Biggest Challenges Faced By An Economist And Energy Analyst At Environmental Law And Policy Center
Saad's biggest challenge as an Economist & Energy Analyst is the interdisciplinary nature of the work, requiring communication between traditionally siloed disciplines; the difficulty stems from needing to translate technical information between engineers and lawyers, requiring "a lot of practice" to bridge the communication gap and achieve effective collaboration.
Interdisciplinary Communication, Environmental Policy, Energy Analysis, Economic Analysis, Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Saad Siddique
Economist & Energy Analyst
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Visvesvaraya Technological University, India
The University of Texas at Austin
Engineering - Mechanical
Energy & Utilities, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Data and Analytics
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Interdisciplinary communication is crucial but challenging. Professionals from different backgrounds (engineers, lawyers, economists) need to understand each other's jargon and perspectives.
2. Effective communication between disciplines is key to successful interdisciplinary work and problem-solving in fields like environmental law and policy.
3. Overcoming communication barriers between disciplines requires time, practice, and a willingness to learn different approaches and perspectives.
Transcript
What's your biggest challenge in your current role?
As I spoke about what is most interesting in my job in the previous question, that also brings forward the most difficult thing about it. The work is interdisciplinary, and communication between disciplines is hard.
Traditionally, work of this nature has been in silos. Different disciplines work within their own echo chambers, if you will. It's difficult for an engineer to communicate to a lawyer what their analysis actually means.
It's easy to communicate between engineers because they understand the jargon, have the context, and share the background. Conversely, lawyers communicate in a certain language and have a background and understanding of politics or laws that an engineer might not have.
So, I think communication between disciplines, where the work is so interdisciplinary, is the most challenging part. It's a learning curve, and I think it takes a while and a lot of practice to get that right. But that is what makes the work effective if you have to get it done.
Advizer Personal Links
linkedin.com/in/saad-siddique