--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never knew what an engineer did for a…" description: "\"I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was a kid. I still don't.\" — Scott Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/scott-adams-666_engineer_i-never-knew-what-an-engineer-did-for-a_128252.jpg" --- # I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was… ![“I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was a kid. I still don't.” quote by Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/scott-adams-666_engineer_i-never-knew-what-an-engineer-did-for-a_128252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/scott-adams-666_engineer_i-never-knew-what-an-engineer-did-for-a_128252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/scott-adams-666_engineer_i-never-knew-what-an-engineer-did-for-a_128252.jpg) > “I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was a kid. I still don't.” [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The engineering profession is mysterious to many, even to those who create it. **In simple terms:** People often don’t understand what engineers actually do. Key Takeaway Seek to learn engineering roles. Themes career misunderstanding education perception Mood curious informative Type educational reflective When to use this quote - school curricula - career counseling Key Concepts technical literacy career awareness Practical Applications - offer engineering outreach programs - provide clear job descriptions Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of engineering are most misunderstood? - How can we improve public knowledge of technical jobs? A Different Perspective Complexity can be demystified with better communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witty/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not an engineer. I did not study engineering in school. But I was a super ambitious student growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-giertz/i-m-not-an-engineer-i-did-not-study-engineering-in-school-but-i-was-a/) [Simone Giertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-giertz/) > [Complexity is not a goal. I don't want to be remembered as an engineer of complex systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-parnas/complexity-is-not-a-goal-i-don-t-want-to-be-remembered-as-an-engineer/) [David Parnas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-parnas/) > [Don't go to the same studio twice, or work with the same engineer twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/don-t-go-to-the-same-studio-twice-or-work-with-the-same-engineer-twice/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Ive been an engineer, barman, skip lorry driver, coalman, boat window manufacturer, contract grass cutter and builder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-asher/ive-been-an-engineer-barman-skip-lorry-driver-coalman-boat-window/) [Neal Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-asher/) > [I've always been an engineer devoted to the potential of advanced technologies. Like most engineers, I have a keen sense of curiosity and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-kao/i-ve-always-been-an-engineer-devoted-to-the-potential-of-advanced/) Min Kao > [My ma is an economist. My dad is a software engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suraj-sharma/my-ma-is-an-economist-my-dad-is-a-software-engineer/) [Suraj Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suraj-sharma/) > [I come from a pretty scientific family. My sister is a neurologist and my brother is an engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-come-from-a-pretty-scientific-family-my-sister-is-a-neurologist-and/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [ The \[engineer\] should be equipped with knowledge of many branches of study and varied kinds of learning, for it is by his judgement that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/the-engineer-should-be-equipped-with-knowledge-of-many-branches-of/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [God is a hacker, not an engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-crick/god-is-a-hacker-not-an-engineer/) [Francis Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-crick/) > [ 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/) > [An engineer cannot participate in irrationality ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/an-engineer-cannot-participate-in-irrationality/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [ 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 was a kind of a one-man army. I could solder circuits together, I could turn out things on the lathe, I could work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/i-was-a-kind-of-a-one-man-army-i-could-solder-circuits-together-i/) [James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Scott Adams > [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“If you think your odds of solving your problem are bad, don’t rule out the possibility that what is really happening is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-think-your-odds-of-solving-your-problem-are-bad-don-t-rule-out/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Frankly, I’m suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/frankly-i-m-suspicious-of-anyone-who-has-a-strong-opinion-on-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it. It sounds trivial and obvious, but if you unpack the idea it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-want-success-figure-out-the-price-then-pay-it-it-sounds/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Ideas are worthless, execution is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/ideas-are-worthless-execution-is-everything/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [For five hundred dollars, I'll name a subatomic particle after you. Some of my satisfied customers include Arthur C. Quark and George Meson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/for-five-hundred-dollars-i-ll-name-a-subatomic-particle-after-you/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Failure always brings something valuable with it. I don’t let it leave until I extract that value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/failure-always-brings-something-valuable-with-it-i-don-t-let-it-leave/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The longer you verk here, diverse it gets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-longer-you-verk-here-diverse-it-gets/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“On all the important stuff, we are emotional creatures who make decisions first and rationalize them after the fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/on-all-the-important-stuff-we-are-emotional-creatures-who-make/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“What you rarely see is a stillborn failure that transmogrifies into a stellar success. Small successes can grow into big ones, but failures rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/what-you-rarely-see-is-a-stillborn-failure-that-transmogrifies-into-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Because everything you perceive is a metaphor for something your brain is not equipped to fully understand. God is as real as the clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/because-everything-you-perceive-is-a-metaphor-for-something-your/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Capitalism is rotten at every level, and yet it adds up to something extraordinarily useful for society over time. The paradox of capitalism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/capitalism-is-rotten-at-every-level-and-yet-it-adds-up-to-something/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The best part about being my age is in knowing how my life worked out. Sure, there's a lot more living to go, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-best-part-about-being-my-age-is-in-knowing-how-my-life-worked-out/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [If you see voters as rational, you'll be a terrible politician. People are not wired to be rational. Our brains simply evolved to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-see-voters-as-rational-you-ll-be-a-terrible-politician-people/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) [Explore all 418 Scott Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) ## More Engineer quotes > [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 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/) > [I farm - there is something visceral about being attached to the land. I am a recording engineer. I do my own laundry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-lerner/i-farm-there-is-something-visceral-about-being-attached-to-the-land-i/) [Sandra Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-lerner/) > [When I do my music, I don't even go to the studio. 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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'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 was a kind of a one-man army. I could solder circuits together, I could turn out things on the lathe, I could work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/i-was-a-kind-of-a-one-man-army-i-could-solder-circuits-together-i/) [James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/) > [Snowden is an orderly thinker, with an engineer's approach to problem-solving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/snowden-is-an-orderly-thinker-with-an-engineer-s-approach-to-problem/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [You don't have to be a nerd or a programmer or a network engineer to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-nerd-or-a-programmer-or-a-network-engineer-to/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [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/) > [ 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/) > [“If we are not apt to steer our life and engineer our individuality, we become preys of the pecking order or panting cardboard characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/if-we-are-not-apt-to-steer-our-life-and-engineer-our-individuality-we/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [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/) Browse all 328 Engineer quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was a kid. 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