Engineers, What Makes Us Tick and Who Are the Best?

I'd say that we are not to specialized. While there are some generalist, most technical matters need someone who is really good at the nitty gritty details. I'm a BSEE who is really good in the board level design and adequate at VHDL, but ask me to go analog and I'm almost clueless.
As for coding; FPGAs, ASICs, GALs and even PALs make it so that most EEs need to know how to code. I think it's more a matter of training, I had to learn to code in C+ in college as well as 2 microprocessor programing classes and a class in VHDL. Of course the EE in my degree stands for Electronic Engineering not Electrical and Electronic.

In the industry I'm in, we do get some narrow specialist engineers (e.g. infra-red or power electronics), but the majority are quite versatile.

Well, I have a BSEE and have had the pleasure of working in electronics (analog and digital), mechanical engineering, material science and engineering (ceramics, metallurgy, polymers, etc.), bioengineering, environmental engineering, civil engineering and chemical engineering (although I don't profess to know much about ChE) for the past 29 years as an engineering research support engineer (meaning simply that I don't do research, but that I enable others to do it by inventing, for example, a device which enables them to carry on their work).

Great job if you can get one like it -- I haven't done the same thing twice more than a few times, and even then I did things a little differently.

I have designed electrical systems for construction as a P.E. for the university as well as commercial projects.

With the advent of computer interface boards and easy to use software, the need for custom electronics design has waned. I still consult with graduate students and faculty with regard to their research, but I rarely design anything electronic. I still do a little mechanical engineering design, but I am now more valuable to the university as a project manager for construction projects, having had years of construction experience prior to getting an engineering degree at 37 years of age.

Now, to address some of your questions, most engineers focus on work dictated by their job, and they don't need to know how to do everything.

A lot of electrical and mechanical engineers need to know a fair amount about both disciplines simply because there is so much electromechanical stuff. EE's who fiddle with electronics only don't need much ME knowledge, and ME's or CE's who design buildings don't need to know much about electricity.

I think software engineers are more likely to deal with high level languages. At this university, there's a split in the EE curriculum, and the department is called Electrical and Computer Engineering, but there are only one or two courses in high level programming required for those seeking the computer engineering option, but there's lots of low level programming in one course or another. Computer Science handles most high level programming. Nonetheless, anyone graduating in Electrical and Computer Engineering is considered an EE.

EE's are definitely NOT more logical in their approach to problem solving. I have met people who are absolutely brilliant in their approach to solving problems, and the reason I was fortunate enough to have met them is because my knowldge of electrical engineering exceeded theirs. People with EE degrees may have chosen that field because of their ability to solve problems. Let's put it this way: I've known many people who started out in EE only to switch majors to English (no kidding) or ME and everything in between.

I am on the "other side of the fence lookin' in" at you folks, as I decided in 1980 against an appointment to USAF academy w/ a major in metalurgy to enlist as a Private in the USMC as a Naval Gunfire Observer (Duh!). Well, yesterday was my birthday (44) and I still do not have a degree, but The Lord has taken care of me and given me an outstanding set of High School teachers (Chem/Electronics/Welding/English) and a pretty good memory, so I can 'Forest Gump' my way through most situations with a lot of help from some REALLY smart people (like all of you) and some of the old timers here that are not afraid to share their learned skill. I have learned a lot from my wife of 22 years that just got her Masters of Divinity and is in the process of getting her PhD. As far as which is the best engineer; I have run into is a fellow here that is like a milk-shake of all facets of engineering blended together, but yet he can still find time to take me cast netting for shrimp. Thanks again, Chris

Back in my college years ( 50 years old and still no degree ) we spend many, many days and nights , solving endless problems 5 years in a row ( we study Electro-Mechanical engineering: a blend of metallurgy, electric theory and practice, electrical power generation and transmission, control theory, mechanical and electrical design,, analog computer programming and simulation, FORTRAN programming, hydraulics, fluids dynamics, thermodynamics, material stresses, air conditiong design, gas and diesel engines, financial engineering, electronics, etccccc.. and lots, lots of mathematics, my first calculator was a 125 texas instrument and a HP 25C) then I got married so I start working as a machinist apprentice at the Panama Canal (former Canal Zone, U.S. Government). From there work 3 years at a thermo electrical power utility and from there to the Hydro-Electrical section from machinist up to hydro-electric power equipment mechanic foreman up to facility manager of the hydro generation section in charge of the dams and spilling facilities as well as the hydro-electrical generation of two hydroelectric facilities at the Panama Canal… in total I've been here for the last 28 years... and still solving problems, tanks to the people who taught me, back at college and at my job site, to look at things the other way and to KEEP IT SIMPLE…you and the ones who taught you, deserve my congratulations and my respect….. all of you are made of a special kind of material… to you… my personal standing ovation. Regards Luis

Sir, you have made my day! Receiving a comment from a distinguished person such as yourself is an honor. I have updated my user signature to reflect my philosophy. I used to have it here at work, but everybody gave me the "what-the-heck-does-that-mean" look and my pragmatic response was "Check out the Mohs scale" just made me seem even more excentric. Some of the folks from the Cyber-side of the company entertain the "No-degree;No worth" opinion, and give very patrinizing answers to techincal questions. I imagine you have probably had similar work-mates, but have overcome. So, it is You, sir, that deserves the ovation. Keep in touch Chris

Thanks for your words Chris, yes it has been difficult, but no body told you life was going to be easy…. As my father said to me when I had to marry… son … the problems are big when the man is small….. He is 95 years old by now and I still try not to disappoint him..... Well I think you should live trying to balance your work with your personal life …both are very important but I think family should be first…. So I use my spare time to design and build my own home ( and is really beatifull, I made myself all the drawings, and construct my self the stair case with two concrete beans and teca wood steps, the decorative iron work including hand rails ( I bought a essenkraft bending tool and start a little business doing decorative iron work ), main entrance doors from steel with a natural plants design, the patio door, also my garden and my natural pond were I have my little collection of koi fish 39 of them…some really beautiful and strange ( for my eyes only, they are not very expensive at this time, have no money and I have to work harder to get real Japanese koi fish)…. I also have found some time for practicing hapkido ( Korean martial art … www.hapkidopanama.com) together with my wife for the last 7 years… I'm first Dan black belt and she's second Dan black belt…. =) she kick very hard… believe me…. My son is going next month to Swedish to study a master degree in automotive engineering….. yes, he finally got a degree in electro-mechanical engineering… and I am very proud of Him… if any one of you want to share anecdotes or histories as well as pictures my address is llizarraga@cableonda.net …. And yes… we can talk about work too… Regards Luis... P.D. by the way, have you eared from Panama country??? The place where many people want to come for living after retirement??? Well, here is where I leave… and of course … keep in touch…

As an incoming freshman at Penn State, we were told that when we graduated as EE's, we had a 25% chance of actually being an EE. The remaining 75% would be doing other engineering or technical work. They were right. I spent 4 years as a true EE. Eleven years as a petroleum engineer (go figure that one out). Now I am a mix between mechanical engineer (designing for fabrication large frame works for process skids) and a controls engineer for the process skids my company builds. I think that comes close to 25% of the time. Properly trained in college, an American engineer is capable of most any branch of engineering.

I think the danger of engineering is either being pigeon-holed or getting drug on to "higher" callings. I work in aerospace and know people who are the go-to-guy/gal for the left, inboard flap...literally. They know it ALL inside out and backward with their eyes shut...but ask them about landing gear or aerodynamics and they're clueless. There's a lot of competition to be "the best" in todays society but I don't think being 100% sure & correct about one subject or field of study makes you a good engineer. I believe that a good engineer is a jack of all trades that, while not knowing all the answers, knows how to approach problems and where to look for the answers. Unfortunately, once the state of "jack-of-all-trades" is achieved, this poor guy can no longer work as an engineer, solving the technical problems, but must move on to manage & train others.

Good point! I have seen the "jack-of-all-trades" gaining ground as far as the value to an organization due to the ability to move into multiple positions--like a wild card for PMs. ... In reference to jobs one may take, that is up to the engineer as to whether they are job shopping or planning a career. After working engineering solutions (having a BSEE and MSCIS), I see the EE's should spend much more effort, focus, and planning on their career as they do working on some of these company/school projects. Plan by architecting your final outcome according to your bent, your talents & desires, and always determine to use whatever you are doing to coincide with what you want to do, taking into consideration the usefulness of all the menial tasks as well. Architect your career first. ...As far as BSEE's --they take more math than any other engineering curriculum save mathematics, giving the foundation of all science. So the electrical engineer, as most engineers, apply mathematics to real world problems regardless of discipline. ...Yes, your value to an organization is relative to your depth of knowledge, but many organizations are now seeing that many innovative breakthroughs are occurring through the use of models applied from other disciplines, especially EE's due to the h/w, s/w, and firware background & training and the mathematical basis of EVERY field of science. Bottom line: Focus on your talents and detail an evolvable architecture that enables you to reach your personal goal while at the same time reaching the goals of your prospective(or current) employer. This is where Synergy truly applies. Enjoy!

Those go-to-persons really get to me. I don't mind the fact that said persons are very knowledgeable about a certain area, but in the event that they do not share said information with others in hopes of securing their own job is quite annoying.