We need to stop thinking about careers as fields we want to work in and more about the tasks we will be doing. As someone with a stem degree who works in manufacturing there are so many tasks that are more art form then doing any science. If I told you as a kid you could be a fully accomplished artist by becoming an engineer you would have blown me off.
At the end of the day, though, what always ends up happening is we become teachers, negotiators, and networkers. You can do it anywhere. Having a skill only gets you in the door.
I think we need to stop thinking about careers as dreams to be followed, and more as a means of making money. Dreams can be followed in your free time. Life demands money.
As someone who spent ten years attempting to follow my dreams and is now broke because he has a shitty job, it would be a lot easier to follow my dreams now if I had more money to spend and more time off to do it in.
If you have to work all the time just make ends meet, you don’t have time to follow your dreams. Get a good job first, then follow your dreams with all the money and time off you’ll have.
the “art” of engineering only works out if you are solid on the basics and that means a good understanding of the relevant physics, chemistry, biology and math as well as the ability to quantify the whole thing with proper math.
Answering your bosses mail, that the project cannot be done in the ridicolous time the marketing and sales team promised to the customer isn’t exactly an art specific to engineers.
We need to stop thinking about careers as fields we want to work in and more about the tasks we will be doing. As someone with a stem degree who works in manufacturing there are so many tasks that are more art form then doing any science. If I told you as a kid you could be a fully accomplished artist by becoming an engineer you would have blown me off.
At the end of the day, though, what always ends up happening is we become teachers, negotiators, and networkers. You can do it anywhere. Having a skill only gets you in the door.
I think we need to stop thinking about careers as dreams to be followed, and more as a means of making money. Dreams can be followed in your free time. Life demands money.
As someone who spent ten years attempting to follow my dreams and is now broke because he has a shitty job, it would be a lot easier to follow my dreams now if I had more money to spend and more time off to do it in.
If you have to work all the time just make ends meet, you don’t have time to follow your dreams. Get a good job first, then follow your dreams with all the money and time off you’ll have.
the “art” of engineering only works out if you are solid on the basics and that means a good understanding of the relevant physics, chemistry, biology and math as well as the ability to quantify the whole thing with proper math.
Would you like me to describe the many tasks an engineer is responsible for that does not involve physics, chemistry, biology, and math?
Answering your bosses mail, that the project cannot be done in the ridicolous time the marketing and sales team promised to the customer isn’t exactly an art specific to engineers.
I’ll take that as a no.
Yeah, I was gonna say, as an engineer not much of that is true.
There’s plenty of engineers that are bad at math and science. They just worked hard to get where they are (or they got lucky).
Yeah but those aren’t the artists of engineering.
That’s a balanced take, I agree. It doesn’t make it any easier though, I guess it’s why the meme still works as a joke.
In the US?
“Other duties as assigned.”