D36 No. 15: I, Engineer: This is My Path. Trust Yours!

By: Jim O'Flanagan

Author's Note: Somewhere along the along the line you might get dissuaded from the career you've chosen, or the business you've started.

It's your choice whether to listen to those nay-sayers or not.

This is a story about my decision to pursue engineering as a career, and how I arrived at it.

I hit a few stumbling blocks along the way. This story is about those blocks.

If there is a message in this column, it is this:

Find your own path & stay true to it.

Editor's Note: I graduated from Woodridge High School in 1998. My wife Becca graduated from the same school in 1999. There are quite a few network members out there that either went to Woodridge, knows someone who did, or has a kid there now. Some of you are teachers there now, or are teaching at still other places.

The story I am about to tell is the genesis of how I became an engineer. That is the main framework I am trying to tell.

I want to take some space here to acknowledge what a great education I got at Woodridge Local School. That's not a cliche either. I spent a lot of years in college after graduating from Woodridge, more than most, and I was more prepared for it than a lot of the other kids at Case Western and John Carroll.

The lessons I learned playing sports at Woodridge were invaluable, also. I still do some of the yoga poses that Coach John Kane taught us and we did every day before football practice. I still think about football all the time. And baseball. All things I learned at Woodridge.

So, thank you, Woodridge. More specifically, thank you Woodridge teachers. You all played integral roles in making me a great father, a great family man, and a great engineer. Some of those things took longer than others, but I am very proud of how my life has turned out so far.

I have Woodridge Local Schools, its teachers, its coaches, and its administrators to thank for a lot of that success. Thank you.

Please enjoy the story!

Introduction

Why did I become an engineer?

So I could make cool s**t.

It really is as simple as that.

But not really.

I also wanted to Solve Problems.

I've known since I was very young that I loved math. I've known I was very good at it for nearly as long.

Even better, I absolutely knew that I loved doing it! I've known that since the beginning, too.

I wasn't so sure about anything else, though. Still not sure.

But I knew I was good at math, and I liked it. A lot. There's a rush I get, right after solving a difficult math problem, that I can't quite explain. It's existential. And it has not ever diminished since kindergarten, until this very day.

(Thank God for math.)

When I actually learned to listen to this muse later in my life, amazing things started to happen. More on that later.

The very first time I was asked what I wanted to do with my life, I answered:

"I want to solve problems." That was actually a very specific thing in my mind, although I realize now how broad that statement actually is.

On March 12, 2024, I visited Cleveland State University to be a judge at the 71st Annual NORTHEASTERN OHIO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR . This is a highlight video from the trip. This is one way I try to give back to honor the folks that helped make engineering happen for me.

Music by: Thomas Dolby "She Blinded Me With Science"

"Jimmy likes to solve problems," became the common refrain in my household for many years after that. Over and over again. I even took to saying it myself after a while.

What I actually meant was that I really, really dug the "Story Problems" in my 7th and 8th grade math text books.

I just didn’t know how to say that.

Do you remember those? I don't know if this terminology is even used now. They were word problems, usually at the end of a chapter in the math textbook, that sort-of summarized the lesson by making you think critically. The questions are usually posed in words, to make it more life-like.

When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said, "I want to solve problems."

I meant to say, "I want to be a mathematician so I could solve those Story Problems, like in my Math book, as a career."

But I had no idea how to say that.

So when someone asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said, "Solve Problems."

I think that got mis-interpreted real quick, by my teachers, my parents, and by everyone else. Because the next thing I knew, I was taking art classes. Lots of them.

And I wasn’t in the math class I wanted to be in, and needed to be in.

I made a deal with myself then that as long as I got into math I’d be ok, and kinda be with my friends.

I went to talk to my math teacher on that one myself.

And she said yes. I will never forget that kindness.

Art Class, on the other hand, was all fine and dandy, but I did not vibe with a single medium in that class, or any other art class. (l ?? video! Didn't discover that one till my 40s.)

I was terrible at it. You know, paper Mache, and building bridges out of toothpicks, and oversize rolls of Lifesavers?

My “Art,” as it were, and medium was the math equation. I knew that already. (And I do believe it to be a medium and an artform.)

It also had a lot to do with me being left handed. One teacher tried their best to get me to switch to using my right hand, physically.

No chance of that working. I am so left-handed it’s crazy.

I wish they would have just let me be myself.

I used to get bad grades in Penmanship back in the day for the same prejudice. Wanna guess how many times I've been asked, "Can’t you just use your other hand?" Uh, oh. I am VERY left-handed.

Buffy Louise O'Flanagan is introducing herself. My other dog Bones passed away recently, and Buffy is his older sister and littermate. She's pretty grey, but she's been getting grey for a long time.

Music by: The Temptations "My Girl"

But then I took physics in the 11th grade.

And Mr. Dave Weaver was the best teacher I’ve ever had, without question.

That helped a bunch in me figuring things out.

What is the cross-product between a mathematician and a physicist?

An engineer.

I, Engineer, Baby!

Yes! I had figured it out!

Ahhhhhh yeahhhhhhh.

(I love saying that. Almost as much as I love saying, “I love my family.”)

(But not quite.)

Now I thought I had this whole career-thing figured out. And that whole "Solve Problems" thing got fixed too. That is what Engineers do. And they get paid a decent amount for it!

Seemed like a no-brainer to me.

Only it wasn't.

There were about a million other people channeling their own needs and wants in to my life and career by that point. And I was only in the middle school!

(Don’t let this happen to you!)

Lots of people tried to convince me to go to medical school. I still get queasy around blood.

Lots of people tried to convince me to go to law school.

I was a mathematician. That’s all I cared about.

And being with my friends.

Others wanted me to be a lawyer. Deep down inside, “I’m not gonna be able to stand up in front of people.”

Seems I knew all the way back then that I had an anxiety issue.

No one really listened to that, either.

Wanna know a good way to try to crush a kid's spirit? Convince him he's not as smart as his friends. That is the lesson I remember from my brush-up, and rejection from, the "Gifted Children's" program at my school.

And that is one of the reason my parents tried so hard to get me into this program.

To make their son feel less alone.

Seems like we can teach that lesson to children another way.

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"Gifted Children"

Author's Note: Gifted Children. What an ignorant term if I ever heard one!

The term "Gifted Children" suggest that children have absolutely no role or decision in the types of students they want to be, or become. That they have no AGENCY. That their abilities are "gifted" to them at birth. That is complete and utter bullshit. Wanna know who does the "gifting"? People. Flawed humans. Yes, some intelligence is inherited.

I’ve got almost 25 years of engineering experience and hundreds of engineers I’ve managed that tell me that intelligence is only about 1/3 of being good at ANYTHING.

The other 2/3? Empathy, and Kindness.

We need to teach children that they have AGENCY. Slamming them into a cool exclusionary program like this, even one that aims to educate well, is not the way to do it.

But I digress. My (lack of) entrance into that program certainly did not do a very good job predicting the arc of my career, did it? I still do not know what these programs are for, and I really hope they’ve done away with the term “gifted.”

And I can tell you from over 20 years of directly managing people directly that the best engineers are most definitely not the book worm types. There are exceptions to that judgement, of course. The very best ones are both MENSA smart and great at turning wrenches. But those are so rare it’s not really worth it to go out and look for them.

By and large, great engineers are people who understand the value of time. They understand where and how to get things. They know the difference between a 1/4" and 3/8" socket ratchet.

They can do the technical and computer stuff when needed. They don't try to make everything perfect. They are empathetic.

In short, it is clear that they've made engineering judgements about their engineering careers.

But that's just my experience, and that type of engineer I try to hire.

Someone else's experience might be different.

Mechanical | Computer?

This has been a lingering question in my career. I've always been fascinated by the tangible mechanics of how things work—the gears, the forces, and the physical laws that make engineering so tangible and real. But then, there’s the allure of the digital realm, where lines of code can simulate entire worlds, solve complex problems, and create software that can revolutionize our interaction with the physical world.

For me, the intersection of these two fields has been where I've found my passion. I see mechanical engineering and computer science not as separate paths but as complementary tools in my arsenal. Whether designing a component for a machine or developing software to improve its efficiency, I leverage both domains to innovate and create solutions that are not just effective but transformative.

The choice between mechanical and computer? It's not one or the other; it's both, integrated in the work I do.

Professional

Music by: Downstait "Kingdom" This is the entrance music for "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes.

Reason for this video? Not an engineering one, per se! I am just very excited for WrestleMania 40 coming up, and in fact, SummerSlam, which is coming to my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio in August 2024.

Over the past two decades, I've navigated the complexities of mechanical, computational, and software engineering, driven by a fervent quest to meld theory with practical application. Holding a Master's Degree in Engineering Management, I've led projects from their nascent stages to fruition, marking my path with innovation and leadership.

In 2023, I made my mark at the ASME IMECE with "Pennantview," a software suite marrying the precision of engineering with the dynamic world of baseball. This work not only underscores my passion for blending diverse fields but also emphasizes my commitment to leveraging technology for strategic advancements in sports.

Beyond my technical contributions, I am deeply invested in nurturing the next generation of engineers, advocating for a blend of empathy and ethics in our practices. My career is a testament to the belief that engineering is a tool for positive change, continuous learning, and solving real-world challenges.

#FindYourOwnPath

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