Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

Andy Champ wrote:

It's in my job title. But then, I'm in software... and I too think
Engineers (those who exercise their ingenuity, same root) are
undervalued.

To be an Engineer-with-a-capital-E don't you have to be a qualified
member of one of their professional bodies? Like MIMechE, CEng, etc?

SteveT

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

In article ,
Steve Thackery wrote:
Andy Champ wrote:

It's in my job title. But then, I'm in software... and I too think
Engineers (those who exercise their ingenuity, same root) are
undervalued.

To be an Engineer-with-a-capital-E don't you have to be a qualified
member of one of their professional bodies? Like MIMechE, CEng, etc?

not in this country - but in Canada, CBC had to change the job title of
Chief Engineer to Head of Engineering Department when a "non-qualified"
person got the job.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.16

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

"Steve Thackery" wrote in message
...
Andy Champ wrote:

It's in my job title. But then, I'm in software... and I too think
Engineers (those who exercise their ingenuity, same root) are
undervalued.

To be an Engineer-with-a-capital-E don't you have to be a qualified member
of one of their professional bodies? Like MIMechE, CEng, etc?

That's to be a Chartered Engineer.

--
Max Demian

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

In article ,
wrote:
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:53:29 +0100 tony sayer wrote:
tell anyone that your Son's off to Cambridge to study Law, Medicine or
accounting then fine .. all's as it ought be but mention Engineering
then its all despair and ...

.... "where did we go wrong with our Son" ...

Depends on the family. If the parents are thick arts graduates
themselves then perhaps, but in general I think engineers are well
respected in this country by the general populous, if not by the
(generally arts grad) ruling classes.

My impression is that the general (non science/engineering) population may
well have a high regard for Engineers like Brunel. But are generally unware
of any of the engineering that goes into modern items. Things like mobile
phones or digital TV are simple taken as being 'magic' produced by fairies
in a cave far away. Anyone who actually understands such things is assumed
to be 'odd'... mind you, they may have a point, there. :-]

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
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Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

On Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:22:38 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:53:29 +0100 tony sayer wrote:
tell anyone that your Son's off to Cambridge to study Law, Medicine or
accounting then fine .. all's as it ought be but mention Engineering
then its all despair and ...

.... "where did we go wrong with our Son" ...

Depends on the family. If the parents are thick arts graduates
themselves then perhaps, but in general I think engineers are well
respected in this country by the general populous, if not by the
(generally arts grad) ruling classes.

My impression is that the general (non science/engineering) population may
well have a high regard for Engineers like Brunel. But are generally unware
of any of the engineering that goes into modern items. Things like mobile
phones or digital TV are simple taken as being 'magic' produced by fairies
in a cave far away. Anyone who actually understands such things is assumed
to be 'odd'... mind you, they may have a point, there. :-]

I can't think of any quotable quotes offhand but there is a tendency in
the British media to say that scientists are responsible for
technological developments.

I recall that in 1969 some parts of the British news media referred to
scientists as having designed and constructed the rocket and space
modules used to get men on to the surface of the moon and back.


--
Peter Duncanson
(in uk.tech.digital-tv)

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

In article , Peter Duncanson
wrote:
On Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:22:38 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:


My impression is that the general (non science/engineering) population
may well have a high regard for Engineers like Brunel. But are
generally unware of any of the engineering that goes into modern items.
Things like mobile phones or digital TV are simple taken as being
'magic' produced by fairies in a cave far away. Anyone who actually
understands such things is assumed to be 'odd'... mind you, they may
have a point, there. :-]

I can't think of any quotable quotes offhand but there is a tendency in
the British media to say that scientists are responsible for
technological developments.

Yes, that is also my impression. There is a general behaviour of confusing
'science' and 'technology', and indeed with the *use* to which a given part
of both are put. 'Journalists' seem very prone to this kind of wooly
thinking.

I recall that in 1969 some parts of the British news media referred to
scientists as having designed and constructed the rocket and space
modules used to get men on to the surface of the moon and back.

In fairness I can understand such confusion as science often is heavily
involved with engineering developments, etc. But it does tend to show that
the 'media' often have no real grasp of these topics - or have a cynical
and lazy attitude to their work and readers/viewers/listeners - or may
simply be rushed by employers and their bean-counters whose maxim is "I
don't want it good, I want it Thursday". :-) Thus also the liking for
'flashy graphics' and style over content. Plus the predictable way they
focus on a few specific areas of 'science'.

In a way that takes us back to the attitude of output being produced to be
'sold' rather than to be 'useful' or 'dependable'.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

Boltar the Bigot wrote in message ...
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:53:29 +0100
tony sayer wrote:
tell anyone that your Son's off to Cambridge to study Law, Medicine or
accounting then fine .. all's as it ought be but mention Engineering
then its all despair and ...

.... "where did we go wrong with our Son" ...

Depends on the family. If the parents are thick arts graduates themselves
then perhaps, but in general I think engineers are well respected in this
country by the general populous, if not by the (generally arts grad) ruling
classes.

Yeah, all them dirty arts grads ruling everything. They're a load o' poofs y'
know.
REAL men are all engineers with hands covered in oil or coal.

Btw I heard that, despite all his big talk, Boltar the Bigot isn't actually an
engineer, and he secretly loves art too, which is ironic really. Oh, and he's
gay.

jamie.
--

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...

My impression is that the general (non science/engineering) population may
well have a high regard for Engineers like Brunel.

That's because their only source of "education" is the "telly".


But are generally unware
of any of the engineering that goes into modern items. Things like mobile
phones or digital TV are simple taken as being 'magic' produced by fairies
in a cave far away. Anyone who actually understands such things is assumed
to be 'odd'... mind you, they may have a point, there. :-]

The latest one I've experienced is for the great unwashed to scream "Aspergers!"
whenever I demonstrate even the slightest bit of computer science knowledge.
Presumably there must've been some "report" on the "telly" about Aspergers
Syndrome recently, which they've managed to remember about 2% of.

jamie.
--

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

charles wrote:

not in this country - but in Canada, CBC had to change the job title of
Chief Engineer to Head of Engineering Department when a "non-qualified"
person got the job.

At the opposite end of the scale, I think Italy's RAI is the only 'state
broadcaster' in the world, where the Director of Engineering became the DG ?
And that was 15 years ago now.


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

www.paras.org.uk

Engineers are undervalued in the UK
 

In article ,
Mark Carver wrote:
charles wrote:

not in this country - but in Canada, CBC had to change the job title of
Chief Engineer to Head of Engineering Department when a "non-qualified"
person got the job.

At the opposite end of the scale, I think Italy's RAI is the only 'state
broadcaster' in the world, where the Director of Engineering became the
DG ? And that was 15 years ago now.

I think you will find the same thing happened in Nigeria - but that was
probably 30+ years ago

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.16