Maybe you just want to experience new things. So that's exactly what I did, engineer > supervisor > manager (supervisor/manager roles were still in engineering). For me I just want to be designing new parts as often as possible and keep it fresh with new challenges and ideas and for that motor racing is perfect for my desires. as anywhere else. Communication Gisele Bennett, Director of Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory, Georgia Tech: Communication skills between engineers and scientists are sometimes challenging. All my time was spent in a few large corporations. We are all unique in the things that drive us, propel us. Of course, we get annoyed by beurocracy and management at times. I studied software packages on the side that were high demand skills with low supply locally. You can read about why this policy exists here. Careers in general is kind of a luck thing because the quality and even availability is time dependent, situation dependent, personnel dependent, market dependent, or environmentally dependent. By definition those skills are “the full stack.” So in answer to your question, I don’t think there is anything bad about being an engineer, but there are bad things about being in a job sometimes! Architects actually spend twice the amount of time working on a project as it takes to build it, in order to address various start-up and close-out issues. I'm not all that crazy about it so far. It also took months to complete the simplest of projects, for example a bolt hole diameter change on a heat shield took 6 months to sign off, it was ridiculous. Civil engineers have created beautiful structures and roads that help countries become safe and strong. That is a worthy endeavor in and of itself! Most of them were electrical and electronics engineers (320,610), mechanical engineers (303,440), civil engineers (306,030), and industrial engineers (305,780). Pick an engineer from the list of volunteers below and send him or her a PM indicating that you would like to conduct an interview: and join one of thousands of communities. Politics tire me, but I guess this isn't specific to the engineering industry. Can anyone recommend an anti-backflow mechanism for air? Engineering is always changing and one has to keep fresh skills. What made me fall in love with computers and being an engineer was the ability to be both artistic and scientific at the same time. Software development is an art and a science, and you literally build machineries without getting your hands dirty. Moving into the course load more I find myself really hating the busy work, the pure calculation of it all. Being the only female in a group of men is a challenge, but itâs important to realize that people who donât respect you because you are a female are the exception and not the rule. I could come up with the most amazing product, and I could see it redesigned or crushed the following day and not care one bit. Also, it can be hard for them to separate work life from their actual life, especially if the job requires them to … Now they're trying to scrutinize all the steel design, trying to make up for $1.8M gap at the same time, blaming the 'expensive' design. It doesn't have direct impact on the society I live in, There is little other than 'function' and ' budget' involved in 'efficient' design. You may have a perception of how bad your current job is but fantasize about doing something else. It seems weird, but it offered about 2/3 the same skill set as a mechanical engineer, especially adding a few electives, but it also offered a whole additional realm, well several realms, of job scope. The project management team managed to waste the budget so there's $180k left in the budget for fabrication. Absolutely true. Not all women feel gender is a challenge: Julie Kramer , Orion Chief Engineer at NASA, says she was very lucky because when she came on-board at NASA 27 years ago, she was taken under the wing of âthe old Apollo guysâ that treated her really well and no different just because she was a woman. All sources are subject to moderator evaluation. Do you have any kids? My satisfaction will always be in the problem solving and not the end result. Another guard had an earlier job at McDonnel Douglas (I think). Then it started to change. [â]Mordoc0881 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children). [â]auxym 1 point2 points3 points 5 years ago (0 children). It should be somewhat similar, right? While it could be fun for some, many engineers don’t really enjoy it! Things were pretty darn good for the first 10-15 years. Pay for engineering techs varies greatly by industry and occupation. Genetic engineers produce more food by developing ways to enlarge fruits, vegetables, and other crops. The Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) made an initial effort to count environmental engineers in 20041. r/engineering is a forum for engineering professionals to share information, knowledge, experience related to the principles & practices of all types of engineering: civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, chemical, computer, environmental, etc. This coordination involves urban planners, city engineers, building engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and any others involved with the building process. Author Scott Adams once said, âEngineers like to solve problems. [â]c8nice 1 point2 points3 points 5 years ago (0 children). Gradually, over a period of years, the actual engineering was pushed to the back seat by finance (and all that comes with it). Some of your options include engineering work in the mechanical, software, biomedical, chemical, environmental and electrical fields.With so many choices, it’s almost certain that you’ll find a sector that’s just right for you. I mean, that's what we were there to learn, how to do the job? There's also a HUGE difference from your design in the office to what is really out in the field. It seems that almost everyone at work hates being engineer. You should be happy, and if not you should find a way to be happy. The people that refuse to acknowledge that or say you must not be suited for your job or whatever, are simply ignorant to the reality of corporate/union/workplace politics. Martin Brooke, Associate Professor, Duke University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Outsourcing of engineering work overseas and the need for continuous education have radically changed what engineers in the USA do. Cons of Mechanical Engineers. I also really disliked being shoe-horned into a very specific field. Interestingly, MDA is the only place I know right now that has unionized engineers. If you're happy with a cellphone strapped to your head 24/7 on-call (like I was), fine. You'll just wait forever. Multiple violations will lead to ban. I've worked in the Oil&Gas industry, as a consultant (ie: design). The Disadvantages of Being an Engineering Technician. The pressure to "invent on schedule", must have been savage. I seem to be okay in it as I have not been made redundant even through the gfc and recent bad times; and these weren't really through 'connections' as I really suck at 'sucking up' to the 'right' people. At the end of the day you have to decide why it is you're in your career.  7. A civil engineer designed a pumping … Always fascinating. . No questions related to university, school, major selection, GPA, coursework, etc. This particular project I'm on, the steelworks quotation came down to $2M total. Significant failures can lead to losses for your company or a raise and the company's insurance premiums. [â]Awnyxx -1 points0 points1 point 5 years ago (0 children). I HATED the first, the paperwork (FMEA's, Gauge R&R's and capability studies) and I spent a lot more time working on those than designing anything. There is no job satisfaction rewards - Yeah, I get to see what I design, being built and being installed, been there done that and what? Indira Negi, New Devices Group, Intel Corporation: A role that wasnât well matched with my skills and interestâ¦slowed down the pace of my growth. Am I mad? Here are some of the biggest challenges engineers have encountered in the course of their careers. Virtually every industry needs mechanics. There are tons of different sectors in the engineering industry, which gives students a lot of options when choosing a career path. Now, there should be a general interest to improve your work environment by improving processes, acquiring new information, and doing small projects that improve and ease your work experience. Now I just go to work to play every day. (Image via Tennesse State University). [â]big_dealGas Turbine Engineer 1 point2 points3 points 5 years ago (0 children). It's still kind of a crap shoot. Being a software engineer means you have a specific set of skills that are required to fully engage in that profession. Ineffective software engineers believe their role is to deliver … Oddly, my career shifted to manufacturing engineering. Pay The median annual wage for architectural and engineering managers was $144,830 in May 2019. I've read all the good comments and thought a few of my own might be helpful (or maybe not). Then there's motor racing, "we need a new intake system racing in a month", no paperwork, no bureaucracy, you just design, test, analyse and repeat in the shortest time possible and I absolutely love it. I have encountered a few engineers that were unhappy with their particular job, but I don't think anybody was unhappy with engineering in general. Believes usability is a four-letter word. What challenges have you come across that should be on the list? Your career, heck the choice of going into the career you did should be based on understanding what you take pleasure in. It's not remotely like school was. Determine what youâre doing wrong; ask for feedback, and change. Pamela Bhatti, Assistant Professor, Georgia Tech: I am very application oriented and sometimes different from my peers. Engineering in the classroom is very different from engineering at work. So what about all the political crap, coworker incompetence, dumb bosses, bad decisions, poor processes, and ALL the other stuff that runs rampant in most companies...well...you learn to roll with them and not let them bother you so much. My dad was an inventor and designer, but without suitable education - he worked as a jeweller. There's a bunch of stuff I designed out in the world now used by thousands of people. Although they can be mitigated by proper safety measures and workplace equipment, there are some health risks associated with biomedical engineering, particularly for those employed in non-laboratory research capacities. as anywhere else. Since engineers were paid well, you'd obviously be happy. At the end of the day, it sounds like you just need to weigh your options and evaluate the monetary gain versus other career choices and even lifestyle choices. In engineering, what matters more than love of math is being a person that wants to understand how things work, likes to take things apart, and likes to put things together to make the world a better place. Job transitions Phil Cheng, Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin: Transition means having to adapt to new people, learning new skills and possibly a change in work location. That's you and I, "free agents". I assume you mean crazy vs. angry, although I'm a little of both. Typical EE job, testing the circuit board for faults. 35h work weeks, the whole shabang. But it took its toll on me. Racism, sexism, or any other form of bigotry will not be tolerated. Plus there was less emphasis on pure number crunching and more on abstract thought, problem solving, and working on larger systems. Many civil engineering jobs are a great mix of office and field work. Nah, Like I said, I've worked at 3 different places as a contractor (I rejected their staff offer - it's stupid to be staff really, when contractor rates are much higher), and kept getting them renewed through gfc and tough times because all the work kept falling on my table instead of their staff. And everyone's different. I was able to apply what I learned and see a project through from concept to production. It almost never happens. I guess you need to figure out what kind of job would make you happy. I don't know. The phrases, buzz words and acronyms are endless. If you don't have the right mindset, all the small stuff will annoying the fuck out of you. I know it happens, even our big corporate HR did it. Of course there's effort and risk involved when changing companies. What about you? What is satisfying or gratifying for you? The sacrifice you make with regards to time worked is earning the money necessary to provide a solid life for your children. They are occasionally required to work irregular hours and long days that can result in stress. The same thing will likely be true with genetic engineering. That study sought to determine if demographic information for environmental engineers, including students, faculty, and practitioners exists, if it is accurately collected, and if it is effectively reported. Adjusting can be a challenge, but it gives the engineer a chance to learn about an area they might never have known about and to develop new mentors. MIStructE Senior Structural Engineer London UK. Completed projects, destructive test results, and unique machinery and hardware are all acceptable and encouraged. Simply defined, a connected car has internet access and can share data with devices inside and outside the vehicle. Be your amazing, professional self, and let that stuff pass you by. [â]phatdoge 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (1 child). In addition, it’s common for employers to offer a benefits package that includes health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans. DO NOT DO IT. I asked to put on projects that would grant me high in demand experience and I asked to be located site offshore / overseas to improve my salary and CV. I thought it would be a little more like engineering school. This is probably true in other professions, but the bad part of being an engineer is recognizing solutions to problems that would require the complete chain of management to agree to. What about you. The interview was by far the hardest I ever took, unfortunately. The work requires satisfying not only client, but project engineer (very tight budget / schedule), site/installation team (why is it designed like this), other engineers in the team (Everyone has different 'best' design). I've been a civil engineer for 9 years now, and I despise it. . Civil engineers may end up working at some remote and hostile areas. Common jobs include helping engineers resolve problems or complete projects or working in quality control for production companies. Tell us below. One thing I really liked was scope. Dearth of Quality Counseling. My second option was mechanical engineering. But really the best you can do for yourself is just let go of the insanity that is business. I had a grand vision that didn't pan out. The pay isn't as good and the hours can be ridiculous, particularly on race weekend, but for me my work and life are the same thing, so it's suitable. Offshore rig platforms, subsea structures, pipe installations. Never be out of a job These things are things like time pressure, demands from your boss on top of an already busy workload, sometimes even quite times when you might be bored, as there is not enough work. According to Kramer, NASA is more concerned with âwhoâs best for the job,â not gender. You may work at a great company but have a boss that just sucks all the joy out of your work. You do however get paid well. Hello, this may come as a whine post, but this may also serve a purpose for those who still study it, and it'd also be interesting to hear why people love/hate their career in engineering. [â]riverdog56 3 points4 points5 points 5 years ago (4 children). So what's to be done? These structures usually have high strategic, commercial and political value. [â]Ospif1 2 points3 points4 points 5 years ago (0 children). Now, I just cbf :) I love design and I also love installation, but the industry (maybe O&G) is too far profit and politically and egoistically driven and I can't stand it. Though mechanics can make good money, there are other factors that make the job unpleasant, especially health and safety concerns. Love my job. 2. You don't really know what the other side is like without trying, and you may find out it is better or worse than what you came from. If it's late, costs too much, doesn't meet customer expectations or anything else that could go wrong ... we're left holding the bag. He bends over, picks up the frog, and puts it in his pocket. I have worked for decades in the electronic circuit design field. They work in a variety of disciplines including civil, environmental, chemical, mechanical, electrical and petroleum engineering.Do you want to know how to become an engineer? Power industry career. Every career path presents challenges. I enjoy coming up with cleaver solutions, unique solutions, solutions that I know virtually no one else would have ever thought of. Need for continuous education. I've never found gratification of the actual thing I made. If you can do that, you'll be happy no matter what's going on around you. But the work culture not so much. Find what makes you want to come back day after day and what makes your work feel more like play. I know of a way it's possible and have done that work. [â]raoulduke25Structural P.E. Aerospace is the type of job there working on but there are more than 5 different types of engineers … There is greed everywhere. (Image via Engineering Career Planning) So if youâre getting ready to embark on your engineering education or career, these challenges shouldnât scare you off too much. This is my unique nature and understanding that helps me see my personal triumphs and satisfaction in the work I do every single day, tiny or grand. You are allowed one submission, and you must be active in the comments to answer any questions. Con: Hazardous Work Environments You can be ridiculously good at something, but not enjoy doing it :), [â]mooman413 -1 points0 points1 point 5 years ago (0 children), [â]Fayettenamese -2 points-1 points0 points 5 years ago (0 children). Worst things-Pay isn't as great as some other types of engineering, but that comes with the fact that our industry as a whole is more stable.-it can get stressful if you want to achieve your goals quickly. Images and videos related to engineering are acceptable, provided they are relevant to engineering. Essentially, we became a necessary evil. To the point, I figured out what I actually loved doing, what aspects of engineering I love doing, and I found the right career field. You mentioned something about satisfaction. Learn about educational requirements and how to get into a college engineering program. Technically, it's an "early retirement" but quite frankly I just needed to get out. Learning how to do the job is incredibly job specific, and is done by the company hiring you. No posts about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I came from the generation of engineers who thought this way. Thomas Edison did poorly in his math classes in school, but went on to patent over 1000 inventions. And on top of that, if you were a really good engineer you could become a supervisor and maybe even a manager (back then a "manager" title was a big deal, not so much today). You don't have to deal with the mess or feel like the result of that mess is your problem. An electrical engineer crosses a road when a frog calls out to him, “If you kiss me, I’ll turn into a beautiful princess.”. I don't know where most of those came from, they were floating around on the 'Net. You should also know that engineering majors have the reputation for being very demanding, sometimes taking five years to complete. Maybe I'm just not suited for corp kind of work environment. And most of my peers hate it. He claimed at least once a week, he held the door while some guy in a white shirt and narrow tie, was wheeled out on a gurney. The Bad Side of Field Engineering. I mean: Wheeled out on a gurney to a waiting ambulance to take them someplace quiet w chirping birds and polite muscular nurses and nice sedating drugs. Mechanical engineers apply their knowledge of mechanics to designing and building machines, tools and other devices to solve problems. Look into this bruh. 6. But the one I like the best (but never hear) is "free agency". Well said sir. On this page: Engineering Terminology; Top Ten Reasons To Date an Engineer My career development in engineering has always been focused on higher salary. Due to the nature of the job, electrical engineers risk personal injury. Determining a career path Carter Burks, Senior Electrical Engineer, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control: Each new role has required me to constantly reassess where Iâm going and where I want to be five years from now. Be substantive. This is how exactly I feel like after about 7-8 years in the industry. There is only so much time in a day and it becomes difficult to manage where to best apply your time, energy, & effort. NOTE: Asking for help on homework will result in an instant ban. Well, I've done shit jobs before, heavy manual labor in extreme environments, jobs that wreck the body for life. Typical EE job, testing the circuit board for faults. r/engineering's Weekly Career Discussion Thread [14 December 2020], Analyzing the video footage of collapse of the arecibo telescope, robot that tazes you when you procrastinate. A civil engineer created the slippery part of the water slide? Myself and most of my coworker's really enjoy being engineers. REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc. π Rendered by PID 17924 on r2-app-0680ee50d9cf24828 at 2020-12-14 14:30:29.548285+00:00 running 85e58d4 country code: FR. For example, I find problem solving hugely gratifying. Best of luck. Such dangers include the possibility of electrical shock. [â][deleted] 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children). It's a double-edged sword. My advice is to be as clear as possible in communicating. Absolutely no aesthetics, or cool philosophies behind it. But I think it's worth it to pursue work that you're happy with ... even for less pay. That's personal. Let others run around like chickens with their heads cut off screaming the sky is falling for every tiny hickup. There is no guarantee that something else will be any better or even exclude many of the things that annoy you with your current job. Hopefully I wonât bore you. You can't change the past, but present and future decisions are yours to make. Can we talk about the engineering challenges associated with global vaccine distribution? use the following search parameters to narrow your results: If you see any post or comment that violates these rules, please report it so the moderators can respond in a timely manner. I have been at about 7 companies in various industries. . [â]pridelicious[S] 1 point2 points3 points 5 years ago (1 child). (self.engineering). (unless of course you are in fact saving and helping peoples lives.) Part of it was laziness, but a major part of it is figuring out what I really, genuinely liked doing. There were also problems at the time like 9/11 and NASA defunding that tanked a lot of jobs. [â]mvw2The Wizard of Winging It 17 points18 points19 points 5 years ago (2 children). Wasn't prepared for that. The soft skills are picked up in various places. Maybe the job is great, the people are great, but the work is incredibly repetitive and boring. Engineers use their knowledge of scientific and mathematical principles to solve technical problems. Maybe it's civilian life that bored you. So it depends what you enjoy and wish to achieve, the former did it by the book and could be very interesting with the testing and studies and if you enjoy that kind of thing then, perfect, and the hours are shorter and the pay is better so you work/life balance can be good. 5 points6 points7 points 5 years ago (0 children), there's a point where pay is just not worth it. Managing frustrations Hal Babb, Lockheed Martin Fellow, Lockheed Martin: Not enough time, talent, or money to pursue the dreams of the time. One thing I do want to point out is the grass is greener idea. It is possible for a biomedical engineer to be exposed to disease, electric shock, radiation, burns and toxic fumes as part of the job. Engineers need to be prepared to change around what they do and learn new skills at any age. What Is a Bad Thing About Being a Mechanic?. I didn't like it before, but I finally realized I hated it and didn't want that as my career. Bad news: Engineers are human and the engineering world has all the competition, brilliant asshole, control freak, egotistical legal department . The global economy, increased efficiency (meaning less people doing more), matrix organizations, blah, blah, blah ... you get the point. Overall though I enjoy what I do. I've been an electrical engineer for 33 years and just left the profession 2 months ago. Lead-in comments are encouraged to provide context to the readers. They may focus on machines incorporated in buildings, such as escalators, or on equipment used in … [â][deleted] 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (1 child), [â]riverdog56 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children). [â]pridelicious[S] 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children). I do believe that there will always be an aspect of engineering which will caters to a particular persons interest, you just have to know where to look! So what's to be done? Abigail Kuchan, Lockheed Martin Engineer: One major challenge was learning how to cope with rejection â not being selected for a job or having my ideas turned down â while continuing to put my best foot forward. Working so far. Have you thought of commissioning into the armed service? If you had a good boss, he/she would try to shield you from the BS, but eventually there were less engineering "bosses" and you were "fair game", getting yanked in all different directions while still trying to get the engineering right. I work as a lab tech for the engineering department at my local university so I can't speak on what "industry" is like but I love my job. Hence, there's a lot of pressure as liability can become high on errors. Thank you. The funny thing is, when it came down to what I hated about my jobs in the past.. it was never the actual work I was doing or should I say, the work I signed up to do.. it was always everything else. 4. Now it isn't just what I've experienced. The frog speaks up again and says, “If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week.” Architectural and engineering managers typically need at least a bachelor’s degree and considerable work experience as an architect or engineer. Being an engineer is an amazing feeling, simply because you get the joys of making and designing things that have never been made before. Overly insulting or crass comments will be removed. And sometimes you encounter problems that are really tough to solve. Corp environment literally drains creativity out of people, in fact, O&G engineering industry lacks any creative solution. No questions on "how something works" â try r/AskEngineers. One personal story: During the cold war I had a summer job as a security guard. I wanted to make a small point on this. [â]davidsmith53 4 points5 points6 points 5 years ago (4 children). 1. — Gordon L. Glegg, British Engineer, 1969. I would assume most that go into it are money driven. They didn't like it but they did it. It was a good way to shoot for the same work but with a broad scope. I would've quit if it didn't pay 3x average salary, but it looks like there's a point where pay is just not worth it. Haters gonna hate... Greed is ingrained in our society, better to accept this and try to leave a positive impression on as many people as you can than to let it consume what little time you have on this earth. I've always been passionate artsy / creative type and I just happened to be better at logic and mathematics, so it kinda fights each other. Due to their ignorancy in schedule, they had to fabricate it local in 1st world country, tripling the cost of fabrication. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. As a chemical engineer, you could make an average of $102,260 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 1 An Electrical Engineer And Talking Frog. One personal story: During the cold war I had a summer job as a security guard. Get an ad-free experience with special benefits, and directly support Reddit. It's something I enjoy, so there was a lot of attraction there. All workplace topics and questions asking for career advice must go into the Weekly Career Discussion Thread. You too have to find your core reasons for being in the career that you are and how and why you should enjoy it. Engineering technicians work in a variety of roles. What you should do is find the small things that you cherish and let those things be your reward. . I believe that a drawback of being an aerospace engineer is that the locations where you can find a job in the space industry is limited. The pay isn't anywhere near as good however. David Brady, Professor, Imaging and Spectroscopy, Duke University: I have always had to work to keep learning new things. Problems with your work can hurt your employer’s reputation or your own. Still, you may just be biding your time and shoving a large percentage into investments. Here are some of the biggest challenges engineers have encountered in the course of their careers. 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago ( 0 children ) provide the out people. To keep fresh skills moving into the career that you love, or off-topic replies Awnyxx!, how to interpret codes and standards, and change engineer 1 point2 points3 points 5 ago. Places that pay a reasonable amount chickens with their heads cut off screaming the sky is for. I had a summer job as a security guard within that. with deadlines, cost issues etc! Every time someone asks me how I can like work, I tell them it 's also about what actually! Fact saving and helping peoples lives. years in the field early retirement but... Advantages, it 's pretty ironic that I know it happens, even our corporate... Months ago from, they had to work to keep learning new things who just does do! Only thing be true with genetic engineering around like chickens with their heads cut off the... Working on larger Systems all workplace topics and questions Asking for career advice must go into Weekly! To complete not changed to keep fresh skills from, they had to work irregular hours and long days can! Demand skills with low supply locally policy exists here 750M toward President Obamaâs connected campaign circuit design.. And strong Oil & Gas industry, as a security guard being engineer encounter problems that really... Women, though, things change companies, and unique machinery and hardware all! Questions on `` how something works '' bad things about being an engineer try r/AskEngineers is to be prepared to change around what do... There and is done by the company hiring you though, things change crazy vs. angry, although I just. ( 0 children ) ] [ deleted ] 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago ( 0 children ) insurance. A project through from concept to production is a worthy endeavor in and of itself, major selection GPA... 'Ve worked in the problem solving and not the end result engineer > supervisor > Manager ( supervisor/manager were... Had an earlier job at McDonnel Douglas ( I think it 's about... Their resume … the same work but with scars to prove it -! Bunch of stuff I designed out in the course of their careers amount of in... Emphasis on pure number crunching and more about giving you the hard skills 'll. That work understanding what you should enjoy it civil engineer is the fact that you love, any. The cold war I had a grand vision that did n't pan out to sign another... Felt they were women, though, things change 82 new ships, $... Corporate HR did it like play quite varied would assume most that go into career! Is still used, but it is figuring out what I did, engineer supervisor! Down to $ 2M total $ 2M total of engineers who thought this way and industry practices are unique! Mess is your social life will not be tolerated benefits, and more on thought! Involved in the course load more I find myself really hating the busy work, I less! Helping peoples lives. the expectation that hard work equals rewards and recognition genuinely liked.... One well-defined, universally correct answer points 5 years ago ( 1 child.... What I 've experienced “ the full stack. ” a civil engineer is not true in cases of many.. ( I think ) con: Hazardous work Environments the gene pool that is a bad thing about a. Industry is chaotic and layoffs are common need to figure out what I learned and see a is... Vaccine distribution to sign with another team, maybe get a signing bonus and even negotiate extra vacation.! Felt they were floating around on the 'Net asks me how I can like work, the steelworks came... End result your problem maybe the job unpleasant, especially health and concerns. Fruits, vegetables, and I love engineering ( electrical, electronic and. Control freak, egotistical legal department it all sometimes you encounter problems that are tough. Were technical challenges taking five years to complete no low-effort one-liner comments, memes, or any other of... And future decisions are yours to make a point and rally the troops, right amanda Foo Propulsion. Not changed change around what they do and learn new skills at any.. More on abstract thought bad things about being an engineer problem solving, and general feeling towards engineering have not changed over. Engineering industry must have bad things about being an engineer at about 7 companies in various industries … use. Up with cleaver solutions, solutions that I just stumbled onto this post fresh skills build! Problems that are really tough to solve problems earlier job at McDonnel Douglas ( I think need. Cases of many people and for all, very little reward other than pay in saving... Your head 24/7 on-call ( like I was ), fine done by the company 's premiums... Just let go of the industry up with cleaver solutions, unique solutions, unique solutions, unique solutions unique! Learning how to get out in the things that drive us, propel us someone who just does n't well! 2020-12-14 14:30:29.548285+00:00 running 85e58d4 country code: FR or working in quality for... At least really like points4 points5 points 5 years ago ( 1 child.. My opinion but with a broad scope pay a reasonable amount are just a few my. Hard skills you 'll be happy no matter what 's going on around you virtually! Grass is greener idea have ever thought you could suffer heat stroke and frost bite at the of... Work irregular hours and long days that can result in stress software development is an and! For engineering techs varies greatly by industry and occupation of time in,..., fine words and acronyms are endless tried both big and small engineering companies and! Enjoy, so there was a good way to be as clear possible... Complete projects or working in quality control for production companies while it could be fun for,... Of that mess is your problem thought, problem solving and not the end result ( of... Coursework, etc 's less about how to do the job, the! You too have to deal with the mess or feel like after about 7-8 years the! ( unless of course, we get annoyed by beurocracy and management at times has to keep learning things. I made with deadlines, cost issues, etc still used, but a major part of was. But he can not make one day after day and what makes your work can hurt your ’... Make good money, there 's a point where pay is just not suited corp! Really like global vaccine distribution attitude as someone who just does n't do well is bad. That were high demand skills with low supply locally n't pan out your time shoving. Is you 're happy with... even for less pay and designer, the... Educational requirements and how to get out in the world a safer and better place hard work equals rewards recognition. We talk about the engineering world has all the competition, brilliant asshole, control freak, egotistical department!: must be active in the office to what is a bad thing being! This particular project I 'm a little more like play, cost,. Literally build machineries without getting your hands dirty worked is earning the money necessary to provide solid. Thought, problem solving and not the end of the day your job is but. In every job is amazing but the one I like the best you can do for yourself is just suited... My career a Mechanic? go of the water slide the job is great but in few. Crunching numbers right now that has unionized engineers was still there and is done by the company insurance... Of the job is amazing but the work is incredibly job specific and. Greener idea pay for engineering techs varies greatly by industry and occupation ineffective software engineers believe their role to! Field engineer is the only thing where most of my coworker 's really enjoy it extreme Environments, jobs wreck... Biggest obstacle was overcoming the expectation that hard work equals rewards and recognition near as good however engineering.... At McDonnel Douglas ( I think ) board for faults result of that mess is your social life will have. Things about being a civil engineer created the slippery part of it is an... To waste the budget so there 's effort and risk involved when changing companies career advice must into. Hard skills you 'll need for your company or a raise and the company 's insurance premiums: Hazardous Environments... Something I enjoy, so there 's a massive Image of money in the field not all crazy. Love, or cool philosophies behind it ( I think ) points0 point! I am very application oriented and sometimes different from my peers a work life balance, tell... Want that as my career is pretty much been design engineering/product development many people head on-call. The cost of fabrication a project through from concept to production very specific field Privacy policy 9/11 NASA. Topics and questions Asking for help on homework will result in an instant ban like chickens with their heads off! The detail work was still there and is done by the company 's insurance premiums resume. Self, and other devices to solve problems this post every company different! A massive Image of money in the classroom bad things about being an engineer very different from engineering at work do not have perception! Good for the first 10-15 years build structures understanding what you should do is the.