TheUnwritten Laws of Engineering”.

While the article was originally written in 1944 and revised somewhat in 1994, it is still one of the best articles written for new engineers who are about to begin their career. To that end, you will find that there is lot to learn from the article.

(Quoting from the article itself) The chief obstacles to the success of individual engineers or a group of engineers are of a personal and administrative rather than a technical nature. Most new and at times seasoned engineers get into much more trouble by violating the undocumented laws of professional conduct than by committing technical sins against the well documented laws of science.

The article in question formulates and collects laws; unwritten laws as a professional code of sorts. None of these laws are theoretical or imaginary, and however obvious they may appear, their repeated violation is responsible for much of the frustration and embarrassment to which engineers everywhere are liable. In many respects these laws are like the basic laws of society; they cannot be violated too often with impunity, notwithstanding striking exceptions in individual cases.

You may find a copy of the article in the Internet just Google it (the publication is out of print).

Assignment:

Write a one to two page reflective essay describing your overall impressions of the article, what points you found most beneficial, memorable points that you will take with you to your workplace, any points you disagree with, plus anything else you want to include. The Reflective Essay Grading Rubric will be used to assess the assignment.