I received this nice comment from a Canadian fan last Monday:

I just wanted to say that I’m really looking forward to the second edition of your engineering practice book. I’ve given a couple of copies of the first edition to new graduates that I’ve been asked to mentor in the UK & Canada. It’s a fantastic resource, and unlike any other that I’ve found. All the best,
Damien

Well, Damien, the second edition is now available from major booksellers. Amazingly on schedule. Look at different online booksellers because there are surprising price differences out there.

If you’re a faculty member, you can get a free inspection copy here: https://www.routledge.com/Learning-Engineering-Practice/Trevelyan/p/book/9781041170495.

In coming weeks, I will post small excerpts from the book as teasers. I re-wrote 60% of the text: yes, it needed lots of improvements. And thank you all those who send helpful comments and suggestions.

Starting at the beginning, I make a strong argument to redefine engineering and what engineers do based on observations: what we observe engineers actually doing. To help understand what AI can and cannot tell you (I still call it Artificial Incompetence) I started by asking AI chatbots about engineering and what engineers do. They could only provide conventional ideas recited in engineering schools around the world that mostly overlook some critical aspects, such as:

• Delivering real artefacts that people need
• Collaboration
• Economic and social benefits

I advocate this definition (yes, it does change slightly over time);

Engineers are people with specialized technical knowledge who collaborate with lots of other people to conceive, deliver, operate, and sustain artificial objects, systems, and processes. These artifacts enable people to be more productive, to do more with less effort, time, materials, energy, uncertainty, health risks, and environmental disturbances.

The most important chapters like “Seeking Paid Engineering Work” are still there, though with updated content on virtual job interviews. I am yet to receive a single documented account telling me that my job-seeking suggestions did not work for a young engineer.

So, I hope the book lives up to its promises in the preface and your expectations. I am confident it will provide handsome rewards far exceeding the modest purchase price.