Just in case you missed me mentioning it last time- Engineering has its own (beta) Stack Exchange. One thing I want to dwell on, however, is an incident that happened while the site was still incubating in its own “private” beta. On the fifth day, we lost our first user. We lost them because they felt mocked for asking a question that, at least, some of the people in the community decided had a poor premise.

Expecting never to lose anyone when growing an online community would be naive; statistically I can’t have kept everyone who has ever visited Being Brunel as a reader. What was interesting, however, was the aftermath; where we sat down (figuratively) as a community to take a good long hard look at ourselves and figure out what we want to become, and what we should expect of each other.

Worryingly, it seems, it is axiomatic that engineers have a reputation for pedantry, snark and “always being right”. I thought there might be a bit of resistance from a community of engineers- but apparently not! Even my own mother, who is both married to a civil engineer, and has me as a son, says that there is a skill to “talking to engineers”.

Well, not entirely- some of my best friends are engineers… But maybe it’s worth having a bit of a look at these non-desirous character traits to see if you recognise any of them in yourself!

Pedantry

The want of precision appears pedantic; being mocked and challenged over what seems an unnecessary distinction is likely to get anyone’s back up.

I’ve got to say- some of the biggest pedants I’ve known have been engineers… In one memorable occasion I had someone dismiss my whole engineering ability on my description of a wall going into bending without tension. But why are we so prone to it?

Well the obvious answer is that we work in an environment of technical precision. Clear and concise communication is important, and we are often punished for making assumptions on people’s vagaries- I’m sure most of us have a story where everyone left the meeting with completely different ideas of the same action. That sort of experience can make anyone defensively pedantic!

But the problem is- to those outside the discipline- this want of precision appears pedantic; being mocked and challenged over what seems an unnecessary distinction is likely to get anyone’s back up. The art, therefore, in not appearing a terrible person, my lie in or recognising that the person you’re talking to probably doesn’t understand or may not even care that they are being generic when something requires a bit more of a specific definition.

Snarkiness

If sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, then snark must be the lowest form of technical appraisal.

Being pedantic– I’m not sure snarkiness is a word; and I think that being perceived as snarky is actually a symptom of something more subtle. Engineers work in a technical field; it is our knowledge and experience that gives is worth. Being able to demonstrate this to clients wins us money and accord. Doing it with humour, is a good way to get a laugh.

If sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, then snark must be the lowest form of technical appraisal. While knowing something someone else doesn’t make you valuable; what employers need are team players; and if people don’t feel comfortable coming to you for help because they think you’ll judge their stupid questions- well, it doesn’t matter how much you know.

I suppose the answer, dull as it is, is just to bite your tongue. The person you’re being snarky at is unlikely to appreciate the joke. Although it is a touch dubious ethically, you can get it out of your system another time. These rules do not, of course, relate to inanimate objects- so feel free to impress your friends and relatives with snarky comments about just how terrible a software package is, and the inexplicable clause you discovered in the latest technical document de jour.

Always Being Right

The problem comes, however, when you find yourself judging problems you don’t really understand- or over simplify to understand quickly.

I’m not sure that engineers are always right; not in my experience at least. I suspect this attribute is more a side-effect of one of the principle qualities of an engineer- fundamentally we enjoy solving problems. This means that engineers tend to form an answer for everything; attempting pragmatism over ignorance. It’s a useful skill- the art of approximation.

The problem comes, however, when you find yourself judging problems you don’t really understand- or over simplify to understand quickly. This is something I think engineers are prone to; simply because we often have to work with too little information in too little time. And what it does do is prevent us seeking help or respecting other’s opinions when, sometimes, we really should; forming a barrier to our collaborative behaviour.

Perhaps a solution here is two-fold; firstly we have to be a bit more ready to give other the benefit of the doubt. If they state something that’s contrary to our understanding- it is worth talking it through to determine where the difference arises. The complementary side to this is, of course, to know your own limitations. If you can identify where you’re making assumptions, at the very least you can temper your response with the good old, and highly contradictory, IMHO.