Comments on: Engineering Parents Say The Darndest Things http://chrisgammell.com/2009/03/31/engineering-parents-say-the-darndest-things/ Combining renewable energy, analog design and some real life experience. A delicious stew of engineering! Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:12:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ray White http://chrisgammell.com/2009/03/31/engineering-parents-say-the-darndest-things/comment-page-1/#comment-1198 Ray White Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:22:43 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=937#comment-1198 Read your article... sorry, didn't change my mind. Nope, I am still discouraging both my kids (and any other kids that dare to ask) from going into engineering/science. Too bad for the USA, my daughter would've been a great engineer. Instead, she can be a doctor or a lawyer (yeah... this country really needs more lawyers). It would take to long to describe in detail how I've arrived at my conclusion after my 20+ yrs in the engineering field, but I think t basically boils down to: 1) the US gov't is run by lawyers. 2) In order to stay in power, these lawyers need money... lots of it. 3) this money comes from corporations. 4) in return for this money, the gov't rewards corporations with wage-busting programs such as H1-B. Clear enough? No?... read this: http://www.technozeal.com/topic10.html I knew this lady in a previous company I worked for. She had a bachelors degree is chemistry, yet she was working a software QA job... I mean a really brain-dead low-level SW QA job. I asked her why... she said "because it pays better than what I could make with the chemistry degree". Money can't buy happiness? maybe so, but it certainly can buy peace of mind, which I argue is closely related to happiness. Yeah... I suppose $100K/yr looks good to some high-school dropout who flips burgers for a living, but really, any kid with half a brain is going to avoid engineering like the plague given the hostile anti-engineering environment in the US. Read your article… sorry, didn’t change my mind. Nope, I am still discouraging both my kids (and any other kids that dare to ask) from going into engineering/science. Too bad for the USA, my daughter would’ve been a great engineer. Instead, she can be a doctor or a lawyer (yeah… this country really needs more lawyers). It would take to long to describe in detail how I’ve arrived at my conclusion after my 20+ yrs in the engineering field, but I think t basically boils down to: 1) the US gov’t is run by lawyers. 2) In order to stay in power, these lawyers need money… lots of it. 3) this money comes from corporations. 4) in return for this money, the gov’t rewards corporations with wage-busting programs such as H1-B. Clear enough? No?… read this: http://www.technozeal.com/topic10.html

I knew this lady in a previous company I worked for. She had a bachelors degree is chemistry, yet she was working a software QA job… I mean a really brain-dead low-level SW QA job. I asked her why… she said “because it pays better than what I could make with the chemistry degree”.

Money can’t buy happiness? maybe so, but it certainly can buy peace of mind, which I argue is closely related to happiness. Yeah… I suppose $100K/yr looks good to some high-school dropout who flips burgers for a living, but really, any kid with half a brain is going to avoid engineering like the plague given the hostile anti-engineering environment in the US.

]]> By: Tom http://chrisgammell.com/2009/03/31/engineering-parents-say-the-darndest-things/comment-page-1/#comment-984 Tom Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:32:27 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=937#comment-984 Wonderful article. My parents did the right thing and let me do whatever I wanted - they fostered my geekyness, and, even though they're not geeks themselves, let me do my own thing. I saw your Resume, and it excited me to see that you graduated from CWRU. I will be attending Case in the fall with the intention of majoring in Computer Science, and it's great to see a personal success story. Best wishes. -Tom Wonderful article. My parents did the right thing and let me do whatever I wanted – they fostered my geekyness, and, even though they’re not geeks themselves, let me do my own thing.

I saw your Resume, and it excited me to see that you graduated from CWRU. I will be attending Case in the fall with the intention of majoring in Computer Science, and it’s great to see a personal success story.

Best wishes.
-Tom

]]> By: Allan http://chrisgammell.com/2009/03/31/engineering-parents-say-the-darndest-things/comment-page-1/#comment-931 Allan Fri, 22 May 2009 20:49:20 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=937#comment-931 I got two engineering degrees in the U.S.A. Now I am living in the U.S.A. in my mom's house. Why? No engineering work. My kids aren't dumb. They'd never consider studying engineering in a million years. Me? I'm thinking about moving to France, more with every passing day living in poverty. I heard they respect engineers there. I got two engineering degrees in the U.S.A. Now I am living in the U.S.A. in my mom’s house. Why? No engineering work.

My kids aren’t dumb. They’d never consider studying engineering in a million years.

Me? I’m thinking about moving to France, more with every passing day living in poverty. I heard they respect engineers there.

]]> By: Tom http://chrisgammell.com/2009/03/31/engineering-parents-say-the-darndest-things/comment-page-1/#comment-921 Tom Sat, 16 May 2009 09:50:23 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=937#comment-921 Carpenter here . . . . When I first started building homes and offices, it was great. You stand back and thing, "wow, I made that pile of sticks and sheeting in to a house." Guess what, while a great and noble profession, carpentry has lost it's luster, even with a $65,000 per year salary. It's not because the profession has changed, nor is it because I have changed. It's because when you have to do it for money, the managers take all the fun out of it! So, I'm trying something else now. Installing renewable energy systems is cool for now but, only a stepping stone to developing a system of my own. Bottom line; if work sucks, get a hobby or, try something new. It's scary but, well worth it! Carpenter here . . . .
When I first started building homes and offices, it was great. You stand back and thing, “wow, I made that pile of sticks and sheeting in to a house.”

Guess what, while a great and noble profession, carpentry has lost it’s luster, even with a $65,000 per year salary. It’s not because the profession has changed, nor is it because I have changed. It’s because when you have to do it for money, the managers take all the fun out of it!

So, I’m trying something else now. Installing renewable energy systems is cool for now but, only a stepping stone to developing a system of my own.

Bottom line; if work sucks, get a hobby or, try something new. It’s scary but, well worth it!

]]> By: Corey http://chrisgammell.com/2009/03/31/engineering-parents-say-the-darndest-things/comment-page-1/#comment-916 Corey Sat, 09 May 2009 01:20:16 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=937#comment-916 Electrical Engineer here. I've been working professionally for 5 years now and it's losing its luster. The glamor of Engineering, for me, has worn thin due to the limited pay of the profession. If you don't own a moderately successful business, Engineering isn't a way to become wealthy. Don't get me wrong, I type this message from the confines of my big house but the pay checks aren't like a Doctors'. I will say this, it's a noble profession. I'd rather be an Engineer over a Lawyers any day. Electrical Engineer here. I’ve been working professionally for 5 years now and it’s losing its luster. The glamor of Engineering, for me, has worn thin due to the limited pay of the profession. If you don’t own a moderately successful business, Engineering isn’t a way to become wealthy. Don’t get me wrong, I type this message from the confines of my big house but the pay checks aren’t like a Doctors’. I will say this, it’s a noble profession. I’d rather be an Engineer over a Lawyers any day.

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