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Notes on engineering, design, and what I'm learning while building.
Writing
Notes on engineering, design, and what I'm learning while building.
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Eighteen maxims on what separates good, great, and brilliant engineers — principles that hold constant across mechanical, software, and every discipline I've worked in.
I have been an engineer for a long time, and my career has spanned across different disciplines, shifting from the realm of mechanical engineering to the domain of software. Throughout these transitions, I've recognized that, despite the distinctive challenges and tools inherent to each field, the core principles that guide an engineer's advancement remain unwavering and universal. Over the years, I've jotted down several notions that I hope will steer my progress. Here are a few, perhaps they too will help to inspire you.
A good engineer follows paths.
A great engineer creates paths.
A brilliant engineer shifts the landscape.
A good engineer seeks answers.
A great engineer formulates better questions.
A brilliant engineer challenges the paradigm.
A good engineer works with facts.
A great engineer works with ideas.
A brilliant engineer works with visions.
A good engineer adapts to change.
A great engineer facilitates change.
A brilliant engineer orchestrates change.
A good engineer masters complexity.
A great engineer simplifies it.
A brilliant engineer avoids it.
A good engineer avoids errors.
A great engineer learns from them.
A brilliant engineer leverages them.
A good engineer knows the rules.
A great engineer knows the exceptions.
A brilliant engineer knows when to break them.
A good engineer builds things right.
A great engineer builds the right things.
A brilliant engineer changes what 'right' means.
A good engineer uses tools.
A great engineer invents tools.
A brilliant engineer reimagines them.
A good engineer meets expectations.
A great engineer exceeds them.
A brilliant engineer rewrites them.
A good engineer finds solutions.
A great engineer designs solutions.
A brilliant engineer is the solution.
A good engineer knows the limits.
A great engineer pushes the limits.
A brilliant engineer transcends the limits.
A good engineer understands technology.
A great engineer comprehends its impact.
A brilliant engineer envisions its future.
A good engineer gains experience.
A great engineer shares experience.
A brilliant engineer inspires experience.
A good engineer is proficient in practice.
A great engineer innovates in practice.
A brilliant engineer transforms practice.
A good engineer evolves with technology.
A great engineer brings evolution to technology.
A brilliant engineer is the catalyst of technological innovation.
A good engineer fixes problems.
A great engineer prevents them.
A brilliant engineer anticipates them.
A good engineer adheres to principles.
A great engineer challenges them.
A brilliant engineer redefines them.
The tools change with every discipline. The direction of travel — from good, to great, to brilliant — does not.