re: Engineers/Construction Workers?

I don't think this is a new thing. People have been complaining about engineers and especially new engineers forever. You can't expect someone new to a field to know anything about it. It's not what's taught in school. They shouldn't know anything about it. On the other hand, young engineers shouldn't think they know everything, because they learned thermodynamics.

Moral of the story is, hire smart young people you can mold into a good employee. Not saying that's easy, but you can't expect to hire a younger engineer and think they can provide any help. We've got a few right now that I can't even trust to go run an errand, I don't know how they were hired. But then there will be a guy that went to a second rate school that comes into the job like its just a continuation of school and he's still learning. Those guys excel.

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whats always great is when you are a technician and you have some little 24 year old shithead that just finished his engineering degree out on the job trying to tell you how to do your job...even though if you asked him to hand you a certain tool he wouldnt even know where to look...im like....i have been around the world and been working in my field for almost 15 years and now I have to listen to this little shite cause mommy and daddy sent him to school?...that shite is aggravating...


oh and I am finishing my degree next month b4 all the haters start with ..."you should have gotten your degree"...i just did the military first

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Well instead of being a raging dick about it, maybe you should take the kid and show him what you are doing so he becomes a better engineer. Depending on what you do, some of these kids are risking their name and their livelihood with their signatures on the work that techs and other labor perform in the field. A lot of them don't have nice little unions to scare the big bad companies away from firing them. Give the kid a break and help him learn.

Good on you on getting the degree, you will learn it's not all milk and honey on the other side of the fence.

Quite a few butthurt construction guys in here


So what if an engineer doesn't know what tool is which

He didn't go to school for that


And just bc some of you think you can design shite better than an engineer, maybe you can, from a constructability standpoint, but what about codes? Do you know all of them from your field experience?

IMO, it takes a good balance of book smart guys and field smart guys. You cant do it all with just one or the other. It's pretty interesting seeing the disdain that some guys have for engineering and students in general. We all need guidance in some way, so put your fricking ego aside and point us in the right direction.

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Theres only so much that a book will teach you in the classroom.

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but a degree is still required by most heavy hitters....hmmmmm

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Theres only so much that a book will teach you in the classroom.





but a degree is still required by most heavy hitters....hmmmmm

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While true, it depends on what position you are applying for. If for an engineer position, yes you would have to have a degree. But there are other positions available where a degree is not required and you are doing similar if not the same work as an engineer. Also, based on your years of experience, some companies will consider you an engineer w/o a degree.

You can blame what you're ranting about on several factors. One is that students these days who grew up working on farms and pulling their own way through college are few and far between. They get a degree without having ever been exposed to real world stress and urgency, and that carries over into their early careers. Being able to think on your feet and deal with people in a business environment is something you only learn from doing. To them work is no different than school was, and adjusting from that takes time.

Another is engineers not being exposed to people other than engineers. Plenty of engineering students graduate never having talked to the guy who's working 12's putting together and using the stuff they design. Being able to humble your engineering arse enough to ask that guy for advice and suggestions makes you a better engineer.

Another is this

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I'm sure I was like that at the start as well

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You probably were. Everybody I know in engineering school has frequent dumb moments. It's a part of learning.

Another problem can often times be the guy dealing with the young engineer. I've been in situations I wasn't ready for and the guy I was dealing with developed a "I don't have time to deal with this punk who doesn't know what he's talking about" attitude and gave up on the conversation. I got my arse chewed out on the phone for about 20 minutes one time because I didn't know why a guy couldn't get the parts he needed for his engines, and I'm sure he ranted to somebody similarly to the way everyone here does. He knew I was an intern and smoked me. I didn't have the information and there was nothing I could do other than take my licks. I understand you older more experienced guys get frustrated, but make sure an arse chewing is well warranted before you dish it out.

This could go on, but I worked 12 hours last night at my internship and I'm whipped.

all you gotta do is get that first job though, then no one gives a shite what your gpa was anymore.