Tips and Advice from Ten engineers to celebrate our first 1K members
The Field Engineer community is celebrating one thousand members. To celebrate this milestone ten of our members share their tips and advice for other engineers.
So, the next time things are challenging, read this, and be inspired and feel that in our community you are in good company.
If you are a field engineer, what do you do when things get difficult or challenging?
The Field Engineer community now has more than one thousand members from over one hundred countries and over one hundred different industries.
Begüm Demirtaş, Wind Turbine Technician for Vestas
Begüm is from Turkey, and she is working in Sweden.
If I had known then what I know now, “I would not have been so hard on myself during my education.
My tips and advice to all field engineers is this.
Remember that good things take time.
Don’t compare yourself to others, or you’ll live their life.
Find out what you love to do and then see if you can do what you love.
If you can’t, don’t waste your energy, let those who can do it.
If you do have a job that you love, then you are one of the luckiest people in the world! Then, exaggerate, multiply, polish your work with love. ♥️”
Deborah Nutsugah, BMET for Mercy Ships
Deborah is from Ghana and based out of Spain.
“Because a big part of safe healthcare is reliant on biomedical engineering, it is essential that we do it well. I feel really blessed that I can practice as a biomedical engineer, saving lives one piece of equipment at a time.
So, my piece of advice as tips for engineers is:
Whatever we find our hands doing, we must do it with all of our hearts”.
Dipankar Mondal, Customer Service Engineer for Leidos
Dipankar is based in West Bengal in India.
He gives this advice and tips for field engineers.
“Practical
The more you attend to complex issues the more you will learn. So never hesitate, never fear to tackle complex issues.
Emotional
Never feel bad if your attempt fails. Remember:
“A failed attempt gives you an idea about what not to do.”
If you know what not to do then whatever you do next will be a correct step.”
Frederick Musa, Health and Safety Specialist for Amazon
Frederick is based in Washington in the United States.
He gives these three pieces of advice and tips for field engineers.
“Balance practical knowledge with humility in your everyday interaction with clients and teammates.
Do not let your focus on the specific problem that you are working on side track your focus on the outlook of a long-term project.
Always be willing to learn from your experiences as a field engineer”.
Kevin Chimezie Akparanta Coiled Tubing Operator for Halliburton
Kevin is based in Nigeria but often works away or offshore.
He shared his engineering experience and tips and advice for working in swamp conditions earlier this month.
“Our job as field engineers is very important even if we are not always appreciated by others as we should be. However, we need to keep doing our best and to keep working safely.
Practical
Being a field engineer is not easy, it involves hands on work for 95% of the time and for you to excel you need constant learning and involvement. So, to succeed, one needs to constantly read and get updated with international best practice and be open minded to learn, unlearn and relearn. Field operation involves teamwork and by that, I mean teamwork in practice not just saying it on paper. We achieve more as a team than individually.
Emotional
This part of advice for field engineers is very important, because most of the time you are in a confined location, or always on the move, or far away from family and loved ones. That means that you miss out on events, birthdays, family time, personal time, etc.
So, the first step is to condition your mind to look at the bright side. If you do you will look after your mental health so as not to get distracted and injure yourself or a member of your team”.
Lee Oliver, Field Operations Leader in Energy
Lee is based in the UK and has worked for energy companies including Skewb, Haier and British Gas.
Lee’s tip and advice for engineers is to “be open minded and adaptable as technology evolves”. He gives the following example of how this applies in the energy sector.
“This is especially true today as how we heat and power our homes is at the beginning of a transformation to meet the governments net zero targets.
Make sure you upskill to meet these challenges”.
Luiza Culeasca Field Service Engineer for Siemens Healthineers
Luiza is based in Bucharest in Romania.
She gives the following advice and tip to all field engineers.
“No matter how hard things become at some points, keep in mind that it is temporary and remember what got you into your line of work.
Never lose you head in the heat of the moment and always work with passion”.
Paul Neher Supervisor of Biomedical Engineering for Parkview Health
“Never Stop Learning” is Paul’s key tip and piece of advice to all field engineers. He shares his story to explain this.
“I count myself blessed. I came from small engines, appliance, fitness equipment, and ultimately, multi-spindle screw machines in a factory. Eventually, I lost the use of my hands due to tendonitis and carpel tunnel issues. To do something less strenuous, I went to college for my Associate’s of Applied Electronics.
“If you want to be set for life, get into healthcare.”
At the end of my program, I had a professor who very wisely told us:
“If you want to be set for life, get into healthcare.”
About a week later there was an ad for Biomedical Engineering at a local hospital. I had no idea what it was, but my professor encouraged me. I applied on a Tuesday, got an interview on a Thursday, received an offer, and graduated on a Friday, started on a Monday. That was almost 25 years ago.
I had no idea what biomed was, but I intended to learn. My grandfather always used to tell me:
“Every day you learn something is a day you won’t die.”
I began to discover, if I wanted to survive in this field, I needed to learn all I could. So, I took every call I could, tore into everything they would let me, volunteered for every school they needed someone to go to. I took classes in Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, and EKG Arrythmias to close the gap between mechanical skills and my nursing counterparts. As well, I learned about our processes, our CMMS, and became involved in biomed builds as we took over other hospitals. I studied and received my Certificate of Biomedical Engineering.
CBET
In 2011 I received my CBET (which I hold to this day) solidifying my decision to make this a career, not just a job. To keep current, I read trade magazines, attended Indiana Biomed Society conferences, and continued to recertify and expand on my skills in Anaesthesia, Respiratory, Perfusion and Lasers. Teaching is a passion, and in those moments, I learn what I do and do not know. At the Global Leadership Summits, they tell us that:
“A humble person is able to learn from ANYONE”.
A few years ago, I returned to school to get my bachelor’s degree to prepare me to move into management someday. Last year, at the recommendation of my counsellor, my wife, and my leadership, I began my master’s degree program to eliminate barriers to growth. Graduation is July 2025. Growth, knowledge, and blessings seem to come hand in hand.
Never stop learning
The intent of all this isn’t to sing my own praises, but rather to show what YOU can do. With effort, desire, and a willingness to continually LEARN, you can not only survive in this ever-changing career field, but you too can be blessed through it.
Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And never, never, NEVER quit.”
Varun Sharma, Field Service Engineer for Siemens Healthineers
Varun is from India and now based in Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
He gives these pieces of advice and tips for all field engineers.
“Do not afraid to face the customer.
Keep everything transparent.
Never be in a hurry, give proper time at the site, cross check everything; even if you have done it 1000 times before still follow instructions.
Never hesitate to take help from senior people or colleagues; two brains are always better than one.
Family is always first.
Give time to friends and have some time for yourself”.
Varun suggests this as the key to learning.
“Learn from everyone and everything.
Keep your eyes open, mouth shut and observe.
“If I had known then what I know now”, I would advise my younger self and other field engineers to do the following.
Keep away from office politics.
Give more time to family/ friends and self.
Enjoy the journey more rather than only chasing the goal”.
Yaa Amoakoa Frempong, Biomedical Engineer for LifeCare Technology
Yaa is based in Accra in Ghana.
She shares the following advice and tip for all engineers:
“The one piece of advice I would like to give is not to hesitate to ask for assistance when needed, especially from colleagues who have already faced such challenges. It saves time and after all, it is all about teamwork.
As well, be up to date with improving technologies in your area of expertise and take it one step at a time”.
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