Because when push comes to shove 40 hour weeks can only account for the time I spent at work Monday to Wednesday, weekends are but mere suggestions, and I occasionally spend 12 hour days just arguing with people twice my age to ensure that my system works properly. Since I am passionate about my work and have what I believe to be a strong moral compass, being confronted with individuals who are blowing smoke up my ass day in and day out so they can make a quick buck is extremely disenchanting. I think perhaps it is right of passage to adulthood to have the pleasure of a grown man looking you in the eye and lying about something that matters. And I think it is a right of passage to becoming a responsible adult to learn when and how to tell people you fucked up.
As much as I have ideas brewing, and opinions I want to share, I have to admit that in weeks like these I just come home and collapse in my bed, and only get up in time to go to work again (in less than 7 hours).
At the same time, I hate and love every moment. Every time I find out somebody has screwed me over, I also know that I've caught a mistake before it causes damage. And I know every moment that I need to stay up, every person I need to yell at, every person I have to take yelling at me, I know it's all worth it. And I don't want to risk loosing the ability to catch those errors.
And that is why I think most other serious engineers tend to stay away from blogging. Not because we can't write, nor because we don't have opinions. Writing in a public forum is a risk, and one with outcomes that cannot be accurately calculated. It's exactly what we are trained to avoid. And the risk of getting caught couldn't be higher; our dream of being able to continue to create is at stake.
Yet I still am writing. Maybe because I'm crazy, maybe because I think it's important that people know that engineering is more than sitting on your butt and collecting a big pay check, and maybe it is because I believe that discussing issues that plague our industry is the only way to fix it. But either way, I'm going to keep on blogging and making crappy stick figures (at least for the near future).
Love,
Vanessa
PS Why do you think we don't have more active engineering blogging community?
I just found your blog today and I think it's great! Especially the stick figures. Keep it up please.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alice! And thank you for commenting! It's nice to know what people are thinking on the other side of these posts, especially since we are still relatively new bloggers.
DeleteHi Vanessa, my name is Olivia. I'm a junior in high school and am interested in engineering-specifically chemical engineering. I would love to know more about what you did in high school to prepare for college if you already knew you were into engineering, and also what courses you took in undergrad/grad school. Also, what type of engineer are you? My email is osoule10@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you.
DeleteThanks!
Sure thing, Olivia! Hope my email is helpful. Great to see young women like yourself planning your future in engineering!
DeleteGreat post on blogging from the engineer's perspective, and I fully agree that it's about risk management. I haven't yet found other blogs such as this so it's hard to comment on the overall landscape of engineering blogs out there, but yours strikes a chord with me as a person and an engineer. I hope to see your blog continue to grow and be the voice that many can relate to.
ReplyDelete