| Author | Message | ||
     Midknyte |
'Windward, fun read! Spot on. Minimal paperwork here. Started out in a machine shop. Made, touched, or inspected many parts that are now in airplanes, missiles, and airplanes that have become... Till about 50 or so of us were gathered into a room for an impromtu going away party. Reincarnated as a programmer with dablings in about 12 languages so far. Going on a tangent here - you'll just have to forgive me... On the above, engineers and fashion, my counterpart has a typical passion for jewelery. Gold, white gold, diamonds. I have no large fascination outside of gunmetal black ring / watch / and glasses. Silver and gold is just so mainstream. Pedestrian. So anyway, she's into me for a Christmas present suggestion by way of starting to get me something to which I counter if she wants to spend money on me, then get me one of "these" (which the frugal in me has had me wanting but never considering)... A Skagen Black Titanium Quadro Watch http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productview/sku=SK975BLK/catid=5980590 0/pcatid=2 Which sends me off curiously looking for a new ring to match. Which drops me off at these sites I found this morning. http://store.yahoo.com/titanium-rings/black-titanium-rings.html http://www.justmetal.com/storefront/ http://www.furthers.com/ Some really sharp stuff I have to imagine there are more than a few here would like to know about... | ||
| Rek  |
As an engineer, all of the above applies, except the bit on Star Trek. What, are you a communist or something?  (Not an engineer but have engineered several things over the years) Rob | ||
| Midknyte |
Hey, one of you engineer types. Explain this one for me. Who designs a weapon to hit things, and then goes and calls it a missile? I know. Prolly a marketing department somewhere between those two steps... | ||
| Lpowel02  |
Software architect...tho I've spent many years labelled as a software engineer...does that count?  | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Brother is an engineer, father is a machinist (retired), I am neither, but I picked up a little knowledge along the way. A little knowledge however, is a dangerous thing. | ||
| Gowindward  |
"Armchair engineer... I know you engineer types hate the armchair types, but I can't help it." I thought about getting into "Armchair Engineering" but Lazyboy just never had any openings when I was looking for a job. There's probably some real nice people and engineers in the chair industry, so hate is kind of harsh.  I didn't author the piece above, and not into Star Trek, but thought I owned it to the author to leave it in. | ||
| Craigster |
Spent 15 years as an Engineering Technician and later Technical Support Engineer for semiconductor capital equipment. Currently: QA Engineer | ||
| Iamike  |
Got tired of the paperwork of engineering, switched to telecommunications and haven't been bored since. All the engineers at work stop by my shop and tell me that I get to have all the fun. I would think a true engineer would prefer a high-tech bike, I prefer the simplicity of the Buell. But then I would guess the XB12 is high low tech. | ||
| Benm2 |
Engineer | ||
| 1313  |
Hello Group, I'm 1313 and ... I must admit...I am an Engineer. It all started when I was younger with my interest in math & science and taking stuff apart and putting it back together. It started small with Hot Wheels cars, remote control vehicles and the like, but slowly evolved into taking complete running motorcycles down to their basic components and improving them where there were inherent technical deficiencies. I was advised that I had special skills and potential and went to a special school (but I never did see them damned short buses anywhere...). When they told me not to come back to that school anymore, they gave me a piece of paper that declares me to be a Mechanical Engineer (but it didn't come with a plastic frame...Anyone know where I can get one of them cool, neato plastic frames and are they made from space age polymers?). Every business card that I have had bearing my name has had that 'Engineer' word on it. To be serious for a second, I'd have to go with Uwgriz and Gowindward regarding Star Trek... 1313 | ||
| Outrider  |
Engineer...Yahoo!!! Where's the train? | ||
| Vegasbueller  |
Not an engineer... but do work on the electronics on flyin' machines. I am one of those that always asks... "now what bonehead engineer put that in there" | ||
| Edean  |
Aquatic engineer... (AHH! Who am I kidding? I'm a plumber.) | ||
| Gowindward |
And the #1 Reason for going to Engineering School. Drum roll......... If you don't make it, you can always fall back and go through Business School! | ||
| Mbsween  |
To those of you questioning "Am I an engineer?". One old definition (at least as old as me anyways) was that you completed a 4 year degree program from an ABET (www.abet.org) accredited institution. Engineer in a title gets thrown around alot, especially in the computer/software world. I'm currently labeled a Sr Network engineer and before that I was a Systems Engineer, then just a network engineer. I have extremely limited formal training in my 15 yrs in this industry. Since I have the "real" degree, it used to annoy me off that you could get the same title, with just experience and no/limited school, but when you think about it, how did they decide who was an engineer back in the early 1900s? And who the hell was teaching networking back in the late 80s anyways, Anybody teaching was probably writing the protocols in use at the time or making up new ones. I think given the huge crossover between traditional engineering disciplines (particularly mechanical and electrical) and networking/software careers, its no big deal. Once your in the "world" school titles and such don't mean a hell of a lot. An interesting question for the engineers here, how many are professional engineers? I passed the first 1/2 of the test, but then I got sucked into the network world. Just my 0.02 | ||
| Tucsonxb9s  |
I'm the son of an engineer. My dad was the engineering manager at KPBS in San Diego for the last twenty years. | ||
| Awprior  |
Engineer, just graduated. 1313, I got the same thing you did. | ||
| Newfie_buell  |
Boring Ole Commercial Insurance Sales but love mechanical things | ||
| Littlebuggles  |
Thought about it but couln't get my mind around the math. Given enough time I will though, just another problem to solve, right? I have fixed and/or broken plenty of things that didn't need it though, so I may still have a chance. Corrections officer, thinking about marshals and various fed jobs, gotta get my school done... | ||
| Ethanr  |
My business card says software engineer, but I'm really an applied mathematician who happens to like solving problems with the help of a computer. As a number of folks have noted, that term's way overused. Though it fits the dictionary definition, most engineering fields have certification routes that software "engineering" doesn't have (at least to the same extent). | ||
| Pancho |
MSF rider coach and Mexico guide | ||
| Jerseyguy  |
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Rutgers College of Engineering 1971. I've been designing custom industrial machinery ever since, the last 15 years in my own business. | ||
| Buellish  |
Brankin(1313), Do you remember Denny,from the Shady Valley Country Store?He was an Engineer.Did you see the sh#t eating grin on his face when I asked if he was the one that got to blow the whistle? | ||
| Whodom  |
Some very interesting comments here (as usual). I'm a mechanical engineer (BS, Clemson University, 1978), and got my PE only a few years ago. My Dad was an operating engineer (dragline operator) and I got interested in mechanical things mostly from hanging around him. I always liked taking things apart and working on cars, etc. My Dad encouraged me to go to college and that pretty much lead to mechanical engineering. I've always been amazed at the number of mechanical engineers with absolutely NO mechanical aptitude. I work with some guys that I seriously think can't check their own oil, much less change it, and have even less chance of actually wrenching on something. Buells appeal to me to large degree because they aren't completely high tech. I guess I like a lot of things like that- high tech steam locomotives (there have been a few and plans for many), my favorite car are Hudson Hornets (high tech chassis for 1951 combined with a 308 cubic inch flat head 6 cylinder!). Buells have a significant degree of that modern/old appeal to me. That's one of the main reasons I like them. | ||
| Road_thing  |
Geologist. Couldn't hack the math! rt | ||
| Steve_mackay  |
Engineer by mistake.... Well, kinda. I design, machine, and build plastic injection and die cast aluminum molds. Even done a few Buell molds  Started out workin' in my brother-in-law's automotive machine shop when I was 16. Moved on to manual lathes and mills at a couple of job shops, got in to tool and die. Being a computer geek all my life + having mechanical aptitude made me a good candidate for mold design. Or at least that's what my Bosses think No degree here. But I've seen far too many degreed engineers that couldn't engineer their way out of a paper bag. Or am I what I tell friends and family? "I draw pretty 3D pictures all day"  | ||
| Moxnix |
Trebuchet, the sport of engineers: www.globalspec.com/trebuchet | ||
| Aesquire  |
Love them treb's! The one built by the local SCA chapter down in Hornell NY would throw a watermelon sized rock 300 yards. I'm not a "real" engineer, (except jack leg engineer, points for anyone who knows where that phrase comes from ) but I've been, a metrology lab tech, tool maker, QC & SPC 'engineer', flexible manufacture tech,..... But by now I've forgotten calculus pretty completely. ( I still drive some people nuts when doing solid geometry. I tend to cross check results by finite element analysis, using ellipse & triangle to reverse figure stuff. ) | ||
| Road_thing |
Darn you, Mox, there went an hour... 3634 was my best. rt | ||
| Court |
>>>>>Geologist. Whad'ya . . . got rocks in your head? Well, uh. . . yeah, I guess so. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming, evening with the classics, as we listen to Sedimentary Journey. |
