Some advice for young people who are committed to working in the design industry
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This post was last edited by Brass Knight on 2011-7-1 17:22. Many students who are about to graduate or have not yet graduated are interested in the design industry and hope to work in chemical engineering design after graduation. It’s a great career concept. The biggest mistake in chemical engineering design is to rely solely on theoretical considerations and to create designs that are not grounded in reality. However, this does not mean encouraging people to first gain practical production experience in a factory before switching to a career in design. This mistaken notion has misled many young people and affected their career planning. Why is that said? First of all, for a graduate to progress from having no prior experience to being able to design independently is a very complex training process, one that involves many obstacles that need to be overcome. In a mature design firm, there will be mentors who will guide you through this process, which may seem simple but is actually complex and challenging. Drawing standards, design standards, safety standards, procedural standards… There are a vast array of various standards that you need to learn and master. They have only one goal: “to regulate your design and protect your personal rights.” In production units, although one can gain practical experience and be exposed to certain standards and specifications, it is difficult to develop a comprehensive and systematic design philosophy. While your peers are learning* practical standards, you are on duty conducting inspections – you are not on the same starting line. So, when you feel you have some production experience and are ready to switch to design, you will find it difficult. In the past, I have also led many colleagues who came from manufacturing companies; their common feature is that their design approach is rather casual, and they rarely follow guidelines. This is difficult to correct. Often, once a mistake is corrected for one project, he makes the same error in the next project. Therefore, I never recommend that companies hire from production units; I prefer them to hire graduates. They are a blank slate and easy to train.
Some design institutes require “those with work experience to be given priority””
“It’s true that those with work experience are given priority, but it depends on what kind of work experience it is. I can truly understand the distress in the hearts of those colleagues who have moved from factories to design institutes. I already had a certain position in the company, but once I joined the design institute I had to start from scratch, and I was often criticized and reprimanded for not doing my job well. Not to mention a design manager, it’s even difficult for the person in charge of the project to succeed in this role. Those competing with them are often much younger people, so how can they not feel frustrated? I really want to relax the requirements for them, but that would lead to a decline in design quality and even cause unnecessary problems. So if you really want to work in chemical engineering design, it is recommended that you change careers as soon as possible; otherwise, it will become increasingly difficult. Of course, except if you’re asked to become the boss……
Reply to 3# Brass Knight: I don’t quite agree with you. Standards are indeed a prerequisite for design, but knowing the standards does not mean one can use them effectively. To make proper use of the standards, on-site experience is still required. Many of the people in our design institute come from the project departments of production units, and they have extensive experience in on-site installation, which is very useful during the design process. If one is on the production floor, they certainly won’t have as much exposure as those in the engineering department, but at least they will know more than graduates. I think graduates should be present at the site as much as possible when starting out with design work; it’s really difficult to design many installations without having experienced them in person, after all, design isn’t just about imitation. As for the guidelines, I think it’s best to use examples now, as that helps me remember them more clearly. However, it’s indeed better to change careers as early as possible, especially in frontline production positions.
Well, this post is great; I’ve been struggling with this issue lately as well! I plan to work on the production front for about two years to learn as much as possible, and then move on to work in design! I’m not sure if it’s possible
This post was last edited and replied to by Brass Knight on 2011-7-1 20:45. Reply 4# akingai*aomei: Hehe, you need to look carefully. What I mean is that the biggest mistake in chemical engineering design is to rely solely on theoretical knowledge, with design work that is detached from reality. ”“First of all, it is a very complex training process for a graduate to go from having a blank slate to being able to design independently. Where did I say that just looking at the specifications is enough? However, understanding and becoming familiar with standards is an essential path for a designer to engage in proper design.
Reply to 5# zbc3g: The best way is to receive standardized on-site training at the design institute, combining theory with practice, which allows for faster improvement. It’s just like top race drivers don’t necessarily have to be able to design cars, and car designers can’t become top race drivers either. Although it is difficult for race drivers to learn car design theory, car designers can easily learn how to drive.
Reply to 7# Brass Knight: There’s a bit of a misunderstanding here, haha. What I mean is that on-the-ground experience is quite important in a design career; of course, standards are the prerequisite for design
I’ve also been struggling with this issue lately； I work on projects at a chemical company, focusing on process design. The preliminary design phase is now almost complete, and the next step is to go to the site to carry out the installation of pipes and equipment. I’m not sure if this will be useful for future design work If not, I have to leave
Reply to 3# Brass Knight: So, what does a “registered engineer” represent in the eyes of design institutes? Is it a not-so-important document (graduates can’t obtain it right away)? What are the requirements of design institutes for graduates? How can we determine whether a graduate is qualified to do design work? Hehe, I didn’t finish my undergraduate degree. I’d like to know.
What the original poster said makes some sense, but many things aren’t absolute. If one wants to get started working in a design firm quickly, it’s better to have practical experience from working on projects in a factory. As you said, design isn’t just theoretical; whether it’s practical work or standards, I think there are two purposes behind our design efforts: one is to facilitate proper construction by the building companies, so many details need to be clearly specified in the drawings； Secondly, the ultimate goal of design is to serve production, and the design should be as reasonable as possible. To establish standards merely for the sake of standardization is a flawed design philosophy. Of course, standards are derived from practical experience, but they must be applied flexibly; it is difficult to do this without sufficient on-site experience. Zhao Kuo, the example taken as a warning of someone who relies on theoretical knowledge rather than practical experience, is the result of studying classics thoroughly without putting them into practice.