--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's the only job I can think of where I…" description: "\"“It's the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. There's an incredible, rigorous, technical element to it, which I l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/cory-althoff-229281_art_it-s-the-only-job-i-can-think-of-where-i_1699090.jpg" --- # It's the only job I can think of where I get to be both an… ![“It's the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. There's an incredible, rigorous, technical element to it, which I like because you have to do very precise thinking. On the other hand, it has a wildly creative side where the boundaries of imagination are the only…” quote by Cory Althoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/cory-althoff-229281_art_it-s-the-only-job-i-can-think-of-where-i_1699090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/cory-althoff-229281_art_it-s-the-only-job-i-can-think-of-where-i_1699090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/cory-althoff-229281_art_it-s-the-only-job-i-can-think-of-where-i_1699090.jpg) > ““It's the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. There's an incredible, rigorous, technical element to it, which I like because you have to do very precise thinking. On the other hand, it has a wildly creative side where the boundaries of imagination are the only real limitation." —Andy Hertzfeld”” Cory Althoff ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The role blends rigorous engineering with limitless artistic imagination, where precision meets creative freedom **In simple terms:** Engineering and art combine, balancing precision with imagination Key Takeaway Embrace both technical skill and creative freedom Themes creativity engineering artistic expression innovation interdisciplinary work Mood enthusiastic inspired analytical Type Art:1 Creativity:1 Engineer:1 Engineering:1 Imagination:1 Job Think:0 Engineer Artist:1 Think Engineer:0 When to use this quote - product design - software development - creative problem solving Key Concepts design thinking cognitive science technology development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance precision with imagination? - When does artistic freedom enhance engineering outcomes? A Different Perspective Creative constraints can limit innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) ## Related quotes > [ It's \[programming\] the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. There's an incredible, rigorous,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-hertzfeld/it-s-programming-the-only-job-i-can-think-of-where-i-get-to-be-both/) [Andy Hertzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-hertzfeld/) > [“The real engineer is an artist otherwise he/she is half engineer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-khalaf/the-real-engineer-is-an-artist-otherwise-he-she-is-half-engineer/) Mohamed Khalaf > [I think of myself as an engineer, not as a visionary or 'big thinker.' I don't have any lofty goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-think-of-myself-as-an-engineer-not-as-a-visionary-or-big-thinker-i/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [I think an engineer has not matured until he or she has conceived of a product and participated in every stage of bringing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/i-think-an-engineer-has-not-matured-until-he-or-she-has-conceived-of/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was a kid. I still don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/i-never-knew-what-an-engineer-did-for-a-living-when-i-was-a-kid-i/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“I like to think of myself more as an outcome engineer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/i-like-to-think-of-myself-more-as-an-outcome-engineer/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“It was the engineer who determined what problems to investigate, designed the experiments, and defined the assignments for the mathematicians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-lee-shetterly/it-was-the-engineer-who-determined-what-problems-to-investigate/) [Margot Lee Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-lee-shetterly/) > [I'm an artistic person and a creator. I'm not a scientific. I'm not an engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-laliberte/i-m-an-artistic-person-and-a-creator-i-m-not-a-scientific-i-m-not-an/) [Guy Laliberte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-laliberte/) > [I decided that I wanted to become an engineer of the biological world, specifically a protein engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/i-decided-that-i-wanted-to-become-an-engineer-of-the-biological-world/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [I need to aspire to be a great CEO and not just a great product engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pincus/i-need-to-aspire-to-be-a-great-ceo-and-not-just-a-great-product/) [Mark Pincus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pincus/) > [ A lawyer’s either a social engineer or … a parasite on society … A social engineer \[is\] a highly skilled, perceptive, sensitive lawyer who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hamilton-houston/a-lawyer-s-either-a-social-engineer-or-a-parasite-on-society-a-social/) [Charles Hamilton Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hamilton-houston/) > [I'm an engineer by trade, and what engineers do is they go and build, and they don't think a lot about storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/i-m-an-engineer-by-trade-and-what-engineers-do-is-they-go-and-build/) [Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/) > [I'm an artist and an engineer, which is, increasingly, a more common kind of hybrid. But I still fall into this weird crack where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golan-levin/i-m-an-artist-and-an-engineer-which-is-increasingly-a-more-common/) [Golan Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golan-levin/) > [I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers... They use my tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moog/i-m-an-engineer-i-see-myself-as-a-toolmaker-and-the-musicians-are-my/) [Robert Moog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moog/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. 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