# I used to be an Engineer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 10, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935 "2008-01-10T03:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MonaLizaT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@MonaLizaT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonaLizaT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/41 "2008-01-12T18:58:44Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] How many people in here who say they’re an “engineer” actually are a licensed P.E.? I’d be interested in seeing the connection between those who are P.E.'s and those who don’t in terms of how much engineering they do. [/QUOTE] P.E. here. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/42 "2008-01-12T19:19:01Z")
I guess I should have said how much engineering I do…P.E. here of course. I unfortunately do NO design work at all, and have not for…well…nearly 15 years. I do detailed analysis for consulting work, which could count, but nothing I’ve ever had to legally put my stamp on. My work breaks down like this, roughly (this last year): Consulting analysis: 30% Conceptual consulting “idea girl” or “think tank” stuff: 20% Project management: 10% Business development/sales: 10% Teaching (including university): 10% Traveling: 5% Coding: 5% (used to be about 75%…) Miscellaneous bullshit (mandatory business “strategy” meetings, sitting on conference calls where I’m not needed, fixing the laser printer, miscellaneous R&D): 10% ---
**Author:** ![MonaLizaT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@MonaLizaT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonaLizaT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/43 "2008-01-12T19:30:46Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] I do detailed analysis for consulting work, which could count, but nothing I’ve ever had to legally put my stamp on. [/QUOTE] Ah yes - I still get a stomach flutter when I sign and seal those final plans. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/44 "2008-01-12T20:38:29Z")
I keep my stamp and ink pad in my briefcase - I’ve used the stamp a lot more since FEMA submittals began requiring them. I’m over the “stomach flutter” by now, **Mona**. 😉 **Una** , remember those old threads which waged on and on about “who’s an engineer and who ain’t”? I was reminded of that by this thread. (No, I am NOT interested in starting that war up again). I think I’ll admit that computer programming can be considered a form of engineering. ---
**Author:** ![MonaLizaT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@MonaLizaT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonaLizaT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/45 "2008-01-12T20:45:40Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] I keep my stamp and ink pad in my briefcase - I’ve used the stamp a lot more since FEMA submittals began requiring them. [/QUOTE] We have to use an embossed seal in Florida. I always feel sorry for the highway design engineers who have to sign and seal umpteen copies of a 500 sheet plan set. Most of them I know just sign and date and make some kid straight out of college emboss everything. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/46 "2008-01-12T21:01:15Z")
I don’t remember when Mississippi changed away from requiring the embossed seal, but I’m glad they did. As per the 500-sheet sets: I well remember watching a draftsman stamping sheet after sheet of plans, and the P.E. coming by later to sign them all. (I’m old enough to remember pen-and-ink drafting, on a drafting table.) A recent trend is to have the stamp included in the CAD drawing - it plots right along with the rest of the sheet. This is frowned upon in certain circles, however. Another trend is to stamp only the cover sheet. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/47 "2008-01-12T21:29:56Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] I guess I should have said how much engineering I do…P.E. here of course. I unfortunately do NO design work at all, and have not for…well…nearly 15 years. I do detailed analysis for consulting work, which could count, but nothing I’ve ever had to legally put my stamp on. My work breaks down like this, roughly (this last year): Consulting analysis: 30% Conceptual consulting “idea girl” or “think tank” stuff: 20% Project management: 10% Business development/sales: 10% Teaching (including university): 10% Traveling: 5% Coding: 5% (used to be about 75%…) Miscellaneous bullshit (mandatory business “strategy” meetings, sitting on conference calls where I’m not needed, fixing the laser printer, miscellaneous R&D): 10% [/QUOTE] I guess, I’m not lost yet. I added up the numbers to see it they totalled 100%. Non P.E. here. I think a P.E. license for software engineers is still a relatively new thing. By the way, I’m actually doing some design today. Yippee! It’s amazing what one can get away with around here on a Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/48 "2008-01-12T22:27:07Z")
My hubby has his PE in Chemical Engineering but he does more computer type stuff than actually what he went to college for. He writes programs, does analysis and so on but he seems to like it quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/49 "2008-01-12T22:54:03Z")
[QUOTE=Tully Mars] Non P.E. here. I think a P.E. license for software engineers is still a relatively new thing. [/QUOTE] Not to start up the aforementioned war, just curious - which States give out a P.E. for software engineering? ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/50 "2008-01-12T23:14:03Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Not to start up the aforementioned war, just curious - which States give out a P.E. for software engineering? [/QUOTE] I don’t have a cite, but about 7-8 years ago, Texas was in the process of defining licensing requirements. Memos and rumors went around about whether or not we would be required to get licenses. I never heard any more about it after the initial buzz. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/51 "2008-01-12T23:40:38Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Not to start up the aforementioned war, just curious - which States give out a P.E. for software engineering? [/QUOTE] The University of Waterloo here in Canada has a very new software engineering program(I believe that the first students graduate this spring). They’re supposed to get a P.Eng. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/52 "2008-01-13T05:51:36Z")
Non-P.E. here. My business card still says I’m a “mechanical engineer,” for whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/53 "2008-01-13T07:36:04Z")
I just want to say two things: 1.) Whomever invented PowerPoint should be kicked in the genitals with a spiked boot. 99% of the time, PPPs are Crimes Against Humanity. It takes 2 hours to create the things, 20 minutes to set up the gear to present them, and an hour to show them, when it could all be said in 5 minutes or less. This is increasing productivity, _how?_ 2.) If any of the mechanical engineers so miss the creative aspects of their jobs that they’d be willing to do a little gratis work (with the understanding that if I ever make any cabbage off the final product, I’ll be _more_ than willing to share), feel free to drop me an email. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/54 "2008-01-13T18:06:22Z")
This is one of the good things about being a college professor. 30 years from now, I’ll be doing the same job I’m doing now, which is the job I love. (Of course, this is why some professors burn out–that’s a long time to be doing the same thing.) I could see someone making some attempts to bump me into administration–I was department chair at my last university–but I plan to resist such attempts. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935/55 "2008-01-13T18:20:53Z")
**Sophistry and Illusion** , from my distant memory, that is the kind of instructor that I appreciated as a student. It was obvious which ones loved their jobs. So, keep on resisting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-used-to-be-an-engineer/432935.md?page=2)