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<p>Well, that’s what peter_parker was claiming (you’ll be unhappy as an engineer), so if you have problems with the idea, I’d direct it towards him. My question is relevant.</p>
<p>I know a lot of very happy engineers.</p>
<p>I don’t think PP explicitly said engineers are unhappy anywhere in his post- he insinuated engineers are tools who’ve lost some or all parts of their humanity.</p>
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<p>You’re delusional. But just to humor myself:</p>
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<p>Wonderful, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Paying 80k to do so? Probably not, unless you’re on daddy’s dime.</p>
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<p>Considering that a large majority of college courses have 200+ students in a lecture hall OR are simply regurgitations of the book, I don’t see why a library card isn’t at least in the same ballpark for some classes. Nevermind that a typical college class costs 2-4k, while a library card is free. </p>
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<p>And you show your blatant, childish bias here. Someone who majors in the field they care about earns my respect. Someone who spends 80k on a gender studies degree, on the other hand, is just bad at managing their money. And this is assuming that “gender studies” somehow encapsulates intellectual achievement.</p>
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<p>Virtually every technological object that exists today was built by engineers. Honestly, if you think engineers are glorified plumbers, you’re flat-out a moron and not worth arguing with. </p>
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<p>Not sure where this comes from, other than blatant envy and bitterness. Somehow, according to you, every engineer is a horrible person, while everyone who majors in gender studies is an intellectual deity. </p>
<p>Grow up and go get a real education, whether it’s from a university, Wikipedia, or the local library.</p>
<p>^ I will agree it’s a stretch to say technical jobs make you miserable and poor. You probably should’t expect to get rich. A couple of years ago CNN Money magazine ranked Software Engineer the best job in the country, and that’s technical. Of course professor was number 2, I believe. Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.</p>
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<p>Yeah his post about engineering & middle-class boredom is pure speculation. I don’t see how engineering is more or less of a worse job than any other white collar work. It’s definitely a better job if you enjoy the work.</p>
<p>His comment about how engineers are just glorified plumbers/mechanics is wrong. It’s like saying a nurse has the same responsibilities in his job as a doctor or that a paralegal could do the job of a lawyer easily.</p>
<p>My building generates a lot of patents.</p>
<p>Do plumbers and mechanics generate a lot of patents?</p>
<p>Can we please stop bashing plumbers and mechanics? I find it nauseatingly hypocritical that the people doing it are simultaneously arguing it’s not fair for LA types to look down on technical types <em>for essentially the same reason</em>: not as intellectual.</p>
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<p>What is so wrong with it? To claim going to college to learn is wrong is assuming there is a right reason to go to college.</p>
<p>What is the right reason? To get a job? If that’s true, why do we need to go to college to get a job in the first place? (Should all colleges be vocational???)</p>
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<p>Somewhat agree.</p>
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<p>I don’t think you can make this argument…there are people who major in engineering for the money and there are people who major in LA’s because they’re easy, but it’s not true for everyone.</p>
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<p>All houses and buildings were built by construction workers. (I don’t have anything against construction workers, I’m just pointing that out. Actually I think it would be really cool to drive a bulldozer).</p>
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<p>RHETORIC BOMB CRITS FOR 2343.</p>
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<p>How? If you consider ‘doing things mostly for the money’ to be losing your humanity (I don’t necessarily believe that), why not direct ire towards doctors or lawyers or accountants or people in finance. I would bet that there are a larger fraction of people in those professions doing it for the money.</p>
<p>^ It’s been my understanding that all this applies equally to them… They’re just not here talking about it with us.</p>
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<p>Where are people bashing plumbers and mechanics?</p>
<p>Is it bashing plumbers and mechanics to say that they don’t generate a lot of patents? Is it bashing engineers to say that they don’t fix a lot of transmission seals?</p>
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<p>Comparisons and analogies aren’t bashing. Especially if they are true.</p>
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<p>No one here is doing that. We’re just correcting peter_parker in what he said. It isn’t classist to note that being a plumber or mechanic takes less expertise than being an engineer. </p>
<p>Likewise, I wouldn’t pretend that an engineer in a company has the same amount of responsibility as the CEO of that company either. To note these differences isn’t being elitist at all.</p>
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<p>It’s not money…and there’s probably someone else who could articulate it better than I could. But it has specifically to do with engineers.</p>
<p>maybe a lack of soul or desire is the best way to put it.</p>
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<p>Sure isn’t. There are a ton of software engineers doing open source for no compensation.</p>
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<p>How do you get through an engineering program with very strong desire?</p>
<p>Are you an engineer? Have you never been passionate about working on a project where you work 80 hours a week because you love the work?</p>
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<p>but . . . in my opinion (im obviously biased), there are aspects of the job that make it intrinsically desirable. being involved in the creation of new things is something that’s cool. I don’t see the intrinsic appeal in keeping track of money or figuring out how to invest money so that you can get more of it.</p>
<p>There are plenty of people who major in CS not because they enjoy the subject but because they have an utter disdain for ‘programming’, think it’s easy and beneath them, and do the bare minimum of work to get by and get the diploma. I really believe a lot of people go into engineering not for the subject per se but because they want a good job. A lot of them do succeed and get jobs, because programs will often make it easier for people to pass so they make more money. There’s a balance but to say it’ not happening at all seems to me to be naive.</p>
<p>And I still think it’s pretty low to be making plumbers and mechanics out to be worthless, mindless jobs. Perhaps you’re not being so blunt about it, but those are jobs that require training, skill, and professionalism. So what if they can’t solve Diffy-Qs? They’re technical jobs with real skill sets, just like engineering… Perhaps not in degree, but in kind. Universities don’t teach plumbing practice and I don’t think they should teach engineering, business, law, or medicine practice either.</p>
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<p>my Dad’s an engineer (he puts in tons of hours) so maybe I’m biased but I tend to think most engineers are robotic in nature…like PP said “glorified plumbers”. There’s nothing unique about an engineer…a great engineer is someone who follows all the rules and puts in hours…anyone can do that.</p>
<p>silence_kit:
I can see the interest in doing it, and I think it has the potential to be very deep and interesting academically. Of course I prefer other things, and I’m sure a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons, but I don’t think it’s a given.</p>
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<p>So… you’re experience with the engineering profession is from… take your kid to work day? </p>
<p>Opinion invalidated. Next?</p>