PC Air Engineering Manager, FMC Technologies Inc.

My name is Steven Maughan. I graduated from Weber State University, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology.

Getting Started in Engineering
While in high school I worked part time in an automotive machine shop. When I got home at night, my hands were dirty and I smelled strongly of grease. I loved cars, but hated getting that dirty. I made up my mind then, that I wanted a job that allowed me to design them. My dream to be a mechanical engineer was born.  Although I am currently not designing automobiles, I love what I do and can’t think of a better career for me.  

I landed my first Engineering internship at Jetway by sheer luck (and some inside connections). I knew a project manager at Jetway who took my resume to the current  Engineering Manager. Even though my grades were not stellar, I got an interview. During the interview, I talked about my student involvement with ASME. The Engineering Manager had been involved with ASME as a student as well, so we had some common ground. He was impressed that I was doing something in Engineering above and beyond school assignments. I was hired as an intern and later as a full time engineer.  To this day, I regard him as a great friend and mentor.

My Current Life as an Engineer
I started at FMC, where I currently work, in 2000 as a designer/drafter intern. I worked one summer and stayed on part time through my senior year at Weber State University. Once I graduated in May, FMC offered me a full time job. My official title was Senior Designer and I was assigned multiple tasks that included designing and drafting small component parts and creating and maintaining bills of material. After a year I was promoted to Associate Mechanical Engineer.  Since then I have been promoted to a Mechanical Engineer, then finally to Engineering Manager.

Lessons and Disappointments
I have had so much fun and success in the last seven years that I cannot really call anything a disappointment. There have been lots of challenges, but nothing I could not overcome. I try to address challenges by taking them one step at a time. If you can step back, look at the big picture, plot a course to the objective, and take it one step at a time the challenge is much easier to deal with.

One of the biggest lessons I learned when I first started my career was: if you mess up tell someone. Usually a mistake is just a mistake unless you try and hide it. Then it grows exponentially while you let it fester.

My Connection to Engineering
I am passionate about my job, the product I am a part of, and the people I work with. I truly get up every morning and look forward to work and think about it constantly.
The best thing about being an Engineer is being part of the creation of a product. It is so satisfying to be part of the conception process, follow the product into production, participate in the first article testing, and travel to the field and watch it in action. There is such a feeling of accomplishment when you see your creation successfully accomplishing its mission. 

I know where my real talents lie. I love being a Project Engineer and Engineering Team Manager because I can always see the big picture and I usually have a great vision of the road ahead. Five years from now I hope to be an Engineering Manager of 20-30 Engineers.

Achievements and Accomplishments
The achievement I am most proud of is that I recently passed the P.E. Exam. I have also received two corporate awards from FMC. The first was an award for a new design that my team successfully completed, and the second for a successful proposal effort we won from the US Air Force. I was also recently recognized by the Utah Engineers Council; they awarded me the 2006 Fresh Faces of Engineering Award.

Outside Engineering
I put my Engineering skills and degree to work outside of my job through my role as the Section Chair of the Utah ASME Section. I am also the President of the Weber State University Mechanical Engineering Technology Advisory Committee. But I am always trying to maintain a balance between work and my private life.

I am lucky to have a great family that helps me keep the balance. I love spending time with my wife and four kids. I also love fishing and golfing. When my cell phone rings at home I usually let it go to voicemail and pick it up later at night. I also try to work extra hours during the week so I can have the weekends to spend as a family.

Final Thoughts
The best advice I can give to any prospective Engineer is to work hard. My greatest asset is my desire to succeed. I do not think I am especially smart, just driven and persistent. I come to work early, volunteer for tough assignments, ask a lot of questions, work on my laptop late into the night, and usually do not take no for an answer. For me, being driven and persistent are sure paths to success.