Who's paying for this time? 10

[trainguy]

All,

It's pretty clear that many of us devote a considerable amount of time responding to posts on Eng-Tips.

By curiosity, what do you charge this time to? i.e. I'm not exactly sure where to assign the last 30 minutes (that I spent on the site) when filling out my time sheet.

How do you handle this?

e.g: Charge the current project?, Business development, Training, IT, Make up the time by working later...

Just curious.

tg

 

[calguy07]

do you guys charge every minute of everyday to something?? if you charge for this then you have to charge bathroom breaks to something. i bill my time on the project i'm working on and some of the day does include surfing the web during a mid morning break and snack..at the end of the day, work still gets done.

 

[beej67]

Marketing.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -

http://www.campbellcivil.com

 

[vanmorrison]

dhengr,
Firstly, thank you for sharing your experience & knowledge, it is much appreciated by all. Your work ethic is inspiring in today's world of searching for the quick and easy way. I also admire your respect and relationship building with superiors.

I am curious,

...and a whole bunch of posters who are pretending to past themselves off as engineers,...

how can you pick out the imposters?

 

[GregLocock]

They're the ones who can spell...

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[dhengr]

Van:
Oh... it’s really pretty easy, would anyone with even a basic engineering background ask that question, that way, and then argue with you when they started getting honest answers. Some of them should say they don’t know, and then listen, they might actually learn something. But, you have to be smart enough to ask an intelligent question, or brave enough to admit you can’t. And, they shouldn’t be relying entirely on CAD and FEA for their engineering expertise.

I have no problem explaining to a draftsman or mechanic why we are doing something or even at some level how we went about getting to this or that detail as a solution to a problem, and as often as not, I can learn something from them too. But, if through puffery or the way someone presents their question or problem, they imply that they are an engineer or doing some great engineering job, but then don’t have the very basics such as strength of materials, applied engineering mechanics, statics, dynamics, a basic knowledge of materials, etc. etc., I get frustrated or perturbed fairly quickly. Be honest with us, we are actually here to help, because we care and want to, we are giving of our time, so then don’t B.S. us about your knowledge level. And, don’t B.S. your boss by coming here for an answer and then presenting it as your own, if you don’t really understand it, do your own homework, so you do understand. If you are honest with your experience level, we at least know how to, and at what level to, start addressing the question, and most of us, on most days, are happy to do that at any level. There isn’t any reason to be ashamed of being a draftsman or a tech., they are an important part of the team too, and being an engineer doesn’t make me some sort of god, but buy being honest about our own experience levels, it goes a long way toward building a meaningful and constructive interaction.

 

[msquared48]

Like Ron, me.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask

 

[Lion06]

If I'm looking something up for a project it goes under that project. If I'm keeping up with a post that I'm interested in I don't charge it to anything. That being said, it takes about 3 minutes to write even a semi-long post and maybe 5 minutes tops to read a very long thread.

With all of that in mind, I credit Eng-Tips for a great deal of my technical aptitude. I do a lot of reading on my own, but this forum has exposed me to many, many problems in a short period of time. It has helped me develop an understanding of so many topics.......... I would easily consider it time well spent and I think I could easily make that case to my employer if I needed to. This forum has essentially been my mentor. I come a lot less for direct help now than to keep up with interesting threads, but I'm always learning where I can - and this is one of the best places!

 

[wannabeSE]

I don't look at Eng-Tips while at work. I wait until I am at home and on my own time with my own computer. Before graduating, Eng-Tips helped me develop a vocabulary of engineering terms. As an EIT, I still read through many threads to broaden my engineering knowledge. I respond only when I think I have something useful to add. When stuck stuck on a problem at work, I ask for guidance from one of the experienced engineers at work.

 

[dhengr]

Wannabe:
I think you have it about right. This certainly isn’t someplace you should be coming for knowledge you should already possess given what you told me your experience level was. You should come here for third through fourteenth opinions or a point of view that maybe your area hasn’t seen yet or an unusual situation. But, you have to be smart enough to know if responses really fit your situation or if it’s just so much smoke being blown up your leg. You also have to do your own homework because that really sticks with you. If you have sharp guys around you in the office, they really care about the well being of your office and generally want to help you and know the local stds., maybe a prof. from school or another engineer from an engineering association, etc., they really care about you and your well being and these interactions grow into meaningful relationships. And, I think a young engineer looks all the better for asking intelligent and meaningful questions rather than bumbling along alone to the wrong solution. The fact that you can be looking at the same plans, and specs. and pointing at the same detail as you ask your question gets you an answer with less ambiguity, and the fact that the senior engineer can draw you a sketch of what he is saying leaves less doubt. Keep up the good work. I’m not really surprised by the variety of questions we get, but I am somewhat distressed by the number of people pretending to do engineering on projects and products which could do real harm, when by the nature of their questions, they don’t have the vaguest idea what they are doing or designing. And, I don’t know if that is them claiming to be something they are not or if that is their boss not being smart enough to know the difference btwn. real engineering ability and knowledge, or maybe not caring as long as they produce something and liability insurance will take care of the rest.

 

[bridgebuster]

"...a young engineer looks all the better for asking intelligent and meaningful questions rather than bumbling along alone to the wrong solution."

I agree. Unfortunately, I've worked with some who would rather make a mistake then ask a question, because in their opinion that would make them look stupid.

 

[dhengr]

I’ve said it before.... there aren’t many stupid questions, obviously you can ask a question in a stupid way, but I generally won’t damn you for asking a question. I want to know how much you know, so I know how much responsibility I can trust you with. I want you to succeed for our mutual benefit. I don’t expect you to know everything, I sure don’t, or to know something you have never encountered before. Although I do expect you to develop some good imagination and structural intuition, and be smart enough to do your own research and present a question intelligently and/or offer several possible solutions to your own problem. But, asking me is so much more efficient, it’s a three sentence comment and a ten second sketch, or a look in this book, or this section of the code, instead of a 45 minute search on your part. I expect those kinds of questions, and again, I respect them, because you show you are using our time most judiciously.

 

[vanmorrison]

WannebeeEIT, Are you sucking up to dhengr? I knew when I read your post Mr. D would just love it! Seriously, good for you!


For what it is worth; Eng tips is a great site for information and knowledge. I consider it a appropriate tool. There may be people out there who do not have a mentor or resources or support at their place of work and this site serves as a substitute. Not everyone knows everything and people in this forum are happy to share what they know to help someone along. Think about it this way ENG TIPS reaches out world wide, and thousands of people. 928 000 helpful heads are better than 1 or 2. Another thing that is great about this site is differing opions are expressed in a professional manner, which is a lesson in itself being passed on to the less tactful.

 

[KENAT]

If my time on here is directly work related then I'll book it to the relevant project.

I'll also do a little 'quid pro quo' - i.e. if I'm getting work related questions answered, I'll maybe spend a little work time answering other folks Questions.

Most of my time on here is during lunch breaks, tea breaks etc.

My old manager was fine with my time on eng-tips. My new manager's never expressed and opinion, I've never asked, and I've scaled my posting on company time back some.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[trainguy]

Well said, Kenat.

My time on eng-tips is like a tea break, without the tea.

tg

 

[GregLocock]

My time on eng-tips is like a smoking break, without the lung cancer.


Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[moltenmetal]

Greg: you're dead on the mark, as usual!

Without the lung cancer, or the brain rot (or grounds for dismissal) that many other "coffeebreak" sites might provide!

 

[B16A2]

dhengr & wannabeEIT: spot on

Our company doesn't allow eng-tips use. I tend to agree with them. This site is frightening at times because you can see where it's being used as a crutch.

I think a lot of people on here have post forum addiction. I'm not sure those are the best ones to be mentoring young engineers.

 

[thruthefence]

Same place I bill my "freecell" time.

 

[grimmy65]

misc.