Why being an Engineer means nothing in this country

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I agree fully with the creator of this thread. i am currently doing my civil engineering degree and its ******* hard. So when Vi*gin send and engineer out to drill a hole through my wall and plug a wire in it sure as hell ****es me off.
 
Soldato
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I feel that the field of countersignalling has applications to your concern.

http://www.theo.to/counter/counter.pdf

The fact that high types and low types will both send out the same signal (i.e. title engineer) should have no effect on you because unless you are a pleb there will be additional noisy information (your accent, your clothes and your modesty) that is too costly for the low types to imitate. Thus there will always exist a Bayesian Equilibrium where you are perfectly separated from the lows.

The fact that this bothers you only suggests to me and everyone else on the forum that you are a below average engineer and you are worried that when you graduate people will confuse you with a washing machine repair man. That's worrying - I suggest you sharpen up so such confusion will never occur.

Can I also just say that in my view, let the washing machine repairmen call themselves engineers and just don't ever call yourself an engineer. Think of something that makes you sound interesting. What Clarkson says about 'can you imagine going to a dinner party with the man who designed that?' is so true.

In my time at university I've only ever met one interesting engineer, and the reason he's interesting is because he's an utter genius who never attends any lectures yet can still pass the exams. For 99% of the people who study engineering they end up going to lectures 9-5 and then working on assignments every evening and that is enough to turn anyone into an incredibly boring person.

The most interesting people are those who spend a few years doing an arts degree, have oodles of free time and get to know themselves and spend the entire time interacting with other people. In that time social skills develop. That's why engineers have no social skills in my view, they simply haven't ever had the time to do it.

Being interesting, sociable and amusing is a skill that people learn just like any other, and if you choose to study something like Engineering or Physics unless you can do that without it taking up your time you'll never be cool.
 
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Soldato
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I'm an electrical design engineer (or "proper" engineer by your logic) I couldn't care less who calls themselves an engineer. I enjoy my work as its very challenging, i get paid well for it, who cares about anyone else. Half the time I dont even use an email signature as some people are so pretentious about it. You get guys with <Name> (CENG,IET,CIBSE, BENG HONS, HND) and I just think, do you think so little of yourself you need to add all that!

If you feel the need to have a title that somehow in your mind puts you above the general public then theres something weird going on.

agreed 100% :)
 
Soldato
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The most interesting people are those who spend a few years doing an arts degree, have oodles of free time and get to know themselves and spend the entire time interacting with other people. In that time social skills develop. That's why engineers have no social skills in my view, they simply haven't ever had the time to do it.

Being interesting, sociable and amusing is a skill that people learn just like any other, and if you choose to study something like Engineering or Physics unless you can do that without it taking up your time you'll never be cool.

See you think engineers are boring/lack social skills but I have generally found that people doing arts degrees tend to be pretentious people that think they are interesting and intelligent and are usually neither. The strange thing is that both people are creative in nature, the engineer has to be creative to come up with inventive solutions to problems or openings in the market through use of mathematics, science, finance, project management etc. The arty natured person just needs to be full of enough BS to convince other people their work is worthwhile.

IMO they tend to be despiseable people second only to social scientists.
 
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Don
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Which would require some sort of qualification at some point to hold such a position, HND, BTEC etc.

And you will only get an engineering position of responsibility with a degree, at least Masters level.

There is no requirement for anyone to have qualifications to hold a position of responsibility in engineering, it's the whole point of this thread. If at some point in the future, engineers get protected status, then maybe there will a requirement for degree level qualifications before someone could call themselves an engineer, or even need to be CEng before they could call themselves an engineer. As it is someone could have left school at 16 30 years ago and worked themselves up into a position that fufills all the required competencies through experience alone. Read the UK-SPEC, there's specific mention of educational requirements and how someone without formal qualifications can demonstrate they have met the required knowledge and understanding in their field via means that don't necessarily mean having to get a degree.

And what institutes would they be then that will charter/CEng someone who has no qualifications.
Pretty much any institute will have a means of gaining CEng status for candidates without the required education.
 
Soldato
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See you think engineers are boring/lack social skills but I have generally found that people doing arts degrees tend to be pretentious people that think they are interesting and intelligent and are usually neither. The strange thing is that both people are creative in nature, the engineer has to be creative to come up with inventive solutions to problems or openings in the market through use of mathematics, science, finance, project management etc. The arty natured person just needs to be full of enough BS to convince other people their work is worthwhile.

IMO they tend to be despiseable people second only to social scientists.

What a lovely idea - but sadly I think you'll find that 90% of the time if you are an engineer you'll be working to pretty stringent guidelines about what you have to, making very minor refinements to things.

Engineers aren't like Da Vinci, coming up with radical new things. They are not inventors. Engineers just work to a script most 90% of the time.

PS I'm a social scientist.
 
Caporegime
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7902256.stm

An unemployed engineer has turned himself into a human advertising hoarding in a bid to find work.

He straps on a board saying "Mechanical Maintenance Engineer Seeks Employment" along with his mobile phone number.

I saw that on the news just now. The reporter even rubbed salt in the wounds by finishing with "Mr Fruen is looking to get back into mechanical engineering in the near future" :( :rolleyes:
 
Soldato
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How will you know who to go to for a service if they use the wrong job title.

Solictor - legal scretary
Doctor - nurse
Architect - builder

Wouldn't you feel cheated if you requested the services of one of the former and got one of the latter.
 
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