In my last post, I expanded on the idea of skills vs experience. I think it is important, if you want to be a professional in the glazing industry, to be a continuous learner. Lou Holtz once said, “In this world, you are either growing or you are dying. So get in motion and grow.” So what types of things should you be learning as you move through your career to help you grow? I thought I’d put down some of my thoughts…
- You should know the basic metal suppliers in our industry, what systems they have and what the advantages and disadvantages are of each.
- You should know the basics of stick wall construction and unitized construction.
- You should have a good grasp of curtain wall design. You should understand pressure equalization and rain screen principles. You should be able to look at a set of shop drawings and follow how the air and water will be handled. How is movement being addressed? Thermal, floor deflection, seismic? How much movement can be handled?
- You should understand the basics of the materials we interact with. You should understand plaster systems and their water barriers and how our systems would interface. You should understand dryvit, stone, tile and any other system we would interface with in order to be an expert and reduce the risk for your company with these materials.
- You should be able to read shop drawings, architectural drawings and structural drawings. You should be able to read a set of specifications. Know the specification sections that would apply to our work and the general specs that would apply to our work. Understand what they would normally say and spot the crazy requirements when they occur.
- You should be able to read a subcontract agreements. Understand the language used. Know what and AGC contract is. Be able to spot excessive language vs standard language.
- You should understand glazing. How it is made (take a tour of a glass manufacturing plant). Types of substrates and their manufacturers. Types of coatings (hard coats, soft coats), and their advantages and disadvantages. Understand heat treating (heat strengthened and tempered). Understand insulated units. How are the surfaces numbered? What types of spacers (warm edge, standard) are available and why would you use them? What types or primary seals are there, what types of secondary seals? What is spontaneous breakage? What are capillary tubes? What is heat soaking? Why would you use it? What is thermal stress? Where would it apply? You should be able to look at a broken piece of glass and understand the break pattern. This can help you understand how it broke. Know the Gana manual. How so you size setting blocks? Where should you place the setting blocks and anti-walk blocks for a unit? What face clearances are required in a glazing pocket?
- You should have a good understanding of project management. Gain the skills required here. Understand a CPM schedule and how it is used. Understand risk management and how it should be applied in our industry.
- You should understand the engineering required. At a minimum, you should be able to calculate the wind loads for your project. You should be able to calculate the loads on the system (using trapezoidal loading). You should be able to calculate the deflection of a mullion and the deflection of a horizontal using a calculator. You should be able to calculate Thermal expansion. You should be able to see if your horizontal mullions or stack joints will accommodate the floor deflection and the thermal movement. You should be able to calculate the loads imposed on your fasteners and see if they would be ok. You should be able to read a set of calculations and understand how something was calculated.
- You should know the basics of the software used in our industry. Autocad, Inventor and Revit would be the most common in our industry for shop drawings. You should be able to use all three and understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. You should be able to use Navisworks. You should be able to assemble a model in Navisworks, navigate through the model and run a basic clash detection. You should be well versed in Microsoft Excel. Most companies use this software extensively. If you’ve made it through all of that, I’d suggest an understanding of database systems so you could see why most companies shouldn’t use Excel so heavily.
- Panel systems might be another set of skills you would want to learn. Composite, porcelain, aluminum systems are the most common. Why would you use each? When are stiffeners required? What are the size limitations on the sheets. How do you optimize or nest panels onto the sheets for cutting? What are dry joint systems and wet joint systems? Where would you use each? What different types of mounting options do you have. How do you maintain flatness? What type of backing systems are used for air and water? What is a rain screen panel system?
- Door hardware is another set of skills that would be helpful in our industry. Do you understand the different combinations that are available? Do you understand what hardware is compatible or incompatible with other hardware? Can you ensure the door will meet ADA codes? Do you understand the security and electrified options? Can you pick the right cam for your cylinder based on the locking device that is specified?
- Communication skills would be a great thing to learn. Do you understand the DISC Model? Can you identify the communication styles of people in your company and your customers? Do you know how to create communication that speaks to those styles? Can you form a good letter and do you have a good command of spelling and grammar? Do you know how to communicate effectively using email?
- Other skills: Other ideas for things you might want to look into. CNC manufacturing. Learn the basics of G-code. Understand how to create a script file for your machines. Learn the software that runs your machines. Learn about 3d printing. Learn about 3d Scanning and point clouds. Learn about six sigma and lean manufacturing. Learn about supply chain management and the theory of constraints.
As you can see, this isn’t even a very comprehensive list and there are years of things to learn about. So, what other things should be on this list? I’d love to get your feedback.
