Autarky - you might not know what it is, but you need it as an engineer

Or the paradox of engineering self-sufficiency

This might not come through in my articles, but I have a real thing for paradoxes (tragedy too, but that’s not important right now). The reason why I have a thing for paradoxes is that if you put the effort into resolving them, then you usually gain a much better understanding.

And in this article I am going to talk about the paradox of why autarchy is important in engineering.

First off, what is autarky?
Autarchy is an ancient word that basically means self-sufficiency and independence. It can be applied to the state or to an individual. In ancient Greece, it influenced other philosophies that dealt with the ideal human state. Some reaching the conclusion that people should be free of clothes and shelter so that they did not need to rely on anyone else. But most reaching the conclusion that a person should invest in themselves and their ability.

How would autarky relate to engineering?
To be a good engineer (a global engineer) you need to invest in yourself. Skills like framing, systemic thinking, goal analysis, creativity, prototyping. And knowledge, first principles, domain knowledge, recent advances in technology. And correcting for any gaps in your engineering expertise that you have identified and were caused by your background.

As you continue to invest in your engineering ability, you become a self-sufficient engineer (you demonstrate autarky).

Why is this a paradox?
As I noted in my book, there is no longer any such thing as the singular engineer who does everything. There are no more hero engineers. That’s because technology and engineering have become so sophisticated that no one person can be across everything. 

That’s why engineers need to work in teams. And this is where the paradox presents.

• Why should you be part of an engineering team?
• What do you offer that the team needs?

The needs of an engineering team vary from team to team and with time as new challenges faced by any given team present. That means, if you have a small set of skills, then the chances you can help a team (one you are on or one you wish to be on) are limited.

And that’s where the paradox presents: you invest in yourself to be a self-sufficient engineer so you are of value to the engineering team.

You might not use all of the skills you have when you are part of a team, but the more skills you do have (and the more of a self-sufficient engineer you are), the more you are able to support your team. 

“He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.” – Aristotle

So think now about which skill you are going to work on next. How will you exhibit autarky and be either a beast of an engineer or an engineering god?

If you are not 100% sure where to start or want another perspective on your engineering expertise, then try Ingeny, the AI engineering coach I developed, here. I have recently added an auditing feature, that you might find useful.