“Hey, I bought you the entire “Dilbert” cartoon series on DVD. Let’s binge-watch it this weekend. It’s an excellent documentary of what being an engineer is like!”
Being an engineer provides opportunities to shape your own path. I knew many “drudge” engineers and many who used their initiative to work on their own ideas. That’s how I got into R&D.
I worked with a lot (probably the majority by a small margin) of engineers who were not ingenious or demonstrated any ingenuity. Most of those were essentially just technical accountants – moving technical data from one place to another.
I worked with many engineers most of whom didn’t pursue a second career. The others changed careers. Usually within 5 years. We designed communication equipment for the electric power industry.
Engineering can be great – you can invent and create some neat stuff. An unfortunate reality about engineering is that inventing takes money and resources, and if you can’t foot that bill yourself then you will be destined to work on other people’s ideas (while they take full credit). They might also steal your ideas.
If you can’t finance your own inventions yourself, you’ll need to be very careful to keep and develop your ideas in secret. You’ll also have to document carefully so that later your employer can’t claim your inventions because he thinks you used his resources. You need to get your patents, and possibly your own production company, set up and going strong before they realize what you’re doing… and so you can afford to fight off the army of lawyers they’ll send…
That’s why so many engineers fall into drudgery. Sadly, it holds technical advancements back…
Ida No about 2 years ago
Ahh, the classic Richard move. Ensure that Davey never grows up.
PraiseofFolly about 2 years ago
“Hey, I bought you the entire “Dilbert” cartoon series on DVD. Let’s binge-watch it this weekend. It’s an excellent documentary of what being an engineer is like!”
P51Strega about 2 years ago
Being an engineer provides opportunities to shape your own path. I knew many “drudge” engineers and many who used their initiative to work on their own ideas. That’s how I got into R&D.
DarkHorseSki about 2 years ago
That’s some bad lighting in that room to make the shirt change color in panel 2!
willie_mctell about 2 years ago
They wouldn’t pay you to do it if it were fun.
drycurt about 2 years ago
I worked with a lot (probably the majority by a small margin) of engineers who were not ingenious or demonstrated any ingenuity. Most of those were essentially just technical accountants – moving technical data from one place to another.
Buoy about 2 years ago
Better make some room in the basement.
RonnieAThompson Premium Member about 2 years ago
I worked with many engineers most of whom didn’t pursue a second career. The others changed careers. Usually within 5 years. We designed communication equipment for the electric power industry.
ferddo about 2 years ago
Engineering can be great – you can invent and create some neat stuff. An unfortunate reality about engineering is that inventing takes money and resources, and if you can’t foot that bill yourself then you will be destined to work on other people’s ideas (while they take full credit). They might also steal your ideas.
If you can’t finance your own inventions yourself, you’ll need to be very careful to keep and develop your ideas in secret. You’ll also have to document carefully so that later your employer can’t claim your inventions because he thinks you used his resources. You need to get your patents, and possibly your own production company, set up and going strong before they realize what you’re doing… and so you can afford to fight off the army of lawyers they’ll send…
That’s why so many engineers fall into drudgery. Sadly, it holds technical advancements back…