Trying to Find a Great Civil Engineering Website

Taking the leap and starting a blog was, initially, a difficult step for me. For a long time, I’ve had the desire to write, just never had the time. Correction: Never MADE the time….

Our household has been going through a few changes over the last few months. Our son’s baseball season has ended, the ramp-up of college preparations for our daughter came to fruition as we dropped her off at Iowa State last week. Work has been steady for me but not taxing as it has been in years’ past. The house is in good shape, not too many To Do’s flopping loose & the weekly chores are manageable.

Lately, I’ve been able can catch my breath. For the first time in about 15 years, I have a little time for doing things that I want to do (other than working out and playing hockey, both of which are considered necessities in my book…!!)

So as I said in my About page, I’m looking towards teaching as the next curve in the road to be taken. I have a real desire to pass on the wealth spring of knowledge that 25+ years of working with lots of great people and building lots of big shyt has taught me.

I am hoping to scribe as many of the teachable moments as I can on this site. I really hope that I can become a resource for others. And down-the-road, I hope the site can become a resource for me if I ever decide to publish, but we’ll save that for another time.

I’m a podcast junkie. I love strength & conditioning. I have a bevy of go-to podcasters and S&C coaches who are my staples, guys who have been speaking, writing, posting for years. They have grown their skills as coaches and teachers and are fantastic resources for how to deliver great content. My role models have set a high bar, now I have to step-up my game. It all starts with putting out great content, growing the library and letting the delivery methods and the readership develop on their own.

So here’s what I think: If I can post information that engineering students, construction management students and young, budding, early-in-their-career construction & engineering professionals find useful, I will have succeeded in my mission.

Here’s a little secret: I think I can crush this. Why…?

I thought I should do some due diligence and seek out blogs, or sites that are posting similar information. What are people posting? What kind of subjects are people categorically putting out?

Here’s what I found:
NOBODY IS POSTING USEFUL CIVIL ENGINEERING INFORMATION ANYWHERE!!!!

Holy Shyt!!! Have any of you tried Googling “Civil Engineering Blogs?” Or “Civil Engineering Mentor?” Go ahead, try it. It’s a hot mess!!

Here’s a sample of the types of articles I was able to find:

–How to Build a Gas Processing Plant

–Buckling Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Domes

–11 Powerful Reasons to Use Forklifts

–What is Underwater Antiwash Concrete

Dudes. Really?

Look, I’m almost 50. My attention span is dwindling year-by-year. My brain is crammed with information that, on occasions, doesn’t come out as fast as it used to. Believe me, I like to learn about new things to stuff back into my brain just to keep both lobes oxygenated. But seriously….

Does anyone actually want to read about any of that shyt? I’m sorry. Just saying….

Are there REALLY engineering students sitting in a classroom, pondering on what they want to do once they graduate, thinking about how they are going to apply hydroelectric dam theory when they land their first job? Or concepts in power plant design?

For cripes sakes, when I was a college senior, all I wanted to do was get on a construction site as an inspector so I could see how bridges were built and GET PAID TO DO IT!!! I sure as hell wasn’t thinking about power cells or geothermal energy or earthquake dampering systems….it makes my head spin just typing that!!!

 

Here’s what my research tells me:

If I can assemble a blog that speaks to young engineers about REAL ISSUES, I can make an impact.

If I can secure a following that is interested in some basic career development ideas….

If I can address simple, everyday issues that happen in engineering design offices, construction trailers and work sites every day…

If I can become a resource for college students looking to root themselves in the construction management or engineering fields and want to pick-up some how-to’s that might give them a little edge along their career’s trajectory…

I will have succeeded.

I am SO EXCITED – I DON’T HAVE ANY COMPETITION!!!!

I can make an impact.

As I close this post, know that I am hopeful, appreciative and grateful to anyone who happens to stumble onto my writings. It is still amazing to me how the web has connected the world and that, some how, some way, without me using a radio, a TV or a stamp, that you found me and my information.

Leave me a comment. Send me an email. Let me know if the content is helpful or inspiring, or if it is bad, outdated, misguided, whatever. Share a topic you’d like me to address. Ask a question that you are wrestling with. Pass-on a link to an article that you think a friend or colleague might enjoy.

And of course, feel free to hurt my feelings if what you’re reading isn’t up-to-snuff. I have big shoulders and a small ego: I can take it.

I want to grow this. I want to be a resource. I want to help the next generation of engineers become great at what they do.

Hit me up.

 

PS: OK, so there was one blog I found worth checking out…..

http://engineeringethicsblog.blogspot.com/