000 people descend on Las Vegas. 125 00:10:33,610.02083333 --> 00:10:35,260.02083333 It only happens every- Yeah three years. 126 00:10:35,777.02083333 --> 00:10:49,778.02083333 It can be overwhelming, but if you have the week to spend there, man, can you see some cool stuff, learn some neat things and meet some great people Thanks for those recommendations. 127 00:10:49,779.02083333 --> 00:10:53,773.02083333 And then oh, I just wanted to add one little note on that book you mentioned. 128 00:10:53,826.02083333 --> 00:10:58,807.02083333 Mm-hmm you know, it reminded me of another book The The The Courage To Be Disliked. 129 00:10:59,261.02083333 --> 00:10:59,303.02083333 Oh, yes. 130 00:10:59,303.02083333 --> 00:10:59,667.02083333 Which is an... 131 00:10:59,823.02083333 --> 00:11:04,7.02083333 it's, it's on Adlerian psychology, which is, like, sort of an offshoot. 132 00:11:04,95.02083333 --> 00:11:07,997.02083333 Freud, uh, had a friend, Adler, and... 133 00:11:08,72.02083333 --> 00:11:22,797.02083333 Anyway, The Courage To Be Disliked is an interesting psychology book, but it talks about how people tend to, like you were saying on your book they believe they change the way they perceive things to achieve whatever their goals are, basically. 134 00:11:22,856.02083333 --> 00:11:28,914.02083333 And so it's kind of like lying to yourself and anyway, that's, uh, just another way to go down that rabbit hole as well. 135 00:11:29,310.02083333 --> 00:11:30,882.02083333 Tell us about your podcast. 136 00:11:31,313.02083333 --> 00:11:34,331.02083333 Why did you start it? Oh, good question. 137 00:11:34,387.02083333 --> 00:11:37,347.02083333 So a couple of years ago, I started a blog. 138 00:11:37,408.02083333 --> 00:11:39,378.02083333 It's been a, a little over a year and a half now. 139 00:11:39,830.02083333 --> 00:11:49,962.02083333 And, uh, and the reason I started the blog, like, I wrote an article for the company that I worked for, and marketing loved it, and then put it on a shelf. 140 00:11:50,797.02083333 --> 00:11:54,555.02083333 And it s- sat on the shelf for, like, nine months, and I was like, "But it's so... 141 00:11:54,631.02083333 --> 00:11:54,914.02083333 It's... 142 00:11:54,971.02083333 --> 00:11:56,518.02083333 Like, I wanna say this to people." 143 00:11:56,944.02083333 --> 00:12:01,798.02083333 So I finally came to the conclusion over a Christmas holiday that I was just gonna... 144 00:12:02,557.02083333 --> 00:12:07,366.02083333 I wanted to publish it myself, which means I needed a place to put it, which led to a blog. 145 00:12:07,764.02083333 --> 00:12:13,813.02083333 And so I asked if I could have it back, if I could publish it myself, and they were totally fine with that, so I started the blog. 146 00:12:14,543.02083333 --> 00:12:18,824.02083333 And after a year of talking at people, I was like, "This... 147 00:12:19,524.02083333 --> 00:12:20,262.02083333 I don't like this. 148 00:12:20,364.02083333 --> 00:12:22,191.02083333 I don't wanna just talk at people. 149 00:12:22,247.02083333 --> 00:12:23,457.02083333 I wanna talk with people. 150 00:12:23,631.02083333 --> 00:12:25,704.02083333 I wanna-" Yeah share stories with people. 151 00:12:25,704.02083333 --> 00:12:26,961.02083333 I wanna learn from people." 152 00:12:27,336.02083333 --> 00:12:29,593.02083333 And that's what led to the podcast. 153 00:12:29,990.02083333 --> 00:12:35,121.02083333 And so this year, it transitioned from the blog that it was last year to a podcast. 154 00:12:35,142.02083333 --> 00:12:36,344.02083333 We're now dating it... 155 00:12:36,392.02083333 --> 00:12:44,923.02083333 I'm dating this episode, but we're recording, this is August, so we're, I'm eight months in to, uh, to having it as a podcast, and it's been a lot of fun. 156 00:12:44,923.02083333 --> 00:12:45,945.02083333 I've learned a ton. 157 00:12:46,208.02083333 --> 00:12:47,919.02083333 I'm meeting great new people. 158 00:12:48,184.02083333 --> 00:12:56,681.02083333 And, uh, and the whole point of the show, the purpose of the show is to talk about someone who has a unique gift when it comes to construction. 159 00:12:56,991.02083333 --> 00:12:57,28.02083333 Mm-hmm. 160 00:12:57,28.02083333 --> 00:13:02,996.02083333 Whether that be reading contracts, whether it be understanding data, whether it be developing technology. 161 00:13:04,379.02083333 --> 00:13:20,604.02083333 And to walk through the journey, like how they found that gift, but at the end, kind of the twist is this isn't a superpower or a unique ability like invisibility or super strength that only one person can have. 162 00:13:21,220.02083333 --> 00:13:21,437.02083333 Yeah. 163 00:13:21,556.02083333 --> 00:13:26,764.02083333 This is a practical thing that you could go implement tomorrow to make your project better. 164 00:13:27,146.02083333 --> 00:13:36,571.02083333 And so every episode ends with some practical takeaways that should help the individual make their next project a little bit better. 165 00:13:36,628.02083333 --> 00:13:37,470.02083333 So that's the goal. 166 00:13:38,802.02083333 --> 00:13:39,224.02083333 Wow. 167 00:13:39,862.02083333 --> 00:13:53,38.02083333 We'll include links to your podcast, of course, on the website and down below so anybody listening to this can, uh, you know, hit the website button and queue up an episode of The Engineer Life Enginerd Life. 168 00:13:53,391.02083333 --> 00:13:53,525.02083333 Yeah. 169 00:13:53,543.02083333 --> 00:13:54,887.02083333 Um, that sounds great. 170 00:13:54,906.02083333 --> 00:14:00,18.02083333 That's good Uh, yep, just make your project a little bit better every day by listening to an episode. 171 00:14:00,374.02083333 --> 00:14:05,679.02083333 AJ, thanks for joining us, sharing your expertise, offering up your podcast. 172 00:14:05,997.02083333 --> 00:14:12,1.02083333 In s- if the audience wants to find out more about you, is LinkedIn the best way to connect? Yep. 173 00:14:12,97.02083333 --> 00:14:13,791.02083333 Yeah, I would reach out on LinkedIn. 174 00:14:13,815.02083333 --> 00:14:17,493.02083333 I'm open to messages all the time. 175 00:14:17,601.02083333 --> 00:14:19,30.02083333 I love to hear from people. 176 00:14:19,75.02083333 --> 00:14:23,544.02083333 I'll respond as fast as I can, so it's usually less than a few days. 177 00:14:23,583.02083333 --> 00:14:27,790.02083333 But yeah, hit me up on LinkedIn, AJ Waters, super simple. 178 00:14:29,368.02083333 --> 00:14:33,273.02083333 AJ, thanks so much for taking the time to join today. 179 00:14:33,424.02083333 --> 00:14:34,428.02083333 Really appreciate it. 180 00:14:35,42.02083333 --> 00:14:35,818.02083333 Thank you, Orion. 181 00:14:35,818.02083333 --> 00:14:36,743.02083333 This was awesome. 182 00:14:36,910.02083333 --> 00:14:37,935.02083333 You did a great job. 183 00:14:38,300.02083333 --> 00:14:41,783.02083333 I love your podcast, and I'm super excited to be a part of it.