THE SAVVY ENGINEER

BY BOONSRI DICKINSON

Six engineers reveal their secret to success: They are motivated, goal oriented, can recognize opportunity and love what they do.

While there is no magic bullet for success, there are certain ways to achieve it. Erik Sander, B.S. ME '84, has taught many UF grads how to turn their bright ideas into technologies that can transform lives. Sander measures success by "how someone changes the world and how they are remembered after they pass on." Engineering sharpens analytical skills people need to solve problems in our complex world. The most successful engineers are hard workers, love finding a solution, and have an insatiable drive to make the world a better place.

Create your Own Reality

Entrepreneur John Dasburg received all three of his degrees from UF (B.S. ISE '66, MBA '70, JD '73) — and is the chairman and CEO of ASTAR Air Cargo. Dasburg worked hard for success. "Being poor motivated me to be successful. I lived in the same room with my sister and father until I was 10," says Dasburg. "Engineering teaches a very disciplined way of thinking and it requires a correct answer."

Have A Goal in Mind

Jack Dorsey, a computer engineer who dropped out of New York University a semester before graduation, created Twitter. When Dorsey visited New York City as a teenager, he was fascinated with the dispatch technology used by taxis and emergency vehicles and wanted to apply that to instant messaging. Success did not come overnight. It took several years to get millions hooked on tweeting. "The secret to any success is fairly simple: start now and execute quickly. Have a picture in your head of what you want to see in the world. Start small, and build piece by piece, involving others as you go. Every detail matters, so be patient and strong," Dorsey says.

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

As CEO of Discover Financial Services, David Nelms, B.S. MAE '83, says being strong with numbers in engineering is helpful in financial services. After graduating, Nelms says he paid a lot of attention to detail by focusing on results and execution early on in his career. "The rotations at GE and Bain & Company gave me exposure to multiple industries," he says. Nelms, who gave up the sunshine in Florida to move to Chicago, says it's important to be willing to relocate. Throughout his career, he moved to Boston, Delaware, Kentucky, and Virginia. "I took lateral opportunities by shifting companies and learned more along the way," Nelms says. He always tried to do a better job than the person before him and would volunteer to work on extra projects so he could get more time with management.

Pursue Your Dreams

Bob Uhler, M.E. EES '74, is CEO of MWH Global. "I can't image life without a passion to accomplish something and make a positive difference in the lives of others. The formula to my success has been to have a dream, stay with it and surround myself with opposites," he says. "The dream can be refreshed, but everyone needs an end goal and to be able to articulate that goal to yourself. Life is full of setbacks, failures and adversity and you should not let them destroy the potential of your dream. Overcoming adversity makes us stronger and wiser if you want to learn. In the end, if you don't make your dream, don't let it destroy you because it is the journey and pursuing your internal passion that counts the most."

Recognize A Problem And Fix It

Michael Dancu, CEO of Arteragen, received his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Penn State University. The key to success is to be passionate about what you do, he says, and to keep on learning. Recognizing problems in health care and the inability of new technologies to penetrate the field, Dancu set out to create solutions to improve the healthcare system. "By nature, I am a designer who utilizes the tools of science, mathematics, engineering to create new ideas and concepts. All I can say is that I am a nerd and like to solve problems with an open perspective." He now owns several biotech companies and has more than a hundred patents. 

Source:  http://www.thefloridaengineer.eng.ufl.edu/issues/0909/engage_savvy.php