I recently met up with Clint Steele who is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering at Swinburne University and also heads up the Ingeneers Network which is intended to provide practical and networking support for Engineers. Clint brought a video along and asked me a few questions. These were:
How did you gain employment after graduation?
What is the most important thing you have learnt about the technical practice of engineering?
What is the most important thing you have learnt about the professional practice of engineering?
What is the most important thing you have learnt about advancing your career?
You can watch the interview here which he titled “How to be a successful engineer“.
Engineers might seem terribly serious about their work, but Engineers laugh too. And of course, what makes them laugh is as unique as the work they do. The classic Dilbert series of cartoons by Scott Adams are a case in point.
This first example of Engineering Humour is is a classic piece of Dilbert humour titled “The Knack”
In a recent blog post on Embedded Software Testing I also shared one of the jokes that looks at the way different Engineering Disciplines go about looking for faults or problem solving. It goes like this:
There are 3 Engineers in a car going for a drive. The first is a Mechanical Engineer, the second an Electronics Engineer and the third is a Software Engineer. Fortunately the Mechanical Engineer is driving because the brakes fail and they are going downhill. The Mechanical Engineer eventually brings the car safely to a halt and gets out to examine the hydraulic systems. The Electronics Engineer gets out and checks and body computer, ABS system and the power train CAN bus. The Software Engineer stays in the car and when queried about it says that they should all just get back in the car and see if it happens again!
And another of my favourite pieces of Engineering Humour is this joke:
The optimist says, “The glass is half full”.
The pessimist says, “The glass is half empty”.
The Engineer says, “The glass is twice as big as it needs to be”.
And an excerpt from a classic piece of Mechanical Engineering humour with the Engineers Guide To Drinks.
Engineers Guide to Drinks 2010
Anyone who subscribes to our blog will automatically get a full copy of this sent to them. Thanks to Steve DeLosa of DeLosa Design Services for sharing this with me.
Over time I plan to add more content here but this will get the process started. Please feel free to add any jokes or humorous stories as comments and if you know who first told any of the jokes listed here, please also let me know that so I can properly recognise the creators. As Engineers, one thing we do respect is the right be be recognised for what you do and create.
So I was very pleased to be receiving an award recognising the business side of Successful Endeavours. The award was presented by Dr Marc Dussault of Exponential Programs and recognises entrepreneurs and business people who have demonstrated excellence deploying exponential strategies in their business by profitably creating exceptional value for their clients in a manner that is both measurable and sustainable. The award received was in the category of Engineering Consultant and was one of only 6 handed out in 2010 and the only one in that category.
Exponential Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 Ray Keefe receives his award from Dr Marc Dussault.
The main reason for this post is to touch on the most significant aspect of this award for me. I once said that as a Business Owner I made a pretty good Engineer. The past 18 months has a seen a transition away from that to the point now where I can say that I am an Entrepreneur who is also an Engineer. Engineering is a Profession and so it isn’t something that suddenly stops being relevant. Our education and mindset is all based on practical problem solving through the use of technology while balancing performance, risk and cost. And we apply this skillset and mindsetto most aspects of our lives, even when it isn’t the only way to go about it. So I am very pleased to be making this transition. Not only is our business better for it but our clients are as well.
