I’m glad I am an Engineer (sometimes)

I am taking a break today from my current series on making renters into owners in the workplace to share some personal anecdotes, mostly in a humorous light.  This will not be the longest post I make, but I think there is some value in the information I have to share and who knows, it just might encourage someone else out there to become a technical dude in the future.

Even though I work in Talent Acquisition and Talent Development, the industries our firm focuses upon are primarily tied to science or technology.  That is not a mistake.  I find experience and competence to be virtues that I value in others and I try to offer the same to our clients.

My original degree is in Engineering Physics, but I am essentially a low-voltage electrical engineer from a school that was not ABET accredited.  If you are an engineer, that last phrase makes total sense.  If you know nothing about engineering, just read on.

I used my technical talents to a large degree during my 14 years in manufacturing, working primarily in quality, industrial engineering and operations.  My shift into training and development uncovered another whole world that has pushed me into the areas I work in now.  I’ll tell that story again sometime soon.

Here are some of the reasons I like being an engineer:

• I enjoy taking things apart and then putting them back together (or trying to)
• I see things as an engineer that other training and development professionals have no clue about
• My geeky side sometimes escapes and I have a good excuse when it does-I am an engineer
• People are impressed with engineers or those who take and enjoy Physics (maybe it is an intimidation factor, who knows? )
• I gain some credibility with other engineers because of my background
• I know what a slide rule is and I knew how to use one (now showing my age)
• Engineers are problem solvers and that mentality carries over into everything I do

Being an engineer is great and I spend a great deal of time promoting that profession and other related STEM professions whenever I can.

Be kind to an engineer today.  Who knows, he/she might be able to help you fix something when you get into a bind.

As a side note, I ran the dishwasher and found it had a leak by the door seal.  I took a harder look and found that two screws were loose on the door frame.  I tightened the screws and saved $130 by fixing the leak.

All that tuition was put to good use.

Have a great day!