First of of all I am not offended by Bill saying engineers are a bit odd (a bit? Try bunches!) and we are not too creative and don’t engage well with people. It can be true sometimes. I am trained as a Chemical Engineer (3 years doing that) and spent over 20 years programming. I can talk in technobabble that leaves non engineers dazed and confused. (Why dazzle them with brilliance when you can baffle them with bulls***?) I also could get in deep thought so that people had to go “Earth to Harry, come in!” But I have been told I can explain complex things and make it easy to understand. I also engage very well with people one on one. As an engineer I improved heat transfer on a unit to 80% of what it once cost, and another to 90% of what it once cost. As a programmer, I had a program in production a week after I started. It was in COBOL. I had never programmed in COBOL before that. Thus are my engineer/geek props. In every place I worked, tech or not, I was considered free entertainment. Bad jokes, puns. Funny quips. Examples: At one persons retirement party someone said: “Well, he’s not going to miss this place.” Me, instantly, “Yes he will. Like a toothache that suddenly goes away.” Me and 3 other programmers waiting at a printer for our prints. Boss: “Gentlemen.” Me, whirling around if looking: “Where?! Where?!” Coworker: “I’m teaching class tomorrow.” Me, so fast it was out of my mouth I didn’t know it was coming: “How can you, when you don’t have any?” Programmed a strategic version of a board game called “Star Fleet Battles” in BASIC. On a TRS 80 model 3. Game master for D&D campaign, came up with my own adventures or altered modules. Game Master for a superhero role playing game called Champions (Hero system). Did voice for master villain you could thwart, but never capture. When they heard me do the voice the reaction was “Oh dear God”. Created super mage that “Had my sense of humor with the power to back it up.” Reaction when I said that: ” Oh dear God!” “We are all doomed!” “Lord have mercy!” So I’m a somewhat social, creative, funny, easy to understand Engineer/Programmer. A rare bird indeed. But not alone. So Bill, be careful generalizing. You are not totally wrong. But you are not totally right.
4 replies on “An engineer speaks about our reputation.”
A mechanical, an electrical, a chemical and a civil engineer fell into an argument what kind of engineer god would be. Using man, the crown of god’s creation as an example each of the engineers argued his case.
The mechanical engineer explained: ” Look at the skeleton, the joints, the spine and the delicate balance it is capable of. God must be a mechanical engineer“.
“Wait a second” replied the electrical engineer. ” Look at the nervous system, the eyes and the brain, that is electrical engineering at its best. God must be an electrical engineer“.
The chemical engineer stated: ” The digestive system, the blood circulation, the liver, the lungs and the intestines are the best of the best in chemical engineering. God must be a chemical engineer“.
The civil engineer smiled: “You are all wrong. Of course god is a civil engineer”.
Astonished the other engineers demanded him to explain.” Look at man as a whole. It is a little bit of everything like in civil engineering. And only a civil engineer could come up with the idea to lay the waste water pipe straight through the amusement park“
Heard this before, and still like it.
Software Engineer here as well. Also married a PhD biologist, dad is a PhD biologist… In my whole life’s experience of interacting with scientists, engineers, and doctors, the types that are very low in terms of humanity have never been the top performers, it is the ones who can relate to people, form relationships with mentors and mentees, respect their colleagues, and have the humility to know that they have things to learn from others that do real science and really push the envelope.
True science, after all, is incompatible with arrogance and cannot be done without a healthy dose of skepticism. Those who lack these qualities often manufacture “scientific” results that match what they thought would happen, but are achieved through poor practices. At the more benign end of things, these “discoveries” fail to be replicable, at the more nefarious end, people end up with things like toxic social media or medications with massive harmful side effects.
Harry, let us all know when the casting Director for Oceans 14 contacts your agent (lol).