Anytime I hear someone refer to civil engineering as a “noble profession,” it’s usually in the context of a discussion on the lousy salaries that most civil engineer’s earn relative to the other engineering disciplines. This weekend, I was reading the Annual Salary Survey in the latest issue of CE News, in which the Editor referred to civil engineering as, you guessed it, a noble profession. Why do we do this to ourselves? I’m referring, of course, to the practice of contriving important-sounding names to cover up the fact that we have let our profession slip into borderline commodity status while we stand on the sidelines and watch. We call it a noble profession to keep us from having to admit that civil engineers in general are under-appreciated, underpaid, and underutilized in our respective industries. What’s so noble about that?

Despite how it sounds, this is not a gripe session about how engineers need to start demanding higher salaries from their employers and higher fees from their clients. On the contrary, I believe that the market dictates such things based on the value that we bring to the table. In fact, many engineers are probably overpaid relative to the value of their contributions. What does concern me is the complacency that seems to permeate our practice. As a field grounded in the practical application of scientific principles, we have lost focus on the important role that creativity and innovation can play in our advancement, both personally and as a profession.

As innovative contributions wane, so does the value of our services. Think about it: when the product or service that I offer is no better or worse than the guy down the street, what compelling reason would you have to buy from me apart from price? So naturally, I cut my fees, freeze or reduce the salaries of my staff, and then read about the lousy pay of my peers in next month’s trade magazine. The best way to break free of this cycle is to step back and take a fresh view of how I do what I do. “The way we’ve always done it” doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s time to get out of the rut and start thinking creatively.

This is the part where I give you a 5-step plan on how to “think outside the box,” right? Well, that would sort of defeat the purpose. You will need to figure this out on your own - to get creative about getting creative and do what works best for you.

I will leave you with one piece of advice: keep an open mind and stop shutting out new ideas simply because they don’t conform with your traditional notions of how things should work. Several months ago, I was presented with a new design software application that I felt posed a serious threat to the integrity of an engineer’s independent judgement. Though my inclination was to reject this new technology outright, I spent the next several months looking at it from every angle, intrigued by the potential it had to add tremendous value to the design process. This week, my firm made a sizable investment in this revolutionary technology that the vast majority of my competitors have run away from. Already, the opportunities are lining up.

Let’s restore some dignity to this noble profession and start seeking innovative ways to offer more creative and value-driven services to our clients. And while you’re at it, toss the salary survey in the trash.