Latest Water Technologies of Abengoa Water - GineersNow GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 022, Abe | Page 30

How Engineers Can Tell if They Are Too
Smart for Their Jobs
There are only six signs.
There is a saying, “If you are the smartest
person in the room, then you are in the wrong
room.”
It’s given that engineers are a smart bunch.
When it comes to technical knowledge and
real-world applications of science, these
professionals are at the top.
Which is why there should be a competition
among engineers in the company to maintain
the quality of the work and for them to grow
professionally. But if you feel that you are
beyond the skills of everyone, you might have
to let go.
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You’re bored.
“If boredom overwhelms you such that you
need sugar and caffeine to stay awake, you”re
in the wrong spot,” says Liz Ryan, CEO and
founder of Human Workplace in a LinkedIn
post.
Boredom might just be the greatest indicator of
being too smart for your job, but this does not
mean that you are not doing anything – it only
means that you do your job fast and efficient
that you run out of things to do.
You don’t have to try hard.
Professional growth is essential in every
engineering job. Nobody wants to stay stuck
with their potentials, so it”s recommended to
follow the saying mentioned above by taking
action: leave the company. “It could be a sign that you”re too smart for
your role if you”re finishing you assignments
and taking on more,” says Ryan Kahn, a career
coach, founder of The Hired Group, and author
of “Hired! The Guide for the Recent Grad.
But before you do that, keep in track the
following signs that you are too smart for
your job and need to find something more
challenging soon: When you are not putting much effort and still
get the engineering tasks done, it”s a sign:
you need a more challenging role or job to
keep you growing professionally. Especially
when you think that your skills are consistent
in outperforming everyone all the time, you are
considered to be overqualified for the job.
Water Leaders • June 2017