8/10/2019 8 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Being an
Electrical Engineer
1/3
Things You Probably Didnt Know About Being an Electrical
Engine
Hello Everyone! I know you are so busy with all your assignments
and quizzes .But the thing is I likedone of the post in a website
and thought of sharing something with you EEE (its not
EntertainmentEntertainment Entertainment its Electronics and
Electrical Engineering)people.
1. The first one is.
Engineers are never worried for the - "What Is Answer?"..
They will only ask, "Which answer you want?" .. !
2. Secondly, a ll your friends and family will think youre an
electricianor some sort of electronicsengineer
Every time theres a power outage, or a TV stops working, or a
cars battery is dead, etc. someone willinevitably say, Hey, youre
the electrical engineer! Why dont you fix the (generic thing that
runs onelectricity)? Listen folks, just because somet hing runs on
electricity, doesnt mean that I know how tofix it. And also, Ive
never wired a house before. I can tell you what the code says you
should be usingfor the correct wire sizes and how many receptacles
should be powered by that one circuit, but I donthave the tools or
expertise to invent a generator when our utility power gets knocked
out. I designcircuits for pumps and fans all day, okay?
3. Everyone makes fun of Civil engineers
What exactly do they do anyhow? According to Peter an Electrical
Engineer , I learned at my first jobthat mechanicals and
electricals like to rag on each other, but they both enjoy ganging
up on thecivils. I think its because so many of our clients were
civils who thought they knew stuff about ourfields and really didnt
have a clue. Now I work for a company crawling with civils. I
better watch myback.
4. But not as much as the architects
But even the civils get to join in and make fun of the
architects. Unfortunately for them, we engineersdont hold
architects in as high regard as George Costanza . After all, arent
they just art schooldropouts with tilted desks and big rulers?
5. Youre the last to know
Perhaps all this teasing is rooted in something deeper than who
thinks who had the toughest classes toget through back in college,
but rather its because there is a pecking order in consulting,
andunfortunately for us, electricals are at the low end of the
totem pole. It goes as follows:
Architects plan the layout of the building
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCF-DUR0GmUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCF-DUR0GmUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCF-DUR0GmUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCF-DUR0GmU
8/10/2019 8 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Being an
Electrical Engineer
2/3
Civils do site work or whatever it is about the process that
they design within the building (these firsttwo may vary in order
depending on the project)
Mechanicals size the pumps/fans/other stuff that carry out the
process and lay them out in the building
Electricals get whatever space is left to place our
panelboards/MCCs/transformers and then design the
circuits that power everything.
As you can see, each step is reliant upon the step before it, so
oftentimes were stuck twiddling ourthumbs waiting on everyone else
so we can begin our design. But the architectural firms are
oftendriving these projects as lead consultants and dont care about
details like that, they just want theirdeadlines met. Also, when
you ask them to move a door or window so you can have some
wall/floorspace to place your panelboard, you can practically hear
them rolling their eyes as they let out a sighand agree to help you
out.
6. You use what you learned in English class far more than what
you learned in math and science(according to Peter)
Dont get me wrong, youll take more than your fill of math and
science courses throughout your
education if you want the engineering degree. But day to day, Im
composi ng/reading emails fromclients and fellow consultants,
reading and editing specifications, and talking on the phone far
morethan Im actually crunching numbers on my calculator. You need
strong written and verbal skills inmost jobs these days, and
engineering is no exception. Honestly, algebra is the highest form
of mathIve ever used on the job, and I dont think Ill ever touch
calculus. Ive seen the integrals they use tocalculate arc flash
incident energies, and Im thankful for the software that does those
for me.
7. Youll get to travel, but you wont be planning your next
vacation to the locations (according toPeter)
Youre going to have to make some site visits every now and then
to either gather information pre
design, or to inspect the implementation of your design after
its been built. If youre in my field, youllfind that these
plants/facilities arent put in glamorous locations, because lets
face it, nobody wants tolive next door to the wastewater treatment
plant. Even the cool est trips Ive gone on ( Fairbanks andFalse
Pass ) were neat experiences, but I wouldnt go back on my free
time.
8. Youll begin to noticeeverything (according to Peter)
My very first day on the job, my boss took me for a walk down
the street near our office. He pointed outthe cabinet that
contained the controller for the traffic lights. He showed me the
junction boxes in thesidewalk that contained the power cabling for
the street lights. Suddenly, I wanted to know whereeverything got
its power from. I wanted to know how everything was controlled. It
was as if my eyes
were opened , and I could go on seeing the world in a far more
vigilant way. Ill give you an example: At my first job, I got to
design airport runway and taxiway light configurations. Now every
time I fly Ilook out the window to pay attention to the patterns of
the taxiway and runway lights, comparingthem to what I remembered
when I had to learn the FAAs codes and standards for airport
design. Its pretty coolin a nerdy, engineering kind of way.
Well, there you have it. I hope you learned something. Pardon me
if I bore you..
Sohani Mehzabin ProvaID:12221072
http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/site-visit-in-fairbanks/http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/site-visit-in-fairbanks/http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/site-visit-in-fairbanks/http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/journey-to-false-pass/http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/journey-to-false-pass/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FUPSGiy8Y#t=3m3shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FUPSGiy8Y#t=3m3shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FUPSGiy8Y#t=3m3shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FUPSGiy8Y#t=3m3shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FUPSGiy8Y#t=3m3shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FUPSGiy8Y#t=3m3shttp://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/journey-to-false-pass/http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/site-visit-in-fairbanks/
![9 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Millennials [Infographic]](https://img.pdfslide.net/doc/110x75/55ce43eebb61eb85418b463a/9-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-millennials-infographic.jpg)
