Poll:How many of us are Engineers?

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I am not an engineer and never wanted to be one.

Looks like we are testifying here! Do I hear an AMEN?

Chem-E, me. The pre-meds in P-chem hated us because we got A's in it in our sleep. The smartest MD who I ever had a class from got his BS in theology because it was his easy-button. I have a bud who started out as a BsChE and became an MD because it was easy. He is as mad as a hatter, and rich as Croesus today. I prefer my life, thanks.

Miserable self did not focus in the beginning (or ever?) (I have been on two different deans' lists, with a war in between) so stinking grades and had to work for a living (to this very day). No threat to medical doctors from me.

I am in awe of EE's. They have solved every differential equation conceivable. We would (with great pain) define a situation with one and, golly, the solution is in a EE cookbook about 200 years old. There was this cat named Heaviside who did it all.

There are a lot of dingbat engineers. I am in that cohort (no defense offered). Yet I must say that I have had the privilege of knowing a number of men and women in my business who were well educated by any measure, thoughtful, well-read and articulate. It is not an origin to be ashamed of.

I want honesty. I give it. I expect it.

I want competency. I give it. I expect it.

I like to design stuff that works. It affects so many other people.

I don't like stuff that doesn't work. I like to fix stuff so it does work. There is a good living in that. Sadly.

I want things to be safe.

Some people are born to be doctors. I was born to be an engineer. I like to build, to fix, to improve, to repair, to innovate where I can.

We are not known for our 'people' skills. Wouldn't it be great if someone could be a good human being and a good plumber, too?

MykidsthinkIdrinktoomuchcoffeeIdonthinkIdrinktoomuchcoffee,doyou?

 

[FIREd]

Heck, I knew quite a number of female engineers that would be described as 'hot' by most guys. I feel sorry for any guys whose career path did not provide this experience. Not that I'm prejudice in this way anyhow, but it does help knock any ideas out of your head that a pretty/hot girl cannot also be smart about scientific stuff.

-ERD50

Female students outnumbered male students in my engineering school (back in Europe). Plenty of smart and good looking women.

 

[NW-Bound]

Alan, you made a nice couple!

My wife is no engineer, but I prefer it this way. Whenever I fixed something for her, she would say "You are my hero!".

It could have been just flattery, before she hands me the next "Honey do" list, but hey, I would not want to quarrel about technical stuff with another engineer all the time. How would you engineer couple do it?

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Ask Herbert Hoover or Jimmy Carter.

Or Scoop Jackson.

 

[Alan]

Alan, you made a nice couple!

My wife is no engineer, but I prefer it this way. Whenever I fixed something for her, she would say "You are my hero!".

It could have been just flattery, before she hands me the next "Honey do" list, but hey, I would not want to quarrel about technical stuff with another engineer all the time. How would you engineer couple do it?

I know my place

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I almost voted that I always wanted to be an engineer but then I realized that I did much better as a BS Artist. If I had the discipline to be an engineer I wouldn't have made it as a manager.

I wanted to be Bob Dylan. Much later, I settled and wanted to be Jimmy Buffet. Right now, I would be happy sitting on the beach in San Pedro, Belize, listening to Jerry Jeff Walker.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

My wife is much smarter than me. She has more schooling and took more chemistry than me (and I am a chemical engineer). I am forever amazed that she decided to take me as her partner. (I think it is because I can reach higher shelves than she can. I will take what I can get.)

 

[W2R]

Alan, you made a nice couple!

My wife is no engineer, but I prefer it this way. Whenever I fixed something for her, she would say "You are my hero!".

It could have been just flattery, before she hands me the next "Honey do" list, but hey, I would not want to quarrel about technical stuff with another engineer all the time. How would you engineer couple do it?

I agree, what a nice couple!

F. is an engineer too, but our careers and areas of expertise do not especially overlap. His degree was in mechanical, but he had lots of electrical too. Mine was in electrical so there was some mechanical required as well. Our careers were more widely divergent, since I went into oceanography while he had an amazing career in aerospace/defense. Still, our similar engineering backgrounds mean that we can have great conversations without having to talk down to the other or explain things so much. We don't really quarrel about technical stuff (nothing to quarrel about, it is what it is). Often we reminisce about those sorts of things.

Works for us...

 

[GrayHare]

This topic is a variant of the Myers-Briggs poll: lots of INTJs here, lots of INTJs are engineers.

A separate observation: of married couples here, surprisingly often the men are the younger of the two. I suspect it's a higher % than the general public.

 

[Koolau]

Same here. 55 in our class, 1 cute girl.

I was the lucky one who got to date her, and we ended up being married at the end of our Junior year so she was not only the first ever female EE to graduate from this particular uni but we were also the first ever married couple to graduate as EEs.

Alan, I concur. One very cute girl.

Er, uh, Alan, is she seated in the picture?

 

[W2R]

This topic is a variant of the Myers-Briggs poll: lots of INTJs here, lots of INTJs are engineers.

A separate observation: of married couples here, surprisingly often the men are the younger of the two. I suspect it's a higher % than the general public.

Certain skills and discipline are required to successfully plan and accomplish an early retirement. While these skills and discipline are not exclusive to engineers, they are also part of an engineering background.

F. is a few years younger than I am. I guess this more or less evens out our life expectancies.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

A separate observation: of married couples here, surprisingly often the men are the younger of the two. I suspect it's a higher % than the general public.

I do not know about the general public, but I am a little younger than she is.
Not a lot, but a little.
A Little. ONLY A LITTLE.
o.k. three months. wanna fight?

 

[Amethyst]

T

I think it's just a stereotype. There is some truth to it, but I've met people in many disciplines who can't write. ERD50

I agree it's a stereotype, but why would the stereotyped people, themselves, keep reminding everyone about it? It's almost as if they are proud of it. Maybe some of them can't [-]use software to[/-] do differential calculus either, but I don't hear them announcing it to the world.

I just don't see why writing would be the source of such disdain.

Amethyst

 

[travelover]

Does driving a diesel locomotive count?

 

[eytonxav]

Let me fix the first choice:

I [-]am[/-] are an engineer

EE, but only worked as one for a year or so before moving into a business role

 

[ls99]

I hope there is no ill will lurking behind these posts.

Nope, none at all. Just my lifetime experience.

OTOH I found Physicists of various stripes to be a great bunch. Like Edward Teller, Richard Feynman, Roger Bilham.

Early on did not consider if I had the brain power to become a Physicist, now at 64 am not interested in finding out.

By the way in my initial quote of Obgyn forgot to add +1. Sorry about that.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by arky
I hope there is no ill will lurking behind these posts.


Nope, none at all. Just my lifetime experience.

OTOH I found Physicists of various stripes to be a great bunch. Like Edward Teller, Richard Feynman, Roger Bilham.

Early on did not consider if I had the brain power to become a Physicist, now at 64 am not interested in finding out.

By the way in my initial quote of Obgyn forgot to add +1. Sorry about that.

LOL! Feynman was a national treasure. I enjoyed just reading about him. I am honored to be in the same species as him.

 

[redduck]

I am not an engineer. And, after that girl in geometry class borrowed my protractor and wouldn't return it, I decided the universe was gently telling me something about...well, I'm still not quite sure what it might have been telling me.

 

[Midpack]

Female students outnumbered male students in my engineering school (back in Europe). Plenty of smart and good looking women.

My experience in the US was the opposite in terms of male:female.

I got accepted to four engineering schools, and narrowed it down to a final two. When I noticed that one of them (Georgia Tech) had a male:female ratio of 39:1 (no idea if it's still that lopsided) vs my other choice about 2:1 - it was a no brainer. Never did tell my Dad the real reason I eliminated Georgia Tech, and I was happy with my choice...

 

[KingB]

For my part, I've never understood why engineers love to proclaim that "engineers can't write." Do all engineers hold this view, or just the many I've worked with and managed? It's not as if anyone expects them to produce poetry on the job or something.

Business writing is a learned skill based on disciplined, organized thinking. Engineers appreciate disciplined, orderly thinking, so why would they disdain writing?

Amethyst

One hard part of a project is the documentation. Some engineers would rather go to the next project than do the documentation. But, projects are not considered complete until documentation is completed.

Retired EE here.

 

[Alan]

Alan, I concur. One very cute girl.

Er, uh, Alan, is she seated in the picture?

Thanks, and yes, she was seated in the picture

We actually met at work, at the company who sponsored us through college, 6 months at uni, 6 months at work. When we returned to work the local newspaper did an article on us, and the photographer decided that it would be better if she stood on a box. (I'm a foot taller at 6'1")

 

[Amethyst]

Hm. So the solution is to pretend to be horrible at documentation, hoping it will get fobbed off onto non-engineers to [-]mess up [/-]take care of. Meanwhile, the engineer is over in the next cubicle, happily [-]tearing things apart and putting them back together[/-] digging into the next set of user requirements. I think you are on to something.

Amethyst

One hard part of a project is the documentation. Some engineers would rather go to the next project than do the documentation. But, projects are not considered complete until documentation is completed.

Retired EE here.

 

[MBAustin]

I'm technically not an engineer as my computer science degree was in the arts & sciences college rather than engineering college. But DH is a MechE and DS is a junior majoring in MechE, so I must think engineers are hot!

 

[Alan]

One hard part of a project is the documentation. Some engineers would rather go to the next project than do the documentation. But, projects are not considered complete until documentation is completed.

Retired EE here.

Ah yes, the art of working on a project staying being schedule until the very last minute when you work all hours in week and make the deadline in the nick of time.

Not only does it impress the boss but it gets you out doing the documentation and onto the next project in the pipeline.

Documentation is what Technical Writers are good at, and we wouldn't want to deprive them of a job.

 

[Alan]

For those who haven't seen it, here is a funny, short clip, from the Dilbert video called The Knack.

I love it when the mother asks the Doctor if he will live a normal life and the Doctor replies, "No, he'll be an engineer", causing the mother to burst into tears.