When I start at Radia, everything was still unknown to me. I start from zero. Yes, Abah was a contractor. I learn a lot from him but as an engineer, it was a whole new level. The scale of the project was way bigger.
I learn from everyone. I am lucky to have two experienced construction managers above me. They did not guide you directly but you can follow them and keep asking anything. I learn from workers. I learn from everyone. At Radia, there was one Senior Engineer. He was a mechanical engineer coming from the tunnel project with no experience with building. He had 5 years of working experience and he learn it quick. I said that I wanna be within 5 years.
Then, Kuantan. In a new place, I need to prove myself. Mr Cheng give me a series of tasks and point me in the direction that I need to improve. I learn a lot from him even the non-engineering stuff. I was promoted. As a senior, you got to prove your experience your knowledge. You are reliable. You can offer more. You need to be careful and do not do all those stupid stuff or people will question you.
I started to do planning, contract and liaison work. Then come the urges for the managerial pose. I prove to my boss I can do more. After 5 years I became an assistant project manager.
At that level, you need to look more ahead. Think at more angle. The way you talk needs to be different. You need to care for it from A to Z. I keep learning but I do not feel any requirement for me to prove myself. I now know what I am capable of.
These few days, I saw two people in these two stages. I am grateful that at both of those stages I made the right choice and met the right people.