Things All Engineers Hate

Prepare to be enraged. This list may well make your blood boil and your skin creep. But you’ll probably find yourself nodding along in agreement. We’re a special breed, us engineers and we all seem to have very similar dislikes. So, in no particular order, here are the top ten things that engineers hate.

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1. Phone calls

If you’re a site engineer you probably spend quite a lot of time on the phone, but it’s still annoying, right? Why can’t everyone just do everything by email, it would be so much easier. The only thing worse than speaking on the phone? Video conferencing on Skype… arghhhh!

If, perhaps, you have a slightly more positive disposition and this sounds all a bit negative, take a look at 5 videos all engineers are sure to love!

2. Lateness

This one’s a bit ironic, as let’s face it – most engineering projects run behind. But when we’re running late for things, we panic. And we’re terrible for judging others for their lateness, tut-tutting and tapping our watches when someone strolls in 3.5 minutes late. The only way to overcome this is to get things in perspective. Does it really matter if we’re late for that dentist appointment? Will anyone mind if we’re a few minutes late for a meeting? Reduce the anxiety people; life’s too short.

3. Paying other people to do things

We like to try and do everything ourselves – it’s a pride thing, but sometimes pride comes before a fall. So, next time you’re tempted to re-wire that junction box or fix that washing machine, it may pay you to grab the yellow pages (how quaint!) or Google a local engineer who knows what they’re doing.

4. Taking time out

Most engineers seem to be workaholics – maybe it’s because we love our work so much. But relaxing is important; we know that. We just hate doing it. Try to find a relaxing hobby whether it’s golf, knitting or just slobbing out in front of the TV watching your favourite show. And try not to hate it – see it as recharging your batteries so you can get back to work refreshed and raring to go.

5. Movies that don’t make sense

We like things to be realistic. Ok, we can forgive things that are slightly implausible – especially in sci-fi movies (like the entire plot of Armageddon with Bruce Willis blowing up a meteorite headed for earth), but when the plot makes no sense at all (Donnie Darko, anyone?) then we just tend to give up on it and zone out.

6. Imprecision

Come on guys, quick, grab the tape measure, spirit level, Vernier callipers, dumpy level – we’ve got a shelf to put up. Yes, we like absolute precision, even for the smallest DIY job at home. That’s just who we are. If it isn’t, we can’t tolerate it. Full stop.

7. Meetings that go on for too long – (or just meetings in general)

In an ideal world, no meeting would last longer than five minutes. Everyone would say what they had to say, hands would be quickly shaken, and we’d all get the heck out of a dodge. No. The real world sometimes feels like an endless waking nightmare of boardrooms, site meetings, and Skype conferences. Conferences and conventions can be just as bad. Hell is a hotel conference hall.

8. IT problems

Ever wanted to put your fist through a computer monitor? Smash up a keyboard? Have a Basil Fawlty moment on your desktop PC? We’ve all been there. We rely so much on IT for our jobs, and when it all goes pear-shaped, we’re quick to lose our temper. It’s usually the poor sun-starved 20-year-old IT tech who gets the full force of our wrath, so remember to get them something nice at Christmas to make up for it.

9. Blame cultures

There’s nothing worse than working a blame culture, and depending on where you work, some companies feel like everyone is at each other’s throats the whole time. If you work in this kind of environment, take a step back. Is it really worth the aggro? Maybe it’s time to find pastures new. The good news is, there are plenty of great companies to work for that value their employees and have a cooperative and collegiate atmosphere.