Forward-Looking Advice for Mid-to-Senior Engineers

Happy Friday,

Same analogy as last week: river, boat, sound of AI turbulence around the corner, etc. Prudent actions to take.

AI is a force multiplier, but you're the force. Your hard-earned experience can be more valuable than ever. But if you rest on it, its value could diminish, and you could fall behind.

Here's what I recommend:

1.    Start multiplying your value now. Stop dabbling with AI and start integrating it into your workflow. Explore more ideas. Make tools you can use. Fire up an agent. Get ahead and stay ahead of your peers. Extra effort, but worth it.

2.    Double down on what AI still struggles with. Your advantages are judgment, systems thinking, and an understanding of real-world risks and constraints. Ask: What would I do if I owned this project? Then recommend that.

3.     Upgrade your communication. Be the master of the 'why' as well as the 'what'. Put projects into context, distill complexity, use analogies, quantify the value, and highlight the greater good.

4.    Become a force multiplier for others. Raise the level of everyone around you. Mentor aggressively. Encourage your teams to use AI effectively. Create standards and tools that make your team more productive. Be that person.

5.    Accelerate your learning speed. Collaborate with AI about what it can do for you. Dedicate time every week to learning and doing. Monitor adjacent fields that move faster than engineering. Get ahead of your peers!

6.    Build more trust. Position yourself as a trusted project leader. Be a trusted project leader. Trusted project leaders will be worth more. There's no title required. Lead from where you are.

7.    Think bigger. AI can empower you to accomplish more at a lower cost. Internalize that... Then ask yourself: What can I do now that I couldn’t before?

Punchline: The entire industry, its people and organizations, are bifurcating into the AI-augmented and the non-AI-augmented. The value will inure to the former. You’ve already done the hard part of building expertise. Now use AI to really leverage your value.

Full speed ahead!

Dave

Feedback and blowback are always welcome: dave@goodnewsfriday.com

All previous topics are available at @goodnewsfriday.com

Good News Friday: Successful Engineering Consulting, both in hardback and Kindle, is on Amazon. 😄