[jcommin]

Tim, Danimal,

Fair is fair.

I have been in industry for 40 years. I started with a slide rule protect protector. I was (and still are if you ask me ex) a nerd. Back then, very few engineers had social skills: couldn't write, communicate, work in teams. We didn't get out much. It was all about knowledge,

It is different today: I have interviewed candidates, potential hires and mentor a very young staff of 5 engineers. I not only need their knowledge, I need their ability to read, write, work in teams, communicate with all types of people in many disciplines. They need to be able to speak in front of small to large groups, be able to resolve conflict, listen and recover from failure. I also need them to be creative, think and problem solve.

I also have (2) women on my staff, something I never saw 40 years ago.


Education continues either formally of informally. You never stop learning because if you do lose your marketability. Companies, come/go , get bought/sold, moved/consolidated all of the time. My first job was in the stamping press industry: the American made equipment and companies are gone. I worked in the steel mills for 7 years - they are gone. Technology changes and you need to grow with it.

I am a lucky guy in that I always wanted to be an engineer - I like what I do and do it very well. I have been blessed to have been given opportunities and grow as a professional. It is not all luck, because no one is that lucky. I have never turned down an assignment even if it isn't in my area of expertise. I use a problem solving /analytically approach. Define the problem, ask why 5X : 80% of solving the problem is understanding what the problem is.

My hobby is painting in pastels - I had artistic talent since I was a kid - I continued to develop the craft over many years. It made me a better engineer, that's another story.


Engineers are arrogant compared to who? CEOs - now that is an arrogant group!