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I receive way too many technical trade publications at work. Machine
Design, Electronic Design, Information Week, and more. Nevertheless, I do make a
serious effort to read as much of material as I can, knowing full well that I
can't read it all.
It wasn't always that way, though. There was a time, when I was working for
another employer, that I focused primarily on reading books about general
engineering and software design, as well as some non-technical texts on
leadership, community fundraising, and other useful topics. I deliberately
avoided reading trade publications at the time, so that I could focus on these
other materials.
This made one of my superiors upset. She said that I wasn't doing a proper
job of educating myself. When I explained that I chose to focus on various
textbooks instead, she exclaimed, "Fella, by the time those books are published,
they are already out of date! You need to read the trade publications if you
want to stay abreast of your field."
There was clearly some wisdom in her words. It's equally clear, however,
that she was overstating her case. To say that engineering textbooks are
automatically obsolete by the time they are published is a gross
exaggeration-especially when they deal with more philosophical matters such as
effective design methodologies. For example, the design principles espoused by
Scott Meyers in his classic texts, Effective C++ and More Effective C++ are just
as relevant now as they were ten years ago. Similarly, software development
tools such as design patterns and the Unified Modeling Language (UML) are
practically timeless. One doesn't necessarily need to turn to the latest and
greatest trade publication in order to sharpen one's skills.
For that matter, what about merely pursuing a broad education for one's
self? For example, I would contend that, as a general rule, the best engineers
also tend to have a strong grasp of the general sciences. The more you
understand about physics, for example, the more likely you are to understand how
to improve the performance of an electric motor, or why a particular sensor does
not perform well. And don't forget that a great many technical advances have
been biologically inspired, such as genetic algorithms and multisegmented
walking robots. For that matter, even such diverse fields as language, cognitive
psychology, and intellectual property law can be helpful to a motivated
engineer.
"But wait a minute!" one might ask. "Isn't is still true that these trade
publications are more up-to-date than your beloved textbooks?" Absolutely, which
is why I devour them at my current job to supplement my other readings. They do
have a serious drawback, though; namely, they tend to have a low signal-to-noise
ratio. That is, while their content is more cutting-edge, the trends and
technologies that they describe are also more likely to fizzle out-to go
nowhere, or perhaps to simply have limited use. That's one reason why focusing
on the trade publications might not be the most productive use of one's
time.
Ultimately, it's a question of striking the right balance between depth and
breadth. Trade publications can provide breadth-a broad overview of the latest
trends and developments. Textbooks, white papers, and other materials can
provide greater depth on specific topics of interests. Unfortunately, time is
limited, and there is way too much information out there for any one person to
absorb. Depending on one's circumstances, it may be necessary to focus on
breadth, or depth, or some balance between the two.
About the Author:
V. B. Velasco Jr., Ph.D. works for a small bioscience firm that provides serum-free culture media, ELISPOT readers, and cryopreserved PBMC samples, among
other products and services. |
