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.
![[bigglasses]](/data/assets/smilies/bigglasses.gif "[bigglasses] [bigglasses]")
