are electrical engineers or engineers in general considered "smart" , and do they get the credit they deserve

Question

thanks

Answer 1

I have never been worshiped as I should.

All hail the Electrical Engineer that is I.

We accept your homage:

We are pleased.


Yours: Grumpy

Answer 2

It depends on the situation. When they are looking for someone to get the job done they tell you, "you're smart". But what you really are is well educated.

As for getting credit there's a joke that covers it.

An engineer was hiking across a field and a manager comes by in a hot air balloon. The manager shouts down I'll lost can you tell me where am I. The engineer looks at his GPS and estimates the mans elevation, and shouts back you're about 75 feet above these gps coordinates and gives the manager the correct GPS coordinates.

The manager shouts back, you must be an engineer. I asked you a question, I don't understand your answer and now I'm going to be late for my meeting. The engineer shouts back you must be a manager you have a problem, I've tried to help you with it, and now its all my fault.

You'll might get more credit than you deserve sometimes.

Answer 3

As an aerospace engineer I can tell you that engineers are considered smart.
As far as getting the credit they deserve, I think people could give us more credit. They usually just consider us dorky, out of touch people. I personally can disprove that assumption; I was captain of my division-one track team, I play basketball for fun, and I love going out to clubs or lounges.
Most people think being a doctor or a lawyer is cooler and harder because the average person doesn't know a lot about engineering. The only thing most people know is NASA. Television also hurts the engineer’s image. How many shows are on TV that are based on engineering besides the Discovery Channel? Now, how many are on that deal with medicine or law? Get the drift?!
Most people most likely don't know too many engineers. An average person could probably name at least two or three times as many doctors and lawyers as they could engineers.
I love what I do, and I could never see myself being anything else. I have fun being an engineer; in the end that’s all that matters.

Answer 4

Engineering still holds a certain amount of esteem as being a "smart" career. However, when things don't work as they should, quite often its blamed on the stupid engineer. In fact failures are not as simple to blame. Numerous examples exist where all the engineers involved did their jobs, but management failed to manage the project sufficiently. At least one shuttle disaster comes to mind as the engineer saying "no" but "management" saying "yes" to the launch. Similarly, failure of groups of engineers to work together often results in problems. One used metric measures, another SAE units and the project failed.

Unfortunately, most engineers I've seen make poor managers, while too many non-engineering managers don't have a clue about technical things and don't care. If you don't even understand what your employees are doing, how can you understand how to manage them?

Right now in the USA, most engineers are viewed as a liability instead of an asset. This results in outsourcing. At the same time, I've encountered many engineers that want high pay, but don't have a clue if they actually contribute to the business. If someone without a college education can do it, why hire an engineer?

Finally, too many companies associate an engineering diploma with successful engineer and never account for experience. Thomas Edison wasn't a degreed engineer. Neither were the Wright Brothers. How many more examples can you name?

Answer 5

Do a good job at anything you do and you will be considered smart and get credit for it. That is, if you really must have the approval of others.

Answer 6

any one with higher education level like engineers is considered smart. education makes people smart. smart people also go to university.

Answer 7

we only get the credit when we get it working again! otherwise no