technical skills or learn to BS
technical skills or learn to BS
(OP)
in your experience what gets you places (i.e. promotion/money). Learning technical skills or being a BSer and being confident in what your saying even if it is total rubbish. I think I waste my time learning technical skills when the money goes to the BSers of this world.
This is not meant to be a rant sorry.
This is not meant to be a rant sorry.





RE: technical skills or learn to BS
There are places where technical skills are fairly well rewarded - here you can get decent compensation based primarily on technical abilities.
However, it seems that it may be 'easier' in many places to get promotion/money based on, let's say 'soft' rather than technical skills. Typically this will require taking a management or at least sales/marketing type role.
Of course, if you can combine both then you should be in a win/win right?
Even in places where technical ability is appreciated, having some soft skills will generally help.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services
www.infotechpr.net
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
I don't think you can choose. BS chooses you. You either have the gift or you do not. Even if you do, get some skills.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
However, technical skills will help you get a new job and to change jobs far more easily. The quickest way to better pay is to leverage knowledge to a new job.
Now, put the previous two things together, and you arrive at what I call the "lint-filter theory of companies". Some companies function to trap and retain the lowest capability employees - the BS'ers. People who BS do the best as this kind of dysfunctional company and capable people soon grow dissatisfied and leave for elsewhere. The people with skills are the ones most likely to quickly find better employment. The people without skills are the ones most likely to develop BS as a skill to keep their job. Eventually, the dysfunctional company plugs up with "lint" and gets trashed.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
...sinister laugh that doesn't print well!!.....
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
If your engineering designs are flawless and you are much more efficient then everyone else, you might be 20% more profitable then the average employee in the company. If your company bills you out hourly then unfortunately you make your company less money then the average employee but possibly more return clients and thus more work.
On the other hand if you are a good BSer, you are bringing in work for your company. This work keeps who groups of people busy and making money. Being a good BSer will also help you to collect money from the client and/or explaining why you went over budget.
That's why CEO's of large companies make tons of cash. It's not that they have more technical knowledge then other people but because they bring in investors and clients. Unless your involved in inventing new technology or some other creative work, your just not adding that much value to your company being a techie.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Um, well, it seems to me that many engineering jobs, at least in the 'exempt' sector are doing exactly this.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
While being a great BSer is a plus, you can't really BS on nothing for very long. The best BSer I've run across was a top-rated engineer before he went into marketing and knows quite a bit about the stuff he's peddling. And it's precisely because he knows his stuff that his customers buy into the stuff he peddles, and he can withstand a high level of technical scrutiny.
Do your technical, master it, and the selling comes naturally. If you don't know your stuff, you'll hem and haw, or have to defer to your "people," which diffuses any progress that you might have made with your customer.
TTFN
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RE: technical skills or learn to BS
If it was otherwise, I would lose sleep every night, depressed over the fact that I was an MBA instead of a P.Eng..
Regards,
SNORGY.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Learn to BS if you want to get a promotion and raise. Your first step is to stop calling it BS and use terms like:
networking, building relationships, level setting expectations, mission statement, synergy, etc..
Good luck expanding your horizons:)
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Being a BSer can only get you so far. Having a college degree will take you further. It's 'how' you use your education that will make an impression.
Chris
SolidWorks 09 SP4.1
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
It doesn't matter how smart you are in your field if you cant explain your part to a group or in a meeting people are going to shut down just waiting for that great speaker to start up.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
It also makes for a good engineer. Whatever technical skills you might have, no one will know if you cannot explain what you are doing, and why, to any audience of any experience. Your ability to explain complicated subjects to, say, a high school audience is a sign of the mastery of your subject matter.
If you think about the best technical mentors, or even your college professors, you would not consider them to be BSers (for the most part). But, you respect their ability to explain complicated to concepts to neophyte audiences (YOU).
I will admit here that people consider me to be a good BSer, but, at the same time, they recognize that I never present material that I do not have complete mastery of, and I never pretend to know more than I do. THAT is what engenders the trust that my audiences have in the material I present, and me, as an engineer.
While there are those that are easily swayed by big, or arcane, words, the majority of people have sufficiently operable BS filters to recognize technical depth and mastery in a speaker, or the lack thereof.
TTFN
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RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
For some reason that reminded me of Mumm-Ra, on you go Kenat, show your age...
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
If you're talking about a BS'er who has some technical knowledge and has the gift of gab. Can think on his or her feet and point out the positives that come with any negative. That is someone who is a good salesmetn then you have a winning combination.
If you comepare the good BS's above to a technical master who's communication skills are so limited that he can create a near optimal design but can't defend it effectivly he is a failure as an engineer. His good designs will be sidelined by less optimal ones that are better presented and defended.
There is the rare example of the technical master who can communicate masterfully. These are the unsung heros of the engineering profession. Poeple like Wil Taylor who know and share with justification so you know and you know why. Your my hero Wil.
-Kirby
Kirby Wilkerson
Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
TTFN
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RE: technical skills or learn to BS
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
-- MechEng2005
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Talking with confidence is a very important characteristic that must be developed. People skills will get you further in your field than any other quality. People skills combined with a thorough base of technical knowledge would be awesome.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
B.E.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
I was instrumental in bringing eulogies to the advanced course. That is one of the most challenging tasks. when I gave a number of eulogies for family members, they asked, 'how did you do it?' The answer was always Toastmasters.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading
http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com
http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com/blog
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE berkshire: What was attributed to Lincoln, often misquoted (probably herein), was, "You can fool some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time but never all the people all the time."
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
If you know what you are talking about, then you don't have to blab like an imbecile to convince anyone!!!
Jeeze, end of story.
Fe
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
There's a big difference in promoting it and saying it happens.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
People like me suck at BS'ing. It is an art. I am not promoting it but saying that it takes skill and balls of steel knowing that any moment you could get called out.
I am a man of pride and I would not like to be called out in public, but to be a good BS'er you have to walk a fine line.
Engineers are in general terrible BS'ers. Cos all we speak are facts and numbers. We don't know to sugar coat things or make rough edges smooth. All we know and care for are numbers.
I have a colleague at work who is super good at listening to what you are saying and repeating it verbatim somewhere else and people think that "oh wow". What they don't really know is how much that person does not know. But it does not matter. All that matters in the short term is how much you make people someone else believe how smart you are.
Again, you don't work too long with clients to give them the opportunity to figure you out. Co-workers is another story.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
I'm not a good BS'er either. But, I am good at arguing a point.
I hate those bull turd kind of people and I will call them out at any chance I get. I don't recommend this to anyone at a meeting or the such....it can end up in engineering swearing matches.
Fe
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
I disagree. Even if you know the truth you may not be able to convince anyone. Just ask Cassandra. If a BSer is more easily believed then a technical expert then i say the prblem lies with the expert. He needs to learn how to argue his point better. I wouldn't call this BS (see my discussion above about terminology), but the skill set is the same.
-Kirby
Kirby Wilkerson
Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Fe
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Fe
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Well. I can't speak for anyone else.
But, with that "try out bisexuality" attitude, I was proposing that the workplace parties could end up like bi key swapping parties.
By no means do I promote this. If you need me I will be at the downtown strip club.
Fe
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: technical skills or learn to BS
Oh. yea well I guess I never experienced that. The ones I attended were as lame as can get.
I should change venues maybe.
Fe