Is Engineering as Fulfilling as It Seems?

[russ_watters]

Yeah, and if someone finds a lost tooth in that house, you'll have no idea who'se mouth it came from!

 

[Kholdstare]

 

[nsaspook]

Scary.

 

[lisab]

Yeah, and if someone finds a lost tooth in that house, you'll have no idea who'se mouth it came from!

 

[Josh111]

You have to like what you do. Many engineers enjoy what they do. Don't go to engineering school just for the money.

Regarding the "Have No Life" idea, I find I enjoy my work life, but find that when I am away from work, my interests are not the same as many other non-technical people I know. I like to talk about ideas, innovative new products, where a given industry is headed. Others like to talk about football. That is not a reason to not want to be an engineer, though.

 

[jhae2.718]

I don't understand the problem.

Engineering = life. The stuff that happens in between doing engineering is boring sometimes, but hey, life isn't perfect, even for engineers.

This. Was three pages really necessary? :D

 

[Danger]

Yeah, and if someone finds a lost tooth in that house, you'll have no idea who'se mouth it came from!

Well, if it was plastic, it wasn't mine. As to which parent... different story.

when I am away from work, my interests are not the same as many other non-technical people I know. I like to talk about ideas, innovative new products, where a given industry is headed. Others like to talk about football.

You're hardly alone. That has nothing to do with being an engineer; it's because of having an active mind.
One of my best friends (ex-commonlaw-wife's niece's boyfriend and my neighbour) is a drywaller, ex-rigpig, with the social skills of a Tasmanian devil who has wicked number mojo and keen intelligence. He can spout off every statistic of every North American sport from memory, and has repeatedly (patiently) tried to explain stuff like off-sides and football penalties. Being Canucks, so close to the US, conversion between metric and Imperial measurements are frequently required here, and he can do those in his head. He also has educated me to a huge degree in the mechanical workings of oil rigs. At the same time, he loves to have me talk about stuff like quantum entanglement or black holes (to the extremely limited extent that I can do so). And his ears really perk up if I even mention "Scientific American".
Have you tried to wedge your interests into the conversations? Maybe ask one of the jocks about how the stats are calculated—before you know it, you'll have him talking math all night.

 

[Kholdstare]

ARRRGGGGHHHH, My head is just being split into two. Last two week I'm coming to office at 9am and leaving at 10pm. Fighting with millions of transistors and billions of metals is draining my energy.

 

[jim hardy]

ARRRGGGGHHHH, My head is just being split into two. Last two week I'm coming to office at 9am and leaving at 10pm. Fighting with millions of transistors and billions of metals is draining my energy.

Got you down, eh ?
Are you also fighting with interruptions and email and telephone and frustration from little details gone awry? I called those "Time Barracudas" because they eat up your day. I mounted a clock in an old stuffed barracuda for cubicle wall hanger.

When I got into a rut like that I realized I needed to change something. So i'd get to work around 5am and by the time everyone else arrived i'd have got a whole day's work done.
That good feeling of accomplishment started a positive feedback that broke the cycle of failure.

Nothing succeeds at 'getting you down' like that cold feeling of failure.
Nothing fails at 'getting you down' like that warm feel of success.

good luck, Khold. Become the best at whatever it is you do.

old jim

 

[Kholdstare]

You are old and knowledgeable Old Jim and I have deep seated respect for your knowledge. But I will not thank you for wishing me luck, for I do not need it. Actually, I need nothing to do what I do, and I do not want to be best at doing it. I will definitely be what I will be in the future.

 

[Danger]

I will definitely be what I will be in the future.

It's pretty hard to argue with logic like that...

 

[jim hardy]

You are old and knowledgeable Old Jim and I have deep seated respect for your knowledge. But I will not thank you for wishing me luck, for I do not need it. Actually, I need nothing to do what I do, and I do not want to be best at doing it. I will definitely be what I will be in the future.

Well,, okay.

I do thank you for your kind words though.

old jim

 

[xxChrisxx]

ARRRGGGGHHHH, My head is just being split into two. Last two week I'm coming to office at 9am and leaving at 10pm. Fighting with millions of transistors and billions of metals is draining my energy.

Work life balance upset?
Get a new job that suits your needs.