The Saudi Council of Engineers has organized
a meeting with Mr. Abdullah Gomaa; the former chairman of Saudi Aramco,
attended by a large number of governmental sector leaders of the Eastern
Province, council members and those interested in the engineering sector. At
the beginning of the meeting, HE Dr. Gamil Al-Baqaawi, Chairman of the Saudi Council
of Engineers, has welcomed HE Mr. Abdullah Gomaa, who has lectured and talked
about his memories, origins, experiences, personal and practical beginnings, prospects
for Aramco and the role of Saudi engineers in the development and prosperity of
the country. HE Chairman of the Council has pointed out that Mr. Abdullah Gomaa
has given enlightening lessons specially to the fresh-graduate engineers, from
a man with rich experience to a leading figure with effective attendance at the
international scientific, professional, and practical levels, to national and
international meetings and events. After that, guest of the meeting, Mr.
Abdullah Gomaa, the former CEO of Aramco, has started his speech, in the first
series of meetings in which the Saudi Council of Engineers is hosting a number
of officials and leaders in the engineering sector, saying: "While I was
arranging my ideas to meet with you, it occurred to me that talking to you, is
not only talking to a professional body but also to a social entity and unity
that includes successive generations of engineers. This entity does not only
share values and interests among its members, but also consists of various groups,
each of which has its own views and vision of life, which in turn contribute to
the wider community mobility, and make this entity rich, strong and united, due
to the diversity of views, ideas and visions within the framework of values and
institutional control." He has added, "From my personal experience,
the lessons I have learned and still stuck in my mind are those lessons learned
from failures. They helped me more than those learned from successes and
achievements. Over time, you will discover that the best and the most
influential teachers on the future of the individual are the mistakes made and
the failures faced by the individual. When you become in positions of responsibility,
you will discover that your right decisions are the outcome of your
experiences, which in turn are the outcome of many of your wrong decisions."
In his speech, Mr. Abdullah Gomaa has
addressed a message to the fresh-graduate engineers, saying: " "As
starting your career, nothing shall prevent you from taking the challenge to
reach your goals. But managing to do so requires a bit of modesty and respect
for those who are more qualified than you. You must also do your best and be
patient if your professional development does not go as you wish." He has
added, "You shall not require prestigious and comfortable jobs at the
beginning of your career, just join the available jobs as long as you gain
experience, even if they are in remote places. Try to learn from those who are
more knowledgeable than you and try to learn. Make your own opportunity and do
not wait for it." He addressed another massage to experienced engineers in
the practical aspect, saying, "I ask you, veteran engineers,
to take on your role in the professional development of the new generation, to use
the experiences and knowledge gained in the course of your career at the
service of our sons and daughters of the new engineers, and to consider them as
partners of the future. As I told the new generation of engineers, Learning has
no limit. As young people can learn and develop, so do those who are older. Trust
me that I am still learning new skills even after half a century has passed
since I started my career." At the end of the meeting, the Saudi
Council of Engineers has honored Mr. Abdullah Gomaa, the Former Chairman of
Saudi Aramco, appreciating his attendance and his presentation to the experience
gained since the beginning of his work in 1968, in a great interaction from the
attendants, specifically the Council members and those interested in the engineering
sector.
