Today I was asked by operation director in my company. The questions were only three yet simple, but I totally can’t answer properly. The question was,
“What do you learn now?”
I think this is the first time someone in my company asked that question. People usually asks what is your job now? Or in what project are you involved? That’s very common.
I needed a second to find the answer. Then I answered, I kept concentrating on process. Honestly, I’m not sure that’s the right answer. I just need to answer right away.
The second question was
“What topic do you learn?”
I said I learn utilities (not all utilities of course. It’s just water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, thermal oil heater, and fire fighting system).
The last question which is the most important
“Do you like learning utilities?”
I just said that was the only job left for me. I kept concentrating, doing, revising, finishing utilities of our current project. I made Piping & Instrumentation diagram, prepare engineering document (such as individual specification, requisition, and other).
I keep thinking about the last question. Sometimes, I want to ask: can we choose what we want to do? It is because we usually do what we need to do or what job left for us. I don’t say that’s good or bad. In my experience, in the beginning of the project I am involved in, I had difficulties to finish my jobs. It took several weeks for me to finish piping and instrumentation diagram. Not only that, I also found difficulties to make document, such as design basis for fire fighting system. And the last one, I felt it is not easy to select the appropriate vendor for our water treatment plant.
Then I learnt. We found difficulties, we learnt, then we solved them. That’s life. And when you solved them, you feel like a genius like Einstein. I felt that way.
I always remember this
It is hard to always do what you love because sometimes you need to do what you don’t love. But you can put love in everything you do.
That makes me strong until now as inexperienced engineer who wants to be a professional.
