My Original Portraits of Values When Finishing this Website in 2014
Gratefulness
Many books have acknowledgments, and this portfolio should have some as well. Without a genuine spirit of gratefulness, I am apt to take credit for too much and have an over-inflated view of my own importance.
The Creator, God, deserves the most gratitude since he is the source of all life and goodness. (My errors and faults, on the other hand, are my own responsibility!)
Also the person I am today has a lot to do with the way my parents raised me. This is especially true in my case because I was home schooled all the way through high school.
Faculty and staff at Louisiana State University have been incredibly helpful - always taking time for my questions and guiding me through thick and thin. It's been my experience that most of them really care about students and are not just punching in hours. In fact, many of them have spent time or effort to help me when they didn't even have to. Special thanks go to the LSU College of Engineering, the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, the LSU Honors College, and Communication Across the Curriculum.
Then there are the employers who have helped me get practical work experience, often teaching me life lessons in the process. Thanks go to Mr. Harvey Templet, Mr. Al Robert, Sr., the LSU Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and others.
Humility
As a young, soon-to-be college graduate in engineering/surveying, I recognize that I still need mentoring and teaching from older, wiser professionals in my chosen career field. Instruction is sometimes painful to receive because it means acknowledging that I still have faults or deficiencies in my life. But the lasting blessing that comes from instruction is well worth the humility that it requires. During my last summer surveying internship, I kept a journal of what I did and what I learned out in the field. That journal is now one of my most valuable possessions.
Many books have acknowledgments, and this portfolio should have some as well. Without a genuine spirit of gratefulness, I am apt to take credit for too much and have an over-inflated view of my own importance.
The Creator, God, deserves the most gratitude since he is the source of all life and goodness. (My errors and faults, on the other hand, are my own responsibility!)
Also the person I am today has a lot to do with the way my parents raised me. This is especially true in my case because I was home schooled all the way through high school.
Faculty and staff at Louisiana State University have been incredibly helpful - always taking time for my questions and guiding me through thick and thin. It's been my experience that most of them really care about students and are not just punching in hours. In fact, many of them have spent time or effort to help me when they didn't even have to. Special thanks go to the LSU College of Engineering, the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, the LSU Honors College, and Communication Across the Curriculum.
Then there are the employers who have helped me get practical work experience, often teaching me life lessons in the process. Thanks go to Mr. Harvey Templet, Mr. Al Robert, Sr., the LSU Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and others.
Humility
As a young, soon-to-be college graduate in engineering/surveying, I recognize that I still need mentoring and teaching from older, wiser professionals in my chosen career field. Instruction is sometimes painful to receive because it means acknowledging that I still have faults or deficiencies in my life. But the lasting blessing that comes from instruction is well worth the humility that it requires. During my last summer surveying internship, I kept a journal of what I did and what I learned out in the field. That journal is now one of my most valuable possessions.
|
Diligence Thomas Edison said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." From an early age I learned that if I really want something, the best way to get it is to work hard for it - and the more you work for something, the more you enjoy it when you get it at last. Work, like anything, can be overemphasized, but when I am "on the clock" I consider it my duty to give all my energies to the task at hand. I remember the one time I participated in an LSU service project: some students traveled to a local Baton Rouge school (Belfair Elementary) to do some cleaning and painting. We'd painted along the curb up to a point where a school bus was parked over the curb. It was a Saturday and no one was there to drive the bus away, so I just crawled underneath the bus with my paintbrush and continued the painting. This photo shows what I looked like afterwards! But at least the painting got done. |
|
Integrity
"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another." (Leviticus 19:11) I tend to be even more fastidious about integrity than most character qualities. I would rather lose money with integrity than make money with dishonesty.
Critical Thinking
I love to solve complex problems by approaching them methodically and creatively. Engineers of all disciplines have the enormous privilege to do this every day. My Dad cultivated this skill in my life a long time ago, by involving us kids in carpentry projects, car maintenance, mechanical tinkering, and so on. He even taught me chemistry; we still have lots of lab equipment at our house. Other times I would do projects on my own. "How does that work?" is a question that I am sure I have asked many times. Asking questions is one of my favorite ways to learn. As a Chinese proverb observes, "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."
Loyalty
The modern workforce trend of switching companies every several years holds little appeal for me. I plan to find a company I love and then work for them for a long time. It's true that my plan may very well result in smaller earnings and a less prominent leadership role in my field. But those things are not what I would consider "success." Success is fulfilling the purposes for which I was made: serving others, making a positive impact in the world, keeping a pure heart and life, and bringing glory to our Creator. And constantly jockeying for the best job, the biggest salary, the widest fame, and the most strategic company doesn't fit with these ideals; instead it reeks of selfishness. I'm not saying that it is always bad to switch jobs; I just see a lot of value in old-fashioned commitment in relationships, including working relationships.
(Update from 2023: My employment tenures since graduation haven't been as long as I would like. Life circumstances have forced two job changes so far in the nine years since I graduated from college. But I still believe in loyalty, instead of greed and ambition.)
Knowledge
My parents taught me that you can hide some things from people, but nothing from God. He cares more about my heart than how smart I might be. Character is more important than academics, they would say. A person with right character (humility, benevolence, integrity, loyalty, diligence, courage, honor, justice, mercy, cheerfulness, and so on) will be able to get whatever knowledge he needs. But without character, knowledge is wasted or even put to wrong uses.
That said, I do love learning. While teaching us the basics of language, math, social studies, and science, my parents encouraged us kids to delve further into these and other topics by making our own discoveries. They took us on exciting field trips and kept us around other people (especially wise adults) who would reinforce Biblical character in our lives. At a young age I learned the thrill of finding out things for myself in the encyclopedia, dictionary, or even on the Internet. I also enjoyed many books.
A Can-Do Attitude
Sometimes when a problem seems impossible, what's really needed is an attitude of enthusiasm and creative problem-solving. My dad keeps a poem by Walter D. Wintle that captures this attitude very well:
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another." (Leviticus 19:11) I tend to be even more fastidious about integrity than most character qualities. I would rather lose money with integrity than make money with dishonesty.
Critical Thinking
I love to solve complex problems by approaching them methodically and creatively. Engineers of all disciplines have the enormous privilege to do this every day. My Dad cultivated this skill in my life a long time ago, by involving us kids in carpentry projects, car maintenance, mechanical tinkering, and so on. He even taught me chemistry; we still have lots of lab equipment at our house. Other times I would do projects on my own. "How does that work?" is a question that I am sure I have asked many times. Asking questions is one of my favorite ways to learn. As a Chinese proverb observes, "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."
Loyalty
The modern workforce trend of switching companies every several years holds little appeal for me. I plan to find a company I love and then work for them for a long time. It's true that my plan may very well result in smaller earnings and a less prominent leadership role in my field. But those things are not what I would consider "success." Success is fulfilling the purposes for which I was made: serving others, making a positive impact in the world, keeping a pure heart and life, and bringing glory to our Creator. And constantly jockeying for the best job, the biggest salary, the widest fame, and the most strategic company doesn't fit with these ideals; instead it reeks of selfishness. I'm not saying that it is always bad to switch jobs; I just see a lot of value in old-fashioned commitment in relationships, including working relationships.
(Update from 2023: My employment tenures since graduation haven't been as long as I would like. Life circumstances have forced two job changes so far in the nine years since I graduated from college. But I still believe in loyalty, instead of greed and ambition.)
Knowledge
My parents taught me that you can hide some things from people, but nothing from God. He cares more about my heart than how smart I might be. Character is more important than academics, they would say. A person with right character (humility, benevolence, integrity, loyalty, diligence, courage, honor, justice, mercy, cheerfulness, and so on) will be able to get whatever knowledge he needs. But without character, knowledge is wasted or even put to wrong uses.
That said, I do love learning. While teaching us the basics of language, math, social studies, and science, my parents encouraged us kids to delve further into these and other topics by making our own discoveries. They took us on exciting field trips and kept us around other people (especially wise adults) who would reinforce Biblical character in our lives. At a young age I learned the thrill of finding out things for myself in the encyclopedia, dictionary, or even on the Internet. I also enjoyed many books.
A Can-Do Attitude
Sometimes when a problem seems impossible, what's really needed is an attitude of enthusiasm and creative problem-solving. My dad keeps a poem by Walter D. Wintle that captures this attitude very well:
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
