Everyone is busy inside the Site Office of the “Skyline Mega Tower.” It was the tallest building to be built in the city, so the weight of the pressure was felt on every engineer.

Engr. Marco, the Chief Structural Engineer, was there. Young, board topnotcher, and notoriously arrogant. The whole team rallied around him as a large blueprint lay out on the table.

“Make sure the load calculation on the 20th floor is correct,” Marco ordered as he sipped his coffee. “The pavement has been opened. I don’t want to make a fuss.”

At the other end of the room, Chloe silently sat on the floor. He was 50 years old, slightly tired, and always bowed. No one paid attention to him—he was just like a shadow in the office.

As he sat down at the table, Mang Tasyo stopped across from the blueprint. His gaze was fixed on the schematic diagram of the support beams.

The janitor’s brow furrowed.

Marco noticed this.

“Hey, man!” he shouted. “What are you looking at that? Do you think you can understand that? It’s just a picture in front of your eyes!”

The other engineers laughed.

“Yes, sir,” cried the other. “He thought it was a coloring book. “You’ve got to get back to the drawing board, and you’re going to be again!”

Mango shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sir Mark. I just noticed something.”

“Are you sure?” cried Mark. “What? Is there any dirt? Clean it up!”

“No,” replied Chen Chen calmly. He pointed out a part of the plan with the end of the mop.

“Sir, this is Column C-14… There is a lack of steel in the design. Based on the width of the floor span, the 16mm bars can’t handle the weight. You will need a 25mm lens. If you’re going to do it tomorrow, give it a go. The whole building will be destroyed.”

Suddenly, the whole room fell silent.

There was a few seconds of silence—then Marco and the rest of the team burst out laughing.

“HAHAHA! “Did you hear that?” he almost burst into tears. He teaches Structural Engineering. Hey guys, you’re just a jerk! All you know is broom and mop! Don’t be fooled by the licensees!”

“Get out!” shouted another engineer. “You’re a nuisance!”

Zhang Chen was about to leave when the door suddenly opened. The Project Director, Arch. Villareal, entered—old, quiet, but respected by all.

“What noise is this?” he asked.

“Sir, here is a janitor, laughing,” Marco charged. “He said that the building was going to collapse because the steel in Column C-14 was wrong.”

The director did not laugh. He silently approached the blueprint.

“Column C-14?” he whispered. The calculator was taken. Click… click… click…

He glanced at the load table. The plan was reviewed again.

Arch. Villareal gradually turned pale. The eyes widened. Sweat dripped down his forehead.

“Oh my God…” He whispered softly.

“Sir? “Why?” asked Mark, nervously.

Suddenly, the director turned to Mark, furious.

“MARCO! “The janitor is right!” he shouted. “You’ve made the wrong calculation! You’re using the standard residential load, but it’s a commercial floor! If we continue the pouring tomorrow, the column will give way and the entire wing of the building will be in sympathy! You’re going to kill the workers!”

Marcus was cold. The whole team was stunned. When they took another look at the plan, the mistake was crystal clear—a fatal mistake overlooked by the so-called “topnotchers.”

The director turned to Mang Tasyo who was already at the door.

“Brother,” he called. “How did you know that? “Where did you learn to read a book?”

Mango Tasyo came forward. He adjusted his cap.

“Sir,” he answered, “before I suffered and became a janitor because of my husband’s illness… I have been a Senior Civil Engineer in Dubai for 30 years. I am the one who built the Burj Al Arab.”

It was as if Mark’s world had collapsed. He wanted the earth to be swallowed up. The man who had been scolded was a veteran and was better than him.

The Commander came over and shook hands with the Commander-in-Chief.

“Sir Tasyo,” he said politely, “don’t mop. From now on, you will be the Senior Consultant for this project.
We need your eyes and experience.”

Mang Tasyo looked at Marco who bowed his head to him.

“Well,” he said calmly, “in engineering, mistakes are forbidden. But in life, the biggest mistake is to belittle your neighbor just because of their uniform. The intellect is not in the license—it is in the experience.”

On that day, the janitor became the hero.

And the engineers have learned a lesson that is even more durable than cement:

The foundation of a true professional is humility.