Engineers are not cool

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: ducci
I'll be an EE senior this year, I've gone through some internships, been exposed to the field, and have come to the disillusioning conclusion that engineers are not cool.

As a kid who loved breaking things to see how they work, or playing with legos, or exceling in math and science, people always said things like, "Oh, you were born to be an engineer." Oh, you like messing with new gadgets? You must want to be an engineer.

Growing up, you get this vision of an engineer being this glamourous proffession where you solve all the world's problems and design fancy new gadgets. It's totally not like that and it's dissapointing.

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes. I would know as I am one of them. It's mainly out of jealousy seeing all of the liberal arts majors take 10 hours of classes a semester and party all the time. This is understandable. And yes, I am speaking for all engineering students. They are all like this one way or another.

The fact of the matter is, engineering isn't glamourous, it isn't spectacular, and it isn't as high-paying as many people believe. Management gets paid far more than engineers. Granted, a bunch of management were at one point engineers, but they typically have an MBA, plus it's slightly disheartening that this is what people want to work up to.

I write this because I've noticed a great deal of engineers on this board, both students and professionals, and they always have some smug remark to say when it comes to what they're studying or what they do.

And to clarify, I still relatively enjoy what I do (and I do it well), so the "you shouldn't be an engineer" garbage isn't valid. It's just that what I am currently doing, and what I have seen others do is not the same as what I envisioned when I decided to become an engineer.

Maybe it's not only engineering. Is this the same with other proffessions as well? I'd like to know.

my dad's an engineer and makes 130k/year.. i'd say that's pretty damn good! while all the journalism and commucations majors have it easy in college, you'll be laughing when your starting salary is 55k and theirs are well below that

*IT* is $55k starting salary around here. And there's no "shortage". And IT is just about as close to a pointlessly easy major as they come.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: ducci
I'll be an EE senior this year, I've gone through some internships, been exposed to the field, and have come to the disillusioning conclusion that engineers are not cool.

As a kid who loved breaking things to see how they work, or playing with legos, or exceling in math and science, people always said things like, "Oh, you were born to be an engineer." Oh, you like messing with new gadgets? You must want to be an engineer.

Growing up, you get this vision of an engineer being this glamourous proffession where you solve all the world's problems and design fancy new gadgets. It's totally not like that and it's dissapointing.

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes. I would know as I am one of them. It's mainly out of jealousy seeing all of the liberal arts majors take 10 hours of classes a semester and party all the time. This is understandable. And yes, I am speaking for all engineering students. They are all like this one way or another.

The fact of the matter is, engineering isn't glamourous, it isn't spectacular, and it isn't as high-paying as many people believe. Management gets paid far more than engineers. Granted, a bunch of management were at one point engineers, but they typically have an MBA, plus it's slightly disheartening that this is what people want to work up to.

I write this because I've noticed a great deal of engineers on this board, both students and professionals, and they always have some smug remark to say when it comes to what they're studying or what they do.

And to clarify, I still relatively enjoy what I do (and I do it well), so the "you shouldn't be an engineer" garbage isn't valid. It's just that what I am currently doing, and what I have seen others do is not the same as what I envisioned when I decided to become an engineer.

Maybe it's not only engineering. Is this the same with other proffessions as well? I'd like to know.

my dad's an engineer and makes 130k/year.. i'd say that's pretty damn good! while all the journalism and commucations majors have it easy in college, you'll be laughing when your starting salary is 55k and theirs are well below that

*IT* is $55k starting salary around here. And there's no "shortage". And IT is just about as close to a pointlessly easy major as they come.

brother #1 - comp eng for govt contractor - 55k start

brother #2 - aero eng for office of naval intelligence - 45k start

 

[desk]

Originally posted by: ducci
I'll be an EE senior this year, I've gone through some internships, been exposed to the field, and have come to the disillusioning conclusion that engineers are not cool.

As a kid who loved breaking things to see how they work, or playing with legos, or exceling in math and science, people always said things like, "Oh, you were born to be an engineer." Oh, you like messing with new gadgets? You must want to be an engineer.

Growing up, you get this vision of an engineer being this glamourous proffession where you solve all the world's problems and design fancy new gadgets. It's totally not like that and it's dissapointing.

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes. I would know as I am one of them. It's mainly out of jealousy seeing all of the liberal arts majors take 10 hours of classes a semester and party all the time. This is understandable. And yes, I am speaking for all engineering students. They are all like this one way or another.

The fact of the matter is, engineering isn't glamourous, it isn't spectacular, and it isn't as high-paying as many people believe. Management gets paid far more than engineers. Granted, a bunch of management were at one point engineers, but they typically have an MBA, plus it's slightly disheartening that this is what people want to work up to.

I write this because I've noticed a great deal of engineers on this board, both students and professionals, and they always have some smug remark to say when it comes to what they're studying or what they do.

And to clarify, I still relatively enjoy what I do (and I do it well), so the "you shouldn't be an engineer" garbage isn't valid. It's just that what I am currently doing, and what I have seen others do is not the same as what I envisioned when I decided to become an engineer.

Maybe it's not only engineering. Is this the same with other proffessions as well? I'd like to know.

i completely agree with everything you said. i was an engineer for three years, but got sick of the lifestyle/people. it was just no fun. so i quit and don't know what im going to do now.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: ducci
I'll be an EE senior this year, I've gone through some internships, been exposed to the field, and have come to the disillusioning conclusion that engineers are not cool.

Most internships I've participated in or heard about tend to fall into two catagories -

- Interns who get to do cool stuff because they aren't there long enough to spend alot of manpower on bringing them up to speed on the "real work" if this is the case, and you're syill disilloussioned, you're not cut out to be an engineer.

- Interns who get stuck with boring crap work because they aren't there long enough to bring up to speed. If so, wait till you get a real job to pass judgement.

As a kid who loved breaking things to see how they work, or playing with legos, or exceling in math and science, people always said things like, "Oh, you were born to be an engineer." Oh, you like messing with new gadgets? You must want to be an engineer.

Growing up, you get this vision of an engineer being this glamourous proffession where you solve all the world's problems and design fancy new gadgets. It's totally not like that and it's dissapointing.

I guess it depends on what you're doing and where. Many engineers will end up doing "boring" stuff. To get into the interesting stuff you need to seek out the opportunities, and you need to be very good at what you do to get them. There is alot of competition for the "cool" jobs and there aren't many at the entry level. I guess that makes me an elitist asshole But it's no different from any other proffesion really - there are alot more actors working TV commercials then lead roles in feature films.

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes. I would know as I am one of them. It's mainly out of jealousy seeing all of the liberal arts majors take 10 hours of classes a semester and party all the time. This is understandable. And yes, I am speaking for all engineering students. They are all like this one way or another.

The fact of the matter is, engineering isn't glamourous, it isn't spectacular, and it isn't as high-paying as many people believe. Management gets paid far more than engineers. Granted, a bunch of management were at one point engineers, but they typically have an MBA, plus it's slightly disheartening that this is what people want to work up to.

It pays very well from my point of view. And if you think engineering is boring & unglamorous, you haven't seen much management! I've been there and done that - I hated Hated HATED it and have no desire to do it again.

I write this because I've noticed a great deal of engineers on this board, both students and professionals, and they always have some smug remark to say when it comes to what they're studying or what they do.

And to clarify, I still relatively enjoy what I do (and I do it well), so the "you shouldn't be an engineer" garbage isn't valid. It's just that what I am currently doing, and what I have seen others do is not the same as what I envisioned when I decided to become an engineer.

In contrast, I've been working in the field for about 11 years. I have a great job working on really cool stuff - well, at least I think its really cool, and that's what counts. Most people would probably be bored to tears by it. It is very much as I envisioned it, though not in the field I primarily studied in. Lots of tough, interesting problems, lots of room for creativity, working on important stuff, other smart people to work with, fun toys to play with, etc.

If you're not excited about your job, find another one. If you can't get excited about any of them, maybe you need to re-evaluate your choice of careers. I personally can't imagine working in any other field.

Maybe it's not only engineering. Is this the same with other proffessions as well? I'd like to know.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

well you're prtty much right about everything (I'm an EE)I just don't understand why any of this comes as a surprise to you. It's not like anyone builds you up to think that engineers are rich or that it is a glamorous profession. Engineers make a decent living wage working on sh!t 95% of the population can't even begin to understand. The worst part (and this is where the bitterness comes in) is that most engineers are whipping boys and get no recognition for their work and achievements.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
well you're prtty much right about everything (I'm an EE)I just don't understand why any of this comes as a surprise to you. It's not like anyone builds you up to think that engineers are rich or that it is a glamorous profession. Engineers make a decent living wage working on sh!t 95% of the population can't even begin to understand. The worst part (and this is where the bitterness comes in) is that most engineers are whipping boys and get no recognition for their work and achievements.

And what proffesions do? Middle management? Accounting? IT? Fry cook? Your average lawyer/banker/accountant?

Within the field I think there is alot of recognition of individual ability and achievement - probably more then in many fields. If you want the general public to applaud your effort, you should be in show business.

 

[sonz70]

The point of engineering is to do something you love. Either you love it or you do not, if you get into it for money only, you will hate it and find reasons to be bitter. I'd rather be the guy making 40k a year who can wake up and be happy to go to his job, than the one making 100 000K a year who keeps the shotgun and the anti-depressants close by.

 

[sunzt]

Engineers, on average, go into management in about 5 years. Don't quote me on that though, just something one of my Engineering profs said and he works in auto industry doing research.

 

[Spike]

Lol, I guess I have the best of both worlds. I am an engineer (Industrial Engineer to be exact) but am in management, so the pay is nice as well as the engineering part. Sure there are people with MBA's who make more than I do, but all the upper management in my company (including the CEO) are engineers. And no, this is not a small company, I believe we reported over 11 billion in net last quarter...

-spike

 

[eigen]

Study math.All the hard work and none of the rewards.But the people are alot more laid back.Though eccentric.

 

[RedCOMET]

Originally posted by: sonz70
The point of engineering is to do something you love. Either you love it or you do not, if you get into it for money only, you will hate it and find reasons to be bitter. I'd rather be the guy making 40k a year who can wake up and be happy to go to his job, than the one making 100 000K a year who keeps the shotgun and the anti-depressants close by.

That seems so true.

Me persnally, i feel like kicking my self in the but for not taking any business classes since i've started getting my degree in Computer Engineer. I would think taking some bussines classes would help if i ever became middle management, becuase then i would know what the engineers below were doing, etc., etc. Also, they would be good if ever went into business myself.

Now, I've talked to some people who've graduated from colleges and such with one degreee and doing something completely different than what they intially went to school for. Even if a job isn't specifically Engineering related, try to apply for it, If you get turned down at the job interview, it can still be a good experience. Be open minded.

Now, I know i'm a big dork, and such, But i don't let my engineering courses consume. i try to have fun, and i know that if i don't like what i'm doing, there are ways to better myself so that I can have the skill to do something that i might enjoy.

 

[Soccerman06]

You picked the wrong degree if you want to fix the world problems ducci. Civil and Mechanical engineers are the ones who design that new highway and your brand new hybrid TD that does 100mpg. The material engineer makes that new plastic that reforms it's shape after its douced in hot water. EE design the computer chip and mobo, not igzactly life changing...

 

[sonz70]

Originally posted by: Soccerman06
You picked the wrong degree if you want to fix the world problems ducci. Civil and Mechanical engineers are the ones who design that new highway and your brand new hybrid TD that does 100mpg. The material engineer makes that new plastic that reforms it's shape after its douced in hot water. EE design the computer chip and mobo, not igzactly life changing...

Yeah, because the cpu and motherboard have not changed the way we live our life at all now have they.

 

[Lumathix]

Originally posted by: ducci
I'll be an EE senior this year, I've gone through some internships, been exposed to the field, and have come to the disillusioning conclusion that engineers are not cool.

As a kid who loved breaking things to see how they work, or playing with legos, or exceling in math and science, people always said things like, "Oh, you were born to be an engineer." Oh, you like messing with new gadgets? You must want to be an engineer.

Growing up, you get this vision of an engineer being this glamourous proffession where you solve all the world's problems and design fancy new gadgets. It's totally not like that and it's dissapointing.

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes. I would know as I am one of them. It's mainly out of jealousy seeing all of the liberal arts majors take 10 hours of classes a semester and party all the time. This is understandable. And yes, I am speaking for all engineering students. They are all like this one way or another.

The fact of the matter is, engineering isn't glamourous, it isn't spectacular, and it isn't as high-paying as many people believe. Management gets paid far more than engineers. Granted, a bunch of management were at one point engineers, but they typically have an MBA, plus it's slightly disheartening that this is what people want to work up to.

I write this because I've noticed a great deal of engineers on this board, both students and professionals, and they always have some smug remark to say when it comes to what they're studying or what they do.

And to clarify, I still relatively enjoy what I do (and I do it well), so the "you shouldn't be an engineer" garbage isn't valid. It's just that what I am currently doing, and what I have seen others do is not the same as what I envisioned when I decided to become an engineer.

Maybe it's not only engineering. Is this the same with other proffessions as well? I'd like to know.

That is a huge generalization, but here's a :thumbsup: anyway, because I'm a good natured engineer.

 

[kranky]

I've worked with engineers for many years and if you're interested in why so many are unappreciated, I'll share some thoughts. I'm generalizing but of course not all engineers are like this. My point isn't to slam engineers but to point out why some feel unappreciated when much of the problem is theirs.

First, they refuse to follow company policies. If they decide the policy is stupid, they won't make an effort to get it changed (which could be done!). They just unilaterally refuse to comply. This makes other people's jobs more difficult, therefore those people aren't too thrilled.

Second, they have a poor grasp on the need for the company to make a profit. They do what they want to do and ignore the cost. Then when the person who is responsible for the profit/loss situation chastises the engineer for spending too much, the engineer gets all huffy and declares that's the way it had to be. In many cases, that's not true. I've seen engineers redesign something that was already done (and functioning) because they felt their own way was better. If the boss forced them to use the existing design (which is often the right thing to do), they feel like they have no freedom.

Third, they lack perspective. When time is running out, you have to get something done even if it's not perfect. Yes, you could improve it if there was unlimited time and money, but that's not reality. There's a saying "there comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production."

Fourth, they won't do paperwork. Nobody likes it, but there are times it is required. When the government gives you $100 million to do something, that money comes with strings attached. Among other things, they want big, fat reports. Engineers don't like doing them, so they keep blowing it off. And when someone who realizes that we aren't going to get paid without turning in those reports goes to the engineer and makes a fuss, the engineer is offended.

If I had to summarize it, I'd say that 30% of the time you have to do things that aren't really fun. No different than any other job. But engineers have trouble accepting that as reality, and just getting it done so they can get back to the part they enjoy.

 

[Ranger X]

So I'm not the only one who thinks engineering students are elitist a-holes?

Want to know what a typical engineer is like? I work them everyday.
A typical engineer ...

1. Doesn't know how to dress himself.
2. Anywhere from slightly overweight to severely overweight.
3. Lacks hygiene.
4. Will never admit he/she is wrong.
5. Will make himself/herself sound more intelligent and useful than he/she really is.
6. Lacks social skills -- hence the reason why so many are old and not married.
7. Will flirt with anything without a penis.
8. Will carry around this aura of desperation. #8 is especially evident during #7.

Are there exceptions to the rule? Always.

 

[vshah]

after i graduatie i will work my way to a management position, hopefully eventually starting my own business

 

[sonz70]

Originally posted by: Ranger X
So I'm not the only one who thinks engineering students are elitist a-holes?

Want to know what a typical engineer is like? I work them everyday.
A typical engineer ...

1. Doesn't know how to dress himself.
2. Anywhere from slightly overweight to severely overweight.
3. Lacks hygiene.
4. Will never admit he/she is wrong.
5. Will make himself/herself sound more intelligent and useful than he/she really is.
6. Lacks social skills -- hence the reason why so many are old and not married.
7. Will flirt with anything without a penis.
8. Will carry around this aura of desperation. #8 is especially evident during #7.

Are there exceptions to the rule? Always.

Man...the people I hang out with are all in my classes (EE) and none of us fit that stereotype. Well, but for the cocky part, that I will admit too.

 

[CanOWorms]

I've never thought of engineering as glamorous. It's just something that I studied. I don't think that it's high-paying or low-paying unless you get to management (where almost all managers for engineers are engineers). I'm not sure whether it's typical for engineering managers to have MBAs either. I know of several people working in high level positions in engineering companies who don't have MBAs.

I just completed my MSEE and plan on going to law school in the near future.

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: Ranger X
So I'm not the only one who thinks engineering students are elitist a-holes?

Want to know what a typical engineer is like? I work them everyday.
A typical engineer ...

1. Doesn't know how to dress himself.
2. Anywhere from slightly overweight to severely overweight.
3. Lacks hygiene.
4. Will never admit he/she is wrong.
5. Will make himself/herself sound more intelligent and useful than he/she really is.
6. Lacks social skills -- hence the reason why so many are old and not married.
7. Will flirt with anything without a penis.
8. Will carry around this aura of desperation. #8 is especially evident during #7.

Are there exceptions to the rule? Always.

Interesting. Of the dozens of engineers I work with I would say none of them fit these stereotypes any more than the general population, with the exception of #6 (lacking social skills). That's a little more common in the engineers I work with than in the public at large.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: AtlantaBob

Originally posted by: loki8481

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes.

:thumbsup:

I always hated having to walk through that section of the building when I was on my way to advanced bio classes that I was taking for fun and entertainment.

Indeed.

Loki, somehow I get the feeling that you were a humanities/lib arts person? Or would I be confusing you with Descarts? The two of you sharing that avatar is confusing sometimes.

yeah, I dual-majored in English Lit / Sociology.

I knew this one really great bio professor, though, who let me audit a couple of the advanced courses he taught (300+) just because I thought they were insanely interesting. thus my assosiation with the science and engineering department at my college

Wow, two of us English majors here? That's impressive. I ended up being Urban Studies as well--which meant that I took all of two sociology classes.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Originally posted by: akubi

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: AtlantaBob

Originally posted by: loki8481

Engineering students are, in fact, elitist assholes.

:thumbsup:

I always hated having to walk through that section of the building when I was on my way to advanced bio classes that I was taking for fun and entertainment.

Indeed.

Loki, somehow I get the feeling that you were a humanities/lib arts person? Or would I be confusing you with Descarts? The two of you sharing that avatar is confusing sometimes.

yeah, I dual-majored in English Lit / Sociology.

I knew this one really great bio professor, though, who let me audit a couple of the advanced courses he taught (300+) just because I thought they were insanely interesting. thus my assosiation with the science and engineering department at my college

what kind of jobs do people with english degrees get? genuinely curious

Well, as another English major, I'm in Grad School getting a PhD in Architecture -- actually, everything I do now has to do with math and computer programing. Most of the people I knew went on to teach (either High school or on to get a PhD) or went on to law school. A few ended up as generic consultants.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: akubi
what kind of jobs do people with english degrees get? genuinely curious

My ex's mother was an english major - she's a secretary now.

Essentially, english majors have three choices -
Teach english in schools
Teach english in college, thus making more english majors
Menial, pointless work.

Eh, depends on where they went to school--often times, it depends on the quality of the school that they came from, which ends up influencing whether or not they go on to grad school/law school/med school, etc.

A surprising number really just do it so they can be well-rounded. We had a lot of double majors.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: kranky

Originally posted by: Ranger X
So I'm not the only one who thinks engineering students are elitist a-holes?

Want to know what a typical engineer is like? I work them everyday.
A typical engineer ...

1. Doesn't know how to dress himself.
2. Anywhere from slightly overweight to severely overweight.
3. Lacks hygiene.
4. Will never admit he/she is wrong.
5. Will make himself/herself sound more intelligent and useful than he/she really is.
6. Lacks social skills -- hence the reason why so many are old and not married.
7. Will flirt with anything without a penis.
8. Will carry around this aura of desperation. #8 is especially evident during #7.

Are there exceptions to the rule? Always.

Interesting. Of the dozens of engineers I work with I would say none of them fit these stereotypes any more than the general population, with the exception of #6 (lacking social skills). That's a little more common in the engineers I work with than in the public at large.

I know very few engineers that fit this stereotype - as kranky says, no more then the general population. Where this stereotype does seem to be over-represented in my experience is in IT

 

[RabidMongoose]

You're racist against engineers.