There’s a lot to appreciate about the renewable energy industry, but what I admire about it above all else is that it has been and will continue to be driven by visionaries. And I don’t think I’m overstating that one bit. Built into that word, “visionary,” is the notion that ambitious people literally see something most others are unable or refuse to see. It takes a certain amount of courage to work toward and advocate for a future others struggle to comprehend. It takes even more courage when you don’t have the complete vision yourself.
Andrew Merecicky (the newbie).
Before joining Windpower Engineering & Development (WPE) as the new assistant editor, I taught introductory English composition courses at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I earned a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing there. The program was multi-genre, so I had an opportunity to do a lot of different kinds of creative work. My emphasis, though, was in poetry.
I’ve had every kind of reaction from people when I’ve told them what I was studying in grad school. To many it seemed like the ultimate pipe dream. I was often asked the question “what can you do with a poetry degree?” To be fair, the answer is: not much. That is, not much if the implication is that there are job postings explicitly looking for the ability to read and write poetry. It takes a bit of creative problem solving to figure out what to do with a poetry education, but I do believe it is an important and valuable course of study with wide-reaching applications.
Like many humanities disciplines, it is more about a way of thinking about the world, arriving at creative solutions, and developing a slightly more unique and broad language skill set than it is about preparing for a prescribed career path. And in a general sense, I don’t think it differs all that much from engineering and technical disciplines. My engineer friends and I could have traded homework from our classes and likely would have shared the same reaction of confusion and frustration, but ultimately we work to understand the material and aspire to apply that knowledge masterfully in our field whether others understand it or not.
What’s more, I think there might be more than a few people who work in renewable energy—whether they are salespersons, marketers, technicians, or design engineers—who have been in a position where they felt the need to defend what they do against negativity and skepticism, not because they were asked to defend it but because they truly believe in their vision of clean, available, affordable, and sustainable energy production.
And I share that vision too, which is why I’m excited to be part of the team here at WPE. The opportunity to begin my career using the skill set I developed in school to support an industry that I truly hope will continue to grow and thrive is more than I ever expected. And to do it for a well-written, reputable industry publication with knowledgeable editors eager to share their expertise is even better.
I’m eager to start making contributions to the editorial team’s efforts to bring you, our readers, insightful, informative content, and entertain you at the same time. I know I’m facing a steep learning curve here, but I’m more than willing to put in the hours. The editors here at WPE have already been an invaluable resource, full of knowledge and advice. It has been great so far.
And I would love to hear from any readers and wind energy professionals to benefit from your insights and advice too. If you’d like to reach out, you can connect with me all the usual ways.
Twitter: @WTWH_andrew
Facebook.com/WindpowerEngineering
-Andrew Merecicky
Windpower Engineering & Development
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