• Question: whats the worst part about being an engineer?

    Asked by gv_280 to Tom, Sanjeev, Orla, Fiona, Eimear, Cillian on 2 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Orla McGee

      Orla McGee answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      I like being an engineer so this is a tough question.
      Sometimes when I’ve been at my desk all day and it is sunny out I wish I had a job that was more active or outdoors but 90% of the time in Ireland I’m thankful not to be outside in the rain.
      I also find it tough sometimes when I get stuck on a problem for a while, but the problem solving is what I love so I wouldn’t change it.

    • Photo: Sanjeev Kumar

      Sanjeev Kumar answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      “I would not say this is the worst part, but instead would prefer to say the difficult part.”

      As an engineer, I have experience of working on the design of electronic hardware (PCB) and computer simulations, and measurements. We need to be very careful while designing electronic hardware; as if we miss to put a single component on the board and the entire hardware will stop working.

      Similarly, it is frustrating when we simulate a design on a software for a long time (let say 6 months), and for some reason, we don’t get the expected results in the measurements.

      Thus, the best practice for an engineer is to review…check…and….re-check the design before moving forward for the fabrication. Otherwise, we might end up wasting thousands of Euros that off course the employer would not like…!!

    • Photo: Fiona Malone

      Fiona Malone answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      Paper work! There is actually quite a lot of writing involved when you’re an engineer and designing new products and I find that bit quite boring. Yet being good at the paper work is the probably the key to getting your designs out there to the public so even though it sucks, you have to do it!

    • Photo: Cillian Thompson

      Cillian Thompson answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      The worst part for me is usually what leads to the best part. Trying to understand and solve a really difficult problem and getting the answer wrong over and over can be frustrating but once you do figure it out and not give up it leads to the great feeling of solving a problem especially when the solution will make a difference in someones life.

    • Photo: Tom Hodgkinson

      Tom Hodgkinson answered on 3 Mar 2020:

      I think for me it is balancing all the parts of my job, finding enough time for lab work, paper work, teaching and managing research grants is tricky.

    • Photo: Eimear O'Hara

      Eimear O'Hara answered on 3 Mar 2020:

      Probably when you’re stuck on a problem for a long time and nothing you’ve tried has worked. But eventually you do figure out a solution, so although it’s tough at the time, it’s really satisfying when you finally get there!

Comments