"I really wanted my kids to see what this work means to me." On the eve of a major dam construction project that would keep him away from family for 10 years, a young civil engineer takes his wife and two kids on a holiday. A chance conversation with his young son brings back memories of a former boss, a veteran civil engineer who had taught him a few lessons when he was just starting out. Pondering the long assignment ahead of him, the young engineer wonders: “Civil engineers never ...