A Story of Personal Grit in Pursuit of an Engineering Degree

Or How to Succeed by Ignoring the Advice of Others

One of the worst pieces of advice I’ve ever received was to not pursue a career I was interested in. A bit of a long story, so please allow me to set some context. I hope you find it inspirational.

Recalibration

I’ve been working with an executive coach recently to perform a “front-end alignment” of my skills, career goals, resume, and to basically get some independent coaching & mentoring. The sessions have been quite fruitful, and I know the investment will have a high return going forward. Now that I’m entering the fourth decade of my career, it’s a great time to do a health check of these attributes.

The coach has been reviewing my tangible & soft skills, starting with my upbringing and accomplishments prior to university. Looking back on where I started compared to where I am now, I’ve achieved more than anyone could have predicted. Not because I grew up poor, but because the academic odds were against me.

Achievement and growth is something that you can’t always see in yourself, since a career is built slowly, brick by brick. And because I’m one of those chaps that has a slight self-defeatist personality, I figure that if I’m able to do something, it certainly can’t be that hard. Reminds of a quote that I believe came from W.C. Fields, “I would never be interested in a woman that was interested in me”.

Adjusting the Rear View Mirror

Going through the coaching process has given me the opportunity to look back on my professional life, starting with the selection of a career in engineering. Which brings us to the backstory on this week’s post.

Growing up, I was interested in anything electrical and becoming an engineer seemed like a good career to pursue. Unfortunately, my high school test scores were slightly below average and my guidance counselor only that data he had in front of him to consul me on a career choice. After reviewing my ACT and SAT scores, he recommended that I become an electrician or electronics technician, instead of pursuing engineering. Nothing against those professions, but that’s not where my interests were.

Getting Gritty Wit It

However, he couldn’t measure my passion, interest, and tenacity. My executive coach calls this ‘Grit’. Which is a term frequently used in Human Resources and Psychology. An article called The Truth About Grit by Romeo Vitelli Ph.D. in Psychology Today does a better job at describing it.

There are different definitions for grit but the one that seems to be used most often is "perseverance and passion for long-term goals." According to psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth, author of the popular book, Grit: the Power of Passion and Perseverance and a MacArthur "genius" award winner, grit is an often-ignored psychological trait that can help explain why some individuals succeed when others with equal or greater ability do not. She also defines grit as "not just resilience in the face of failure, but also having deep commitments that you remain loyal to over many years" and argues that it can be a better predictor of long-term success than cognitive ability.

Apparently, I have Grit. I just didn’t know it yet. I went home from my discussion with the guidance counselor feeling very depressed; feeling like I failed at my goal and would have to accept a different profession. After a few days of reflection, I decided to ignore the advice. Wouldn’t it better to make an attempt at getting an engineering degree and potentially fail than to take one person’s opinion and never try? If I followed his advice, I may never know if I could achieve it or not.

Thanks for the Advice. I Think I’ll Ignore It

I applied to two universities and was accepted at both. After visiting both, I decided to attend Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan. The classes were smaller, which would be a better fit for me, and I could commute to school eliminating the distractions of dorm life. Although going to a ‘commuter school’ was a bit dull, it did keep me focused on my studies.

I didn’t break any academic records during my time in college, but I did graduate with my Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. If I did nothing else in life, I had already beaten the odds. The next challenge was to get a job in my field and begin my professional career.

OK, Now What?

My lack of Nobel-prize-winning academic achievement meant that companies were not tripping over themselves to offer me a position. The year was 1987 and although the United States was not officially in an economic recession, hiring had slowed compared to the previous year.

I sent out over 100 resumes and cover letters using a technique now called ‘Spray and Pray’, which is no longer recommended. I received only one offer, which was far below the average starting salary touted by the university. I had two choices; decline the offer and keep looking for a job or accept the offer, making at least some money, while continuing my job search. I chose the latter. Looking back, I guess Grit was doing its job.

Another Brick in the Foundation

That first low-paying job led to a much better position, complete with training and growth potential, at Ford Motor Company. I spent almost 21 years at Ford, continually progressing through a variety of assignments and positions with increased responsibility.

During this time I also pursued a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, received various certifications in the Energy field, became a LEED Accredited Professional, and led my team to receive awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy.

By 2009, I was receiving calls from recruiters with offers for similar positions in other companies. To be transparent, I told my management about the opportunities being presented to me and that I really didn’t want to leave Ford. Unfortunately, that initiated a period of Analysis Paralysis on the part of Ford HR, which lasted nearly two years. They had my management produce comparative analysis of my role and responsibilities to other roles above, below, and alongside my current job. They even had our divisional ‘Council of Elders’ convene to discuss if I was worthy of the next level. Getting a green light, it was back to waiting for HR.

Eventually an offer came that I really couldn’t refuse, and I had to choose between staying in the same role at Ford for the next 15 years or to become a ‘Free Agent’ and put my future in my own hands. Seems like Grit kicked in again, because I took the leap and accepted the new role.

Nice Recovery, Dude!

The accountabilities of that new position were unfortunately not as advertised. Instead of being a technical support position, as discussed during recruitment, it was actually a business development role. Determined to make lemonade out of lemons, I tried to change myself from an engineer into a sales professional. Two vastly different skills sets.

I eventually found out that my position had a predecessor that also fell into this trap, watched others get lured into the organization with the same technique, and that my hiring manager had a history of starting initiatives but not following through. Also known as Bright Shiny Object Syndrome, another good topic for a future post. Within 24 months I was looking for a new gig.

A New Industry

Comically, my manufacturing background combined with my short stint in consulting made me the preferred candidate for a technical leadership position in mining. I spent the next five years traveling to remote areas of the globe, meeting great people, experiencing new cultures, while continuing my achievements in team leadership & energy management. Experiences that I never would have had if I stayed in my cubicle at Ford.

I also had the opportunity to expand my technical knowledge of asset management, operational excellence, and apply my energy management & leadership skills in a whole new industry. Although the global travel schedule was a bit exhausting, the learnings from the experience were priceless.

Onwards!

Now I’m looking for the next challenge, growth opportunity, and industry to apply my skills & leverage my accomplishments. Definitely an exciting time.

The galvanizing point here is to follow some well-heeled advice that I periodically see from career experts. That is, compete against yourself and no one else. In other words, strive to do your own personal best while also continually improving. Those working in the Lean Manufacturing field will recognize this as one definition of Operational Excellence. Except we’re talking about personal performance here and not elimination of quality defects.

It Ain't Over Yet

Today, I’m continuing what’s worked for me in the past. I’m now studying to obtain a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, as well as taking online courses in Internet of Things, Engineering Management, and Industry 4.0.

If I had listened to my guidance counselor or taken the seemly safe route of staying at Ford (albeit with a continuing risk of job security due to outsourcing), I never would have gained the experiences and skills that I have today. Engineering has been very good to me and I have no regrets.

The Bottom Line

Comparing yourself to others will drive you mad, but it’s very hard not to do. Especially when we’re brought up in a world where everything is graded, rated, and reviewed; from our first days in school and continuing through our professional careers with annual performance reviews and job titles. It’s also difficult not to compare when you see someone receive a promotion based on politics and not performance. Or to receive the same raise or bonus check as the guy that sleeps at his desk every afternoon. (true story and the guy actually sat next to the boss!)

Although following your dreams is a worn-out phrase, I would suggest to students and professionals to pursue the things that interest you. Nothing is worse than having regrets and not being able to go back and change the past. Sometimes the best advice comes from within.

Bill Allemon, CEM, CEA, LEED AP writes on the topics of Operational Excellence, Engineering Leadership, Energy Management, and Sustainability. Bill is an engineering management professional with a career progressing through Global Corporate and Consulting roles in Program Strategy, Implementation, Management and Operations.