Becoming an engineer sounds simple enough. Learn how to write the code, solve the problem, and get the result you want.
But technical skill alone will not make you an "excellent" engineer.
I want to look at engineering from a different angle. These are the eight laws I have arrived at, and I hope some of them help you too.
Law One: Think Critically
What we know is a tiny part of everything there is to learn, and technology moves especially fast. A new idea on a forum or Twitter can make you question something you thought you understood. Knowledge has no finish line. We have only picked up a few shells at the edge of the sea.
It is easy to see a claim, an opinion, or a supposed fact and accept it as correct. We should stay skeptical, examine it, and try to verify it.
The world is full of mistakes, lies, and misleading claims. Some exist only to attract attention and traffic. We cannot accept them blindly. We need to keep learning, keep asking questions, and find solutions that work for us.
Do not let what you already know become a constraint. A familiar idea can still be wrong. Bring that habit of questioning to engineering: learn, verify, and try new ideas instead of settling into the comfort of certainty.
Law Two: Stay Humble; It Is Fine Not to Have the Answer
You might think, "If I have the technical skills and can solve problems, what else do I need?" One simple part of becoming an excellent engineer is easy to miss: stay humble, and stop pretending you always know the answer.
We sometimes fall into the belief that we know everything. We hand out answers and advice as if we were Google or ChatGPT, all-knowing and never wrong. That kind of arrogance gets in the way of learning.
If you pretend to have every answer, you lose chances to work through problems with other people. Everyone on a team knows something you do not. Setting aside your pride and admitting that you are imperfect gives you room to grow.
Sometimes you really will not have the answer. The world changes quickly, new technologies keep appearing, and the problems we work on keep getting harder.
Working with other people can show you approaches you would not have found alone. Do not be afraid to say, "I'm not entirely sure either. Let's work it out together."
Once you stop playing "the person with the answer," it becomes easier to listen and take other people's suggestions seriously.
That openness helps you contribute more to the team and gives everyone more ways to solve the problem.
Law Three: Get to the Point
Clear communication starts with saying what you mean. Skip the complicated jargon and unnecessary technical detail. Explain the problem and the solution in direct language.
Break difficult ideas down and use examples people can follow.
This matters even more when you speak with nontechnical people. Industry terms and abbreviations can create confusion when plain words would do the job.
Put technical ideas into language other people can understand. They will be better able to follow the project and take part in it.
And listen to other people's opinions and questions. Give them time to finish their thoughts. If something is unclear, ask instead of guessing, so you know you are working from the same understanding.
Getting to the point makes communication faster and working relationships easier.
Clear language leaves less room for ambiguity. It helps you work through problems with colleagues, clients, and partners.
Excellent engineers know the technology and can explain it plainly. If people understand what you mean, you have a much better foundation for doing good work together.
Law Four: We Are All Product Managers
As engineers, we need to understand the product we are building, its goals, and the needs it is meant to serve.
We should work closely with product managers, designers, and the rest of the team to discuss its direction and features.
You need to know the product's core value, where it sits in the market, and what makes it useful. Keep those things in mind while you build. Understanding the product and its users lets you make better technical decisions.
Engineers should also offer ideas that improve the product and the experience of using it.
Raise questions. Challenge a weak solution. Suggest a better approach. Your technical experience should shape the product, not sit apart from it.
Keep reviewing what works and what fails. Pay attention to user feedback and data, learn how people behave, and use that information to make focused improvements.
Everyone is a product manager when we are working together on the same product. Engineers should take part in defining it, building it, and improving it. When the whole team contributes, we have a better chance of making something users enjoy and the company can be proud of.
Law Five: Stay Curious
Curiosity is one of an engineer's best tools. It pulls us toward new knowledge and unfamiliar problems.
Like explorers, we look for new technologies, new questions, and subjects we have not studied before.
Curiosity keeps us from accepting the first answer. We ask why something works and how it was built, then dig into the principles underneath it. That habit helps us become better problem-solvers.
It also makes engineering more enjoyable. A new technology or challenge can turn routine work into something worth exploring.
Learning has its own pleasure. You get to understand how a system fits together and see your own skills improve.
Curiosity also helps when the work changes. Instead of freezing when we meet a new problem, we can start exploring it.
We have to keep learning new technologies, tools, and methods if we want to stay comfortable in a field that keeps changing.
Law Six: Do Not Work Only for Your Boss
Engineers should take their own growth seriously. Your job should serve your own development too.
That does not mean ignoring the team or the company's goals. It means keeping your development in view while you work toward them.
Personal growth begins with learning. Keep building your knowledge and skills. Look for training, join technical communities, and read widely. The more capable you become, the more value you can bring to your work.
You also need to take responsibility for your career. Look for challenging projects, share your ideas, and pursue the role you want next. Set a direction for yourself and work toward it.
Your reputation and influence matter too. Sharing what you know, joining industry events, and meeting peers can lead to recognition and new opportunities. Communities and open-source projects also let you learn alongside engineers you respect.
Personal growth gives you more control over your future. Do not leave every career decision to a boss or company. Decide what you want over the long term, make a plan, and start acting on it.
So do not work only for your boss. Work for your own growth and success as well.
Invest in yourself. Improve your craft, build your career, and make room for personal satisfaction. Over time, you will become a more capable engineer and move closer to the life you want.
Law Seven: Do Not Forget to Explore Life
Technology can absorb all of your attention. The problems are interesting, the work can be addictive, and it is easy to spend day and night coding while the rest of life passes unnoticed. We should not let that happen.
Life outside work gives us experiences and ideas we cannot get from a screen. Make time for hobbies, social events, family, and friends. Meet people from different cultures and fields. Those experiences can bring fresh energy back into your work.
Remember that technology is one part of life, not all of it. There are many things outside this field worth seeing. Rest and a healthier balance can make you better at your job while helping you become a more rounded person.
Other experiences also change how you see problems. Talk with people, spend time in nature, read literature, or take part in the arts. Each one gives you another way to understand the world. Sharing those experiences may help someone else too.
Love technology, but leave room for everything beyond it. Build a balanced life and keep exploring.
You may become a more creative engineer, but more importantly, you will have a fuller life.
Law Eight: Think for Yourself
We all come from different backgrounds, so the same advice will affect us differently. These laws have helped me, but that does not mean every one of them will suit you.
Please take all of this with a grain of salt and do not trust advice blindly.
These laws come from my own reflection and experience. They are still only my views.
Think critically and choose the ideas that fit your situation. Be careful even with advice that sounds obviously correct.
Consider your goals and values, then use your own experience to decide whether an idea is worth following.
There is no single path to success. Other people's lessons can help, but the decision remains yours.
You find what works through your own thought and practice.
Whether the advice comes from these laws or from someone else, treat it as a reference, not an absolute truth. You are the person best placed to judge whether it helps you.
Independent thought is part of being an excellent engineer. Form your own views, keep questioning them, and let experience sharpen your judgment.