Side effects of being an engineer! [Selfwritten]

I read an article somewhere on the internet listing all the 'side effects' of being an engineer. Here is my take on that ;-D (Read on...)

“So what is your son doing nowadays ?”
“Well, he is doing ENGINEERING (Yeah, no doubt, there was a weight in the tone)”
“Oh My God! He is doing Engineering! (Sigh.Couldn't graduate in any other field, so chose engineering!)”.
That’s it! As soon as your ‘proud’ parent declares you as an Engineer, you are gone baby! The person asking the question, will gaze you like he has just seen the 8th Wonder of the world. Obviously not because of your good impression, but the the level of water that you are in that you chose engineering!! Obviously things wouldn't have ached this much if you were in a govt. college or NIT or maybe... IIT!! ;-) You yourself feel what a fool you are if you are pursuing your engineering from a 'private' college. Forget boasting about it...

But there is no difference (yeah even after criticizing much, I speak of it! :-) ) in what college or university you opt for your BE/BTECH, if you really love engineering by heart! If you justify being an engineer, then my dear you can be proud of being an ENGINEER!

Few people have a big and I mean a really big misconception that every Engineer is an Einstein and thereby he can ‘repair everything!. People think that we engineers can solve any damn problem in this world, but one thing that this world is unaware of, that laying down with this beauty(or beast?) called ‘Engineering’has a lot of side-effects. I was relieved the day I got admitted in an engineering college(PCET,Lalru for your curiosity!), I had some dreams too, those then seemed a piece of cake!
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of a hot-shot job, a huge package, an AC cabin and most importantly a beautiful secretary :-p .But hey! All my dreams were blown away like the Twin Towers of Manhattan. During my school days, I was content with distinction and always had a soft corner for the ones who just got passing marks. But now my friends, the tables have turned… ‘24’ has become a lucky number for me (out of 60, 24 for us in PTU was PASS) and believe it or not, ‘the bookl**d (our native term)’ of our class, score 90% marks and still say, “Yaar, paper sahi nahi hua”… Competition is so tough that forget about getting a huge packages, students struggle to get passing marks in many subjects ,and thereby end up having no placements at all. And then the conscience wakes up to chant that ‘Engineering is not so simple buddy!’

MY TIP: Getting admission in an Engineering College is not enough… You really have to work hard in order to build castles on Earth…

Anyways lets jump to the side effects, hold on it’s going to be nasty.

Technical Brain

An engg. student, who is doing Computer Engg. would say, “Whenever I make a spelling mistake while writing on a sheet of paper, I try to find Ctrl + Z or a Backspace key to correct it”… or for that matter, one folk doing Environmental Engg., would confess that whenever he sees a pile of garbage, he starts thinking ways to recycle it. This is one of the biggest side-effect of doing engg… Your brain becomes addict to the technical terms taught in the classrooms and you are always anxious to apply your knowledge in day to day life (At least most of us would do, I was the type). A friend from Civil Engg.told me,that whenever he sees a pillar or wall he wants to know the ratio and composition of cement and concrete in it.! This happens when you choose engineering as your soul mate. So,the question arises, why we engineers, are so anxious to show our knowledge to the world… I figured out the reason after watching Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots ( A satire on Indian education system) For four years , we are Well-Trained, and not Well-Educated… Students are not allowed to do things practically in the class and so they try it elsewhere.

MY TIP: Beware! If an engineer near you speaks too technically or talks about changing the world… Don’t be afraid, it’s not his fault... you should blame our steady and clogged education system whose velocity of approach towards improvement is very slow… OMG! ‘velocity’ , ‘steady’ …. I have started talking technically too… :p

We are labelled:

If you tell someone that you are a Computer Engineer, he/she labels you as a person who just sits in front of his computer the entire day. Getting ‘labelled’ is one of the most tedious side-effect of being an Engineer. I cannot understand why engineer’s get labeled on basis of their branch. An electrical engg. is considered good only when there is a malfunction in an electrical appliance! Cmon! We engineer’s can be multi talented also. A guy from Mechanical can design a computer program as well, or a person from Electronics, can have interest in engines and machines . It hurts when we are TYPE-CASTED and misunderstood. I have heard people telling a Civil Engineer , “Hey, you are from Civil, you can dig this pit easily…”

MY TIP: A technical mind of an engineer ,can also be creative. They can be good at fields like sports,art,media also,and for that matter, the piece of writing the you are currently reading, is written by an Engineer!!!

Economists hate us:

Majority of Engineer’s opt for higher studies like an MBA You must be thinking that higher studies are fruitful and how can this become a side-effect.Everyone is not kind to us friends. The so called ‘True’ Economists of our country consider an MBA after doing something technical like Engineering a sin, in their language,it’s like wasting the money and talent of country. They believe that Engineer’s should work in Core companies instead of MNC’s and Banks. But what if I have interest in higher studies! What if I like managing a business! Let me share some facts straight from the business world. People having the deadly combo of BTech. + MBA are doing wonders for our country and are also responsible for the upliftment of the economy… ARE THE ‘TRUE’ ECONOMISTS LISTENING?

MY TIP: In a democratic and developing country like ours, one needs to understand that knowledge is the only thing that stays with a person till the last moment… My technical knowledge will definitely stay with even if I sell baby diapers for an MNC… J

Women Worries :

The most endangered specie in an engineering college campus is WOMEN! I really feel pity for my fellow Engineer brothers .Women have a strong notion , that we engineers are like robots and therby don’t have any emotions. No doubt we engineers, think and talk a little technically and are not good at showing our love, but we still have a romantic corner in our heart. Remember ,Taj Mahal,-the symbol of love, was also designed by Engineers of that time! Having less girls in the campus, can make you gloomy at times,and by chance, if we get a hot chick in the campus, it’s sure that she will be become the talk-of-the-town.

MY TIP: No tip on this one my friends, because even I can’t understand this creature called ‘WOMEN’. This is one side-effect that comes straight from God

By now you must have understood what we engineers go through in the 4 years of college life. I hope your heart must have melted by now. From now onwards whenever you meet an engineer, sympathize with him. But remember, these side-effects are blown away when we seek pleasure in what we do.. & don't chose engineering cos you can't find any other field or out of your parents compulsion, only do engineering if you love it by heart...