Here is a comment from Jill:

"The best compliment I ever received when I first started my career, "I am so surprised you are not one of those cocky new grads who feel they are entitled to everything."

Please no matter what you do your very first years of work is tell people how much you deserve ____ (more money, bigger projects, lead roles, etc). No one deserves anything you have to earn it!"

I have to agree with her. The biggest mistake any engineer makes early in their career is to act like we are better or more deserving than those around us. Especially the technicians and blue collar workers. The fact of the matter is that we are not. They know more about the plant or process or whatever than we do because they have been working on it for 10, 20, or 30 years. These important people will make our lives miserable if we come across the wrong way. In fact, many of them will have a chip on their shoulder about us right away because of their experience with prior "cocky" young engineers.

The best thing to do is ask them lots of questions. People like to talk about their work. The more you ask about what they know and the more you ask them for advice, the quicker you will be accepted and thus respected.

TBL: Earning the respect of your co-workers is one of the best ways to make work a place you enjoy. Losing their respect by coming across as deserving or better will make work a place you dread.

Thanks Jill!!