Being an ENGINEER

The Idea of this post came to my mind when i was sitting with a few friends. A pretty YOUNG friend of mine who is aspiring to become an Army Officer got stuck with a small problem in maths. So, another friend of mine after failing to explain it, referred the problem to me for a solution with explanation. As i started to explain, the things got complicated for the New fresh mind, and Pat came a comment "They are Engineers. They can prove anything... :D". Though it was of-course in a light mood, but it is a general perception about Engineers. This forced me to ponder about what makes others think of Engineers in this manner.
I am Pretty much sure, on the Internet, we all must have read numerous feats of engineers proving the most absurd and impossible things. But did anyone ever think of the reasons which makes us so Creative?? What makes it so easy for us to prove anything and almost everything? Why don't we ever care about what the answer actually comes out to be. All we care about is, “What answer is NEEDED”.

Engineers are not for solving the Problem. But they are for getting the solution of every problem in any possible manner. By Hook or by Crook. Einstien proposed E=mc2 , but it became a headache for the engineers to build a Nuclear Reactor. Shahjahan just wished to dedicate a beautiful Tomb to her late queen, and suddenly it was a headache for the engineers to design something that is worth a wonder for the world. Newton gave us laws of motion and escape velocity, and once again, engineers were called in to make something that could somehow be thrown out of earth's atmosphere(e.g. satellites). But what makes them so? How are normal human beings casted into an entity of a Engineer?

The Answer to these question lies deep. The moment someone decides to be an engineer, it is the end of life for him right after class 10th. Atleast the Social life. He fights to be an engineer. Burning the Mid-Night Oil in the table lamps surrounded by numerous books while the other students of his age-group (who are not planning to be engineers) spend their time dating or partying. While others have to only care about their marks in Board exams, these few "soon to be Engineers" have to worry about their competitive exams in order to get into a college. This is the only stage where they Learn to Solve the questions to get the solution.


Then comes the college. Full of hopes and dreams with the sole aim of enjoying their life in college they enter the class rooms. But their happiness doesn't survive for Long. Here they are Greeted with some more books, old, awkward and unrelated subjects and numerous assignments with UNREALISTIC deadlines. They work hard in a hope to make a good repute among the fellows and the faculties. And a beautiful year comes to an end.
After a Year at college, they are sure about certain things.
a) Studying for a whole Year is a waste of time.
b) If you have to pass, mug up what's written in the book.
c) Appreciation and respect for Aryabhatta for Giving us 0. Most of the problems could be solved correctly in Maths in bottom to top approach considering 0 as an answer.


With the start of second year, they start to get serious about their career. But the Count-less assignments continue. They start to think about what they wanted from life and How they landed down here. Every passing day decreases the count of days in Hell. Their time is either spent hanging out at the cafeteria or the nearby multiplex with their gang.
Learnings:
a) Maintain the Required attendance and don't get Debarred.
b) Assignments would definitely be solved by atleast one of the class Toppers. They can always be copied on the last day.
c) Solve the question from Bottom to Top. Its the only way to solve them. (Especially in MATHS)
c) Never Forget to Buy the Photocopy of the notes at the end of the semester.
d) Once Again the Power of 0 is realized. A 0 is always better than going into -ve. It is an inevitable friend of an Engineer.


And before they could ever know, Half of their college life is over. Now the faculties are cool. But you are not spared of assignments. Faculties get more strict about the snapshots pasted in your Lab file. Total of Internals Depend only on how you perform in your written internal Irrespective of your attendance or the class Performance. And This is Time when they again start to worry about their Future. Some Great Minds choose for an MBA, which they could have anyways done after a simple college(I wonder why they wasted their 4 years). Then there are others who have started to love their life as a GEEK opt for M.S. or M.Tech. And the rest start to worry even more about how are they going to get a Job.
Learnings:
a) How to Use GOOGLE to copy codes/Procedures.
b) How to Copy assignments more efficiently. i.e Copying 2 assignments at a time, Copying an assignment while taking dummy class notes.
c) Facebook could also be used as a very efficient medium for collaboration. And By that i mean, organizing mass bunks and sharing some of the numerous assignments.
d) Doesn't matter how much to study, there is no way you could attempt the full Question Paper.
e) Faculties will still treat you the way they were treated. Use of modern Equipments for demonstrating your project is not allowed as they didnt have them in their time. Your Project marks are ONLY dependent on that particular thing that your examiners used while they were in college, and not on what you have made.


The Fourth year is all About Projects. Making something that is Unbelievable but still achievable. More than making something awesome, it is about making something that SOUNDs awesome. While you still have to attend the college, you have to come up with something NEW, INNOVATIVE and TECHNICALLY NEW with the time left with you when you are at home. And not to forget about the Numerous exams of companies and institutes of higher education.



After Going though all this, in 4 years, i think the only thing that anyone could learn for sure is:
a) You dont have a life because you are an Engineer.
b) Its the Easiest way to make others happy and save your life is to Give them what they want.
c) Methods Don't matter. Only FINAL ANSWER/SOLUTION DOES. Just get the damn answer.
d) You Would never need a Book. They only need 1 month Before the exams. Photocopy of notes is an easy and efficient alternate. Investing your money in a Nice CELL-Phone With wi-fi and 3G/GPRS services is the best option.