Friends,
I didn’t become a Structural Engineer to become famous, and I’m willing to bet you didn’t either. I’ve mentioned in prior messages that I entered this profession after developing a passion for architecture and I’ll admit that I did fancy myself some kind of starchitect in the vein of Frank Lloyd Wright (the OG “black cape”), but the side of me that loved physics ultimately won over and any realistic dreams of glory kinda ended there, along with my far less realistic hopes of getting drafted into the NHL. I realize now how telling it was that even my wildest childhood dreams of fame would land me on the D-list, at best. Not that architects are renowned at the same level as athletes or movie stars, but most folks roughly understand what an architect does, know or might be able to name a real one, or at least see them portrayed on screen from time to time: Howard Roark, Mike Brady, Ted Mosby, and even ol’ George Costanza.
In comparison, Civil and Structural Engineers take a big step down in their potential for fame. Even the most legendary amongst us would be known by few outside of our community: maybe a Gustave Eiffel (aka “the tower guy”), John A., Washington and Emily Warren Roebling (aka “the Brooklyn Bridge Trio”, decent band name, by the way…), or Filippo Brunelleschi (aka “the dome dude”). I’d be willing to bet most of us in the profession can’t do THAT much better at naming our famous peers. Even ASCE only has a list of about 60 notable civil engineers on their website, making the fact that the SEAONC Legacy and History Committee has a database of 66 local structural engineers on the Hensolt SEAONC Legacy Project website all the more laudable. In other words, “engineer famous” is probably just synonymous with “not famous.”
Any early-career illusions I maintained about that were squashed pretty quick. I have a clear, if unverified, memory of attending a topping off party a few months after starting work. The owner got up on stage and thanked everyone, from the architect to the guys who swept up the site at night, not once mentioning the structural engineers that made that daring design possible. As my principals grumbled and swore after the slight, I remember thinking that there were no famous structural engineers, just infamous ones that people hear about when something goes wrong.
(As someone that really does try to be a cheerleader for this profession, I see that this has started off sounding a little bleak. I’m committing to this, though. I’ve got a solid page or so to turn this thing around, so bear with me. Pip pip tally ho, and so forth!)
On balance, I do think our aversion to the spotlight is mostly a good thing. Ours is amongst the most pragmatic of professions and a focus on exercising care in our work to keep people safe and construction costs and carbon footprint as low as possible is probably for the best. In a big project room with a lot of personalities, it helps us work well with others and get the job done when others are bickering, and it probably also helps maintain the collegiality and esprit de corps that we love about SEAONC, because we’re partners in this mission to make the world a better place, not competitors hiding daggers behind our smiles.
But our historic aversion to the spotlight has been a detriment to us as well. We don’t necessarily crave fame, but we all appreciate being appreciated by our clients, friends, and the person next to you on the plane. We want to be sought out at the earliest stages of projects as a trusted advisor, not just an afterthought or a line item in a developer’s prospectus. Even if our kids don’t want to be just like mom or dad when they grow up, it’d be nifty if their friends dreamt of putting their own SE stamp on their next Lego tower. And I don’t think any of us would mind the warm hug of a few more dollars in the bank account. Just going about our business and doing good work may be the bread and butter of our BD process, but it’s not exactly the path to fame or fortune or to making manifest the SEAONC vision of a world in which structural engineers are valued by the public for their contributions to building a safer and stronger community. If we want more, we need to do more.
To his credit, our dear SEAONC Honorary Member and our profession’s biggest booster, Ashraf Habibullah, has been beating this drum for decades, and the past couple years has even traded the kit for fireworks. That’s one way to remind people that we save lives every time the wind blows or earth shakes, but one man and a barge of explosives can still only speak so loudly. CSI’s famous parties have been a great way to refill our motivational fuel tank after a long year of saving the world, but after the music fades and the smoke and hangover clear, it’s our duty to keep echoing Ashraf’s message to everyone who’ll listen afterward. That’s the unspoken cover charge to get into the party. It’s like any productive lesson, therapy, or training: the real change happens practicing what you learned on your own between sessions.
The good thing is that you don’t need a bespoke glowing jacket to preach the good news, and these last couple months of the SEAONC year are conveniently dedicated to honoring our profession and telling the world about what we do. True to mission, they also feature two events that were intentionally sponsored by CSI, to whom we are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support. Here are a few ideas:
- Remind the next friend (or stranger) you meet what you do and why it’s important. You’ve heard them out as they go on and on about their latest startup and you smiled and nodded politely, as you do. You’ve earned the right and it’s your turn to be heard. Go ahead and be a little annoying about it.Will they remember next time you see them? Probably not, and that’s why you’ll be sure to remind them.
- Join one of our fantastic committees dedicated to spreading the word about the glory of our profession, such as Business Forum, Communications, SEAONC History and Legacy, and Outreach. Contributing a project description, a firm history/genealogy, or a short bio for one of your engineering mentors is a great way to add to our legacy, and getting up in front of a group of students to try to explain what you do for a living is great practice for being the sort of advocates we need.
- Join us on May 12 for our Annual Structural Engineering Excellence Awards at The Green Room, where we’ll recognize an excellent slate of projects submitted for consideration as well as our talented high school and college student scholarship recipients.We really want to reinvigorate the event and make this THE place to be for SEs each year, behind only the annual CSI party, of course. So come on, grab a drink and serve some looks (I know you all have some drip in the closet so be bold and step up the usual attire).Award finalists are eligible for discounted tickets, so if your firm submitted check in with your representatives for that code!
- Mark your calendars for our June 2 Annual Business Dinner back at the historic City Club. It’s a real love-in for the Association with some of our most distinguished members in attendance and will feature the unveiling of your 2026-27 Board, the introduction of a new class of individual SEAONC Honor Award recipients, and the passing of the gavel to President-Elect Lisa Cassedy. Stoked.
Think SEAONC hasn’t been doing enough in this area? Point taken. As passionate as I am about this topic, I have not pushed the Board to advance this as much as I’d have liked this year and I haven’t done much myself. I’m busy, I’m an introvert, and it’s much easier to not go talk to strangers and seek attention. But we all know that it is when you are the busiest that you need to get out and start pounding the pavement. Got some ideas, connections, passions, or a lot of TikTok followers and want your 15-seconds on life’s proverbial FYP? Holler at me.
Yours, famously,
David Ojala
dojala@thorntontomasetti.com