Engineers

[ktjones]

This is very true. I’ve worked with several engineers across varying fields(mechanical, structural, electrical, etc). Some of those people were incredibly smart, but they lacked the ability to communicate effectively. Sometimes we’re just too dumb to understand what they’re saying.

When I worked product design and firmware design at a large computer / server / storage / networking company in NW Houston awhile back, we referred to that type of engineer as a 'pancake and pizza' engineer. Slide the pancakes and pizza under the door. Never let them talk to a perspective customer! KJ

[SaltwaterSlick]

I have interviewed hundreds of people for engineering positions and it’s hard to find folks with good practical skills in conjunction sound engineering knowledge. I always look for guys that used to be welders/machinists/mechanics/plumbers and then went to engineering school. One question I always ask is if they can tell me the firing order of a small block Chevrolet.

I had a female intern once call out a RH thread on a part when it needed to be LH due to it being a rotating device. When the error was discovered on the prototype she asked why we couldn’t just turn the threaded stud around that went into the hole......


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Something else that might help you, is to ask for a "Marine" engineer as opposed to a mech.E... Marine engineers are Mech.E's with a lot of hands on training and less theory... Marine engineers must know how things are designed, but the also must know how to fix 'em when they break... You don't pull something out and "send it in for repair" when you're a thousand miles from land... you gotta know how to make do and pull wrenches, weld, bend grind and such... One of my degrees is in Marine Engineering... Comin' from a farm background, helped though I must say... I could already weld/burn and read a measuring tape before I left for school...

Ask a prospect to give you the measurement of something using a standard old Stanley metal tape... That'll tell you a lot too! It's 24 inches and 3 of those little marks...

[UncleBubba]

As a machinist in my 26th year thats hilarious, and I do know its pretty easy for a guy on the shop floor to make fun of them, but I have learned to appreciate a good engineer!

I love good engineers. They bring me a picture and say build this please

[Pstraw]

Tractor design isn't too bad but I wish EVERY automotive engineer had to spend at least two years in a repair shop. That way we wouldn't have to burn the hide off our arms trying to get to the oil filter or have to pull the cab off a pickup to get to the engine.

[175gr7.62]

Something else that might help you, is to ask for a "Marine" engineer as opposed to a mech.E... Marine engineers are Mech.E's with a lot of hands on training and less theory... Marine engineers must know how things are designed, but the also must know how to fix 'em when they break... You don't pull something out and "send it in for repair" when you're a thousand miles from land... you gotta know how to make do and pull wrenches, weld, bend grind and such... One of my degrees is in Marine Engineering... Comin' from a farm background, helped though I must say... I could already weld/burn and read a measuring tape before I left for school...

Ask a prospect to give you the measurement of something using a standard old Stanley metal tape... That'll tell you a lot too! It's 24 inches and 3 of those little marks...

One of the best engineers I ever hired or worked with was a Russian cat that managed to get to the US back in 96. He had a Masters Degree from St. Petersburg Polytechnic and had been a submarine officer in the Russian Navy. That sucker could do anything. He said he had to be good because Russian subs were pieces of sheet and if you couldn't fix them you were dead.

[geezer56]

I got my degree at the tender age of 33. Work 45-55 hours a week and take night classes. I had 14 years experience with boilers, water treatment, and was certified to weld vertical, flat, and overhead. The shop guys loved me, because they knew if I drew it, it could be made from my prints. I had worked with all of them. They trusted me. The engineers that already knew it all were a major annoyance to me. I'm 68 now, and retired.

[DapperDan]

I've been a welder/fabricator most of my life and now I work in engineering at NASA. There are some smart guys that work here but we have our fair share of special ones.

My wife’s senior design project was with NASA. She’s a mechanical engineer off 290 and Telge in Houston. She would love to work for nasa. Lol


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[double bogey]

I have seen a few in the mechanical contracting business. I could tell from a machine room setup if the design guy had a marine background or not. Pump packings and non sealed bearings. You don't under or over tighten a mechanical seal, and you don't over or under lube a sealed bearing. Now, that's just my preference. They typically aren't teaching that in schools nowadays.
Seen lots of hvac designs that were out there. And when the building wont cool, and the system is running at capacity, it must be the contractors fault. I will say most of the building problems I have seen are air balance, after 3 different tenant finish contractors monkeyed with the original design, without ever looking at it.

[WhiplashTX]

Tractor design isn't too bad but I wish EVERY automotive engineer had to spend at least two years in a repair shop. That way we wouldn't have to burn the hide off our arms trying to get to the oil filter or have to pull the cab off a pickup to get to the engine.

You should see what it's like working on semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It can take 4-5 hours to replace a part held on by two screws because of all the other crap in the way. It gets even more difficult considering how complex some of the systems are. A stepper involves mechanical, electrical, robotic, pneumatic, fiber optic, optical, electro magnetic, and gas laser systems all rolled into one machine.

[HogHunter34]

I agree there are some that can grasp the concepts in an educational setting but struggle to apply their knowledge in a real world application. I’m not a design engineer but I have taken an engineering product design course in my past. I had to do a design project to reduce cost in manufacturing an injection molded part.
I work as a process engineer & enjoy more of hands on approach & not sit at a computer all day. Most of my computer work is crunching data analysis on process capability.

[cfortner]

One question I always ask is if they can tell me the firing order of a small block Chevrolet.

Do you give them extra points if they have to map it out with their fingers or on a paper?

[Texas Tracker]

Engineer's they can tell you how everything works but they can't work on everything.
My father is a very successful Engineer from TI. That's why I am a Technician.

My Dad retired from TI and had a lot to do with them being where they are today. Smart man and a great dad. He led the design team for the LED read out. Tomahawk Guidance system, TI computers and their TI 84 calculates, he did it all. Holds a patent on the Aluminum retention maze and getter


Abstract
Aluminum or aluminum foil is placed in communication with the interior of a cold cathode gas discharge display chamber to prevent undesirable quantities of mercury from entering the display chamber and to absorb undesirable O.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O which may evolve during the life of the display device.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inventors: Paine, Jr.; Rigaud B. (Dallas, TX), Peshock, Jr.; Michael (Richardson, TX)
Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated (Dallas, TX)

Appl. No.: 05/459,819
Filed: April 10, 1974

[Hooverfb]

Yup. Goes for people of all trades. Had guys like that in the steel mill,and I know guys like that wearing the engineer/software developer/engineer badge now too.

Experience doesnt always help either... got a guy who could be my dads dad that recently refused to do something that helps give diagnostic information to users cause "it's too hard".

[Chief Big Toe]

I love when a very educated engineer comes to our small machine shop and asks this college dropout to design something for him/her. Can't beat experience away from a computer.

^^^^^^^^^ This.. see this on a daily basis.... common sense was not on the learning schedule.. for some of them

[SwampRabbit]

Engineer's they can tell you how everything works but they can't work on everything.
My father is a very successful Engineer from TI. That's why I am a Technician.

My Dad retired from TI and had a lot to do with them being where they are today. Smart man and a great dad. He led the design team for the LED read out. Tomahawk Guidance system, TI computers and their TI 84 calculates, he did it all. Holds a patent on the Aluminum retention maze and getter


Abstract
Aluminum or aluminum foil is placed in communication with the interior of a cold cathode gas discharge display chamber to prevent undesirable quantities of mercury from entering the display chamber and to absorb undesirable O.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O which may evolve during the life of the display device.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inventors: Paine, Jr.; Rigaud B. (Dallas, TX), Peshock, Jr.; Michael (Richardson, TX)
Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated (Dallas, TX)

Appl. No.: 05/459,819
Filed: April 10, 1974

Love this post!