Why Engineers Should Share Knowledge With Peers

99% of the best engineering teams I’ve seen share one simple rule: → The more you share, the faster you all grow. 🔁 Knowledge flows both ways: ∟ Seniors mentoring > Seniors managing Real growth happens when seniors teach, not just assign tickets. ∟ Juniors asking questions > Juniors guessing No one expects you to know it all. The ones who learn quickest are the ones who speak up. ∟ Sharing mistakes > Hiding them The team that admits bugs and failures up front fixes them before they spread. ∟ Pair programming > Solo struggle Two brains spot more edge cases. You pick up new habits, shortcuts, and ways of thinking. ∟ Writing docs as you go > Documenting at the end Knowledge that’s shared in real time helps everyone, not just future hires. The best engineering cultures are built on trust and curiosity— Seniors who lift others up. Juniors who bring new energy. Everyone growing, every day. That’s how you build teams that last. That’s how you make work worth showing up for.

Sharing some STAR-CCM+ 'Tips & Tricks' recently has me considering a broader point I feel strongly about: the immense value of engineers sharing their knowledge with each other. In complex fields like CFD, so much practical wisdom is gained through experience – the little workarounds, the efficient techniques, the 'gotchas' to avoid. When we openly share these insights, we: 🚀 Accelerate Collective Learning: Why should everyone have to reinvent the wheel? A shared tip can save a colleague hours, or even days. 💡 Spark Innovation: Sometimes a simple trick discussed in one context can unlock a new approach to a completely different problem. 🤝 Build a Stronger Community: A culture of sharing fosters collaboration and elevates the entire profession. It’s not about giving away secrets; it’s about lifting each other up. The problems we're trying to solve are challenging enough! What’s one small tip or trick someone shared with you that made a big difference in your work? Let's celebrate that spirit of sharing. 👇 #CFD #EngineeringCommunity #KnowledgeSharing #STARCCM #Simulation #Mentorship #PracticalCFD #ContinuousImprovement

You don't owe anyone your knowledge... You've spent your entire career collecting knowledge that has provided a successful career. It's been hard earned • Late nights and weekends • Thousands of hours of study and research • Passing technical certifications and/or pursuing higher education degrees Anyone who wants that knowledge can do what you did. So why should you share it? Because the odds are good you didn't do any of that alone. Someone helped you. In the early days of IT a lot of us late in career folks were forced to "figure it out" because everything was new. In many ways no one had done it before, so we really didn't have good playbooks to work off of. We were forced to create them. In my case I always found whatever solution I built was better when I had someone else to work with. As many of us are starting to look at retirement that poses a challenge. When we leave, that knowledge goes with us. We are also in another unique situation. We have the ability to be the person we did not have early in our careers. So while you don't owe anyone your knowledge, I believe that it's in everyone's best interest to share it. 1. You can provide guidance and mentorship to early in career folks that you did not have the benefit of. 2. I have found a tremendous source of personal fulfilment in helping younger engineers find their footing and be successful. 3. I have found that teaching is one of the most effective ways of personal learning. We both get better. 4. While not everyone cares about this, you are leaving a legacy behind in the folks that you teach. You will be "the old gray beard" in their stories when they start mentoring the next generation. Do you believe in sharing your knowledge, and if so what are effective ways you have found to do that?