Fire Protection Career Advice Beyond This Guy

9/9/2016

I had a great conversation yesterday with a young undergraduate student who is nearing entry in the fire protection industry. In many ways the questions he asked reminded me of my own uncertainty about my future and eagerness to gather advice when I was at that point in my career.

We spoke at length about transitioning into the field, graduate school, career tips, areas to keep growing, experience, having passion for the work, technical components of fire protection engineering, and finding satisfaction in a quality role on a regular basis.

This blog, while in its infancy, already has a strong handful followers from throughout the U.S. (…and world, I see you South Korea!) with professionals ranging from firefighters to plan review to contractors to engineers. Today I want to ask you to share one insight that has helped your career in fire protection. All I ask is you note (1) a helpful book, (2) a favorite quote or piece of advice, or (3) a valuable lesson that has helped you in your journey.

While I would love to consider myself worthy of providing savvy career advice, I am much more interested in reading and sharing what you have to offer. Share your one insight in the comments of the post here at www.meyerfire.com/blog.

Joe link

9/9/2016 09:07:20 am

I'll be that awkward one that comments on his own post to kick things off - One of the most helpful books I've read from a career perspective is Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

It's a classic that has more than stood the test of time and is a great fit for working with others in a technical environment.

James

9/9/2016 09:41:10 am

Two of my favorite quotes from the always inspiring Zig Ziglar...

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

The technical industry is certainly teamwork oriented. Our ideas and passion are shared with our peers and help us grow together which ultimately leads us to be more successful together.

Mike

9/9/2016 11:42:49 am

My first boss told me (and he may have stolen this quote):

"Do whatever makes you happy in life, but if it doesn't sound good on the 5 o'clock news, don't!"

I've been in this industry for nearly 25 years, working both as a GC and now as a consulting engineer. Our firm employs a lot of recent graduates. My advice to them is know the codes. Not necessarily memorize them but know where to find info quickly. Contractors are always trying cut corners and justify it with the "it's code compliant" line. But if you can show you know what you're talking about more than they can, you'll do well.

And know how a system works in its entirety. Just because a component belongs to another discipline doesn't mean you don't need to know how it works. Fire protection systems encompass a lot of trades.

Just my $0.02

Stephen Dale

9/11/2016 08:46:02 am

Two things. First, the best book for accomplishing goals is the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I read this as soon as I graduated and still use the concepts today. They are more important than.

Second, do what you love and are good at. I am good at fire protection engineering, and I love it. I am not sure which came first: I love it because I am good at it, or I am good at it because I love it. Either way it does not matter at this point--I love what I do and have had a very successful and rewarding career. Do what you love and are good at.

Anthony

9/16/2016 09:31:31 am

Not exactly a career-oriented book, but equally as life adjusting was Thomas Stanley's "Millionaire Next Door", which explored what people with high net worth had in common.

Brian

9/19/2016 12:07:28 pm

Two quotes come to mind:

"You can observe a lot just by watching." - Yogi Berra and
"No one who wakes up before dawn 360 days a year will fail to make his family rich." - Chinese proverb

A whole lot of hustle and a whole lot of learning can go a long way in helping promote your career.

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Fire Protection Career Advice Beyond This Guy

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