Supporting the growth of young engineers is often a key responsibility of senior mechanical engineers. I started my career as a junior engineer with very little practical experience, guided by senior engineers and managers. Years later, I had the opportunity to guide young engineers myself, both as a senior engineer and a manager.
Every time I mentor a junior colleague, I remind myself: What would I want to hear and learn if I were in their position?
Below are some of my reflections.
1. Treat Young Engineers as Equals
They want to be respected just as much as we do. Avoid showing superiority. I was once in their shoes 20 years ago, eager to learn but also hoping to be respected.
2. Teach How to Find Answers, Not Just the Answers
No engineer knows everything, no matter how experienced. The true strength of an expert lies in knowing how to find the right answer in an unfamiliar field. A good mentor doesn’t simply provide solutions but helps the mentee learn how to learn.
It’s also important to be honest. If I don’t know something, I admit it—and then explore the answer together. Sometimes, the junior engineer even knows more in a particular area, and then I learn from them. This shows that an open mind is an essential quality of an engineer.
3. Give Real Responsibilities, Not Just Support Tasks
Young engineers grow fastest when entrusted with major tasks. Sadly, I’ve seen situations where seniors assign only trivial support work, keeping juniors in a perpetual assistant role.
When given real responsibilities, young engineers feel trusted and develop ownership and accountability. This is the strongest motivator—aligned with Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Taking on major tasks may create pressure, but that pressure drives investigation, learning, mistakes, reflection, and ultimately rapid growth—far quicker than just supporting someone else’s work.
4. Go Beyond Technical Skills—Build Methodologies
Technical knowledge is important, but equally vital is helping juniors develop systematic working habits: project management, defining requirements, planning, communication, design for manufacturing, cost control, supplier management, root-cause analysis, and self-motivation. These are the skills that truly shape a professional engineer.
Helping young engineers is not always easy. But I believe the key is simple: put myself back in their shoes and ask, What would have helped me grow faster if I had a mentor guiding me in the right way?