A Free Write on Communication

I think of communication the same way that I think of networking: It' s another concept that I didn't think that engineers would grasp. I remember reading up on 'The Missing Basics' before the beginning of the year. I started to worry that everyone in the iEFX would get their points across by grunting syllables and avoiding to look each other in the eye. But just like networking, I'm wrong. Almost all of the engineers in the program are sociable, friendly - I wouldn't think that many of them were engineers from a first impression (but I should probably drop this engineering stereotype that I've adopted before college).

This makes me wonder if communication should be labeled as a missing basic. In all honesty, I don't see any engineers on campus that have a really large problem with this. Like my supervised study group is extremely active in helping each other when they meet. They've identified that they need help, and then they went out for it - they joined a group and are trying to get as much help as possible to get a better grade. It's everywhere on the engineering campus if you look at it. The tons of engineering groups that there are to join, talking with tas and professors, fretting over things we don't understand in class - almost everything that we engineers do involves communicating.

If there's a problem in communicating, it's most likely through writing. When one writes, they must make their words clear to their audience. I remember someone in my discussion stating "write with your pen". This is harder for some than it is others. For me, I feel as though writing is easy. However, I find explaining hard concepts through writing harder than just talking about it. This, like anything else, improves with practice.

Networking

It's a common stereotype for engineers to be socially awkward. I was scared that all of the engineers I would run into would be strange. However, almost all of the engineers I've met have been extremely normal people who could carry on a conversation.

This shouldn't be surprising to me. Engineers need to be able to network and communicate in order to get work done. In "How to be a Star at Work", Kelly states that networks help fill knowledge deficits. Networking aids.productivity since it's impossible for one person to know everything. By networking, one can save themselves a ton of time and stress.

What I Don't Know

Most of what I don't know pertains to EC 110. Though many of my peers are superstars in this class, I'm among the part that doesn't understand what's going on. For me, homework that should only take a couple of minutes can span over hours. My first exam is on Monday and I'm not ready for it at all.

An Opportunity

Before the school year began, I signed up for an organization called International Buddies in Engineering (IBE). IBE is a program that involves american students mentoring an international student in order to help the international students adapt to university life. Despite being a freshman, I joined anyways to get involved in an organization. Ironically, my international buddy Shawn is a senior, so it's difficult to know who is actually the mentor. However, both of us are electrical engineers. This creates a great opportunity for me. I can ask him for help about ECE 110 problems. Perhaps he could show me his research on MRIs later on in the year as a glimpse of what I could be doing later on in electrical engineering.

Refilling the Well

Besides finding people that complement another's lack of knowledge, Kelley also states that the network must also be about giving back to other members. The idea of a network is not just to ask for help but to provide it as well. Outside of studying engineering, I play tennis, eat dinner, and hang out with Shawn (in a way, this isn't really giving back since I enjoy all three). In this opportunity, both of us help each other out.

Resume

Had some formatting issues, but will be fixed:

Darwin's Resume