Engineers should NEVER be expected to ...

[MA_PE]

I've got one better than that for you.
The company I used to work for had an annual golf tournament for clients. Some of the engineers were hand-picked to play golf with the big wheels, and it was considered quite an honor.

One year I got invited .... to drive the beer cart.

Wow how lucky can you get? Girls get all the good jobs! The men are left to do the work.

BTW, chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.

 

[FLBuff PE]

... take care of admin and secretarial duties because they happen to be female.

AMEN to Mary.

I am not a female, but am often left with this duty. Like on Fridays, when our field staff is out, our office guru is not in b/c she doesn't work on Friday (mandated by the boss man), and the boss man is taking his 2 hour Friday lunch. Today, I got back to the office at 1 PM after being out in the field all morning, to find no one here, and the office locked.

 

[maryannette]

All of you guys who made sexist comments can go $h!t in a hat and pull it over your ears.

 

[frazil]

I'm on this project where I need to send out an email every 2 weeks to a large group of people from both sexes from all different organizations. Last year I was gone and another woman took over the emails. When I got back I saw that every email she sent out she addressed "Dear Sirs"

I have no idea why she would do that, but it annoyed me. I can't imagine what the women receiving the email thought. I changed it to "Dear Sir/Madam" because I think its the standard, but who calls anyone Madam??

 

[IlPadrino]

Btw, there are several used coffee mugs in the break room sink that won't get clean by themselves...

I had to throw down the gauntlet last week. I offered to clean all the dishes left in the sink at any time. Of course, by "clean" I mean throw in the garbage. It didn't take long for folks to get the idea.

 

[IlPadrino]

I'm on this project where I need to send out an email every 2 weeks to a large group of people from both sexes from all different organizations. Last year I was gone and another woman took over the emails. When I got back I saw that every email she sent out she addressed "Dear Sirs"
I have no idea why she would do that, but it annoyed me. I can't imagine what the women receiving the email thought. I changed it to "Dear Sir/Madam" because I think its the standard, but who calls anyone Madam??

Do very many use "Dear" in e-mails these days? I saw it just today and thought "huh!"... I don't ever remember seeing it. It seems appropriate for a letter to Santa Claus or my Grandmother, but not so much in an e-mail.

 

[frazil]

so how do you address an email to a large group?

 

[maryannette]

I say, "Hey, y'all!"

No, not really.

 

[Fluvial]

I just do something like this:

"All:

It has come to the attention of management that some engineers seem to think rinsing their dishes is beneath them. Kindly do the needful and be policing of your area. Anyone not complying is invited to sh!t in a hat and pull it over their ears.

Sincerely,

Fluvial".

BTW Mary, I hate that too ... complain about one thing and then the stupid remarks come. I think that it is guys' way of trying to defuse the situation. They are trying to joke (and don't realize how lame it looks).

 

[maryannette]

Don't you love that saying, "Go $h!T in a hat and pull it over your ears."? My mom used to say it. The mental image is hilarious. Well, in a fudgeyesque way. I expected some stupid remarks.

 

[csb]

I'm a big fan of using good morning/good afternoon as the time of day dictates. With a less formal group I'll say folks. I will never forget the day that the regional ACPA rep showed up and I was standing right there and my colleague said, "We have a new Pavement Management Engineer," and the guy says, "Great! Where is he? I can't wait to meet him!" I then said hi and he said, "Really?!" It was awkward, to say the least.

I also want to throw onto Mary's initial statement that engineers should never be given a nasty look from the administrative assistant for being asked to do his/her job just because I'm a female. Why should I be expected to mail my own stuff and no one else?

 

[Fluvial]

Don't you love that saying, "Go $h!T in a hat and pull it over your ears."? My mom used to say it. The mental image is hilarious.

I agree, it is hilarious, but I've never heard it before. Thanks for the education!

csb, I'm sure we all have stories like that. I remember calling a company that makes casing spacers, to ask about using them for a certain water line crossing under the Interstate. I was fresh out of school, so I was quite green and was having a hard time explaining what I wanted to the lady on the phone. She was getting exasperated and finally said "Why don't you put the ENGINEER on the phone ?!?! ".

I coldly replied, "Ma'am, you HAVE the engineer on the phone".

When I worked at City Hall the admin ladies all were proud of me - I'd hear them bragging to people that "WE have a LADY engineer. How about that ! ". As a matter of fact, many of the admin ladies I've dealt with over the years seemed to be supportive of my career choice, and made a fuss about it (in a positive way).

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

All of you guys who made sexist comments can go $h!t in a hat and pull it over your ears.

Really, this emotional, angsty, PMS fueled drama has no place in the office. Maybe you should just stick to cooking and cleaning and let the big boys do the real work.

:wave2:

 

[maryannette]

Really, this chauvinistic, unprofessional, ego fueled drama has no place in the office. Maybe we men should just stick to changing oil and lawn work and let the ladies do the real work.

Fixed it for you.

:fencing:

 

[Fluvial]

Oh snap !

 

[MGX]

Ladies, I'm totally cool with you having a strong career so I can sit on the couch all day and play video games. A life of lawn work and automotive restoration in my own private garage is a dream worth pursuing while the little lady brings home the bacon.

 

[McEngr]

Ladies, I'm totally cool with you having a strong career so I can sit on the couch all day and play video games. A life of lawn work and automotive restoration in my own private garage is a dream worth pursuing while the little lady brings home the bacon.

I'm kinda on the MGX bandwagon. If I could make the same amount of pay and just change oil and work on cars all day, I'd be a very happy man. Of course, the reward would be what type of car to work on. I'm not great at working on cars, but only because I've never pursued it as a career/hobby (too expensive).

I love it that Mary actually admits that there are different abilities typically tied to each gender. Our media and culture debate on if it's nature or nurture in regards to gender strengths and weaknesses - no doubt a by-product of the feminist movement. I love that women have empowered themselves and have been empowered to be on par with men (and inevitably surpass men in areas), but it's also taken a negative effect on the most important role in society: being a mother.

Yes, being a mother is more important than being the most accomplished engineer. I suppose I'm writing this because I listen to NPR in a very blue state and I get agitated at times because women want to also eat the cake.

Sorry for the random response to a light-hearted thread. Just had to vent. ) carry on...

 

[maryannette]

... but it's also taken a negative effect on the most important role in society: being a mother.
Yes, being a mother is more important than being the most accomplished engineer.

I agree that being a mother is very important. It is important to me, even though I have never been a full-time stay-at-home mother. I have always worked full-time.

I have struggled at times balancing family and career. It's easy to think that you can have it all, but the truth is that nobody can have it all. I have always believed that God had a plan for me. Working in engineering is part of that plan. I have been fortunate enough to have support from a good husband, other family members, and good child-care options. I have made my choices and they have worked for me and my family.

A long time ago, I read an editorial in a magazine that talked about "inexorable destiny". It talked about the paths that we take in life based on our abilities. I think my path is to be an engineer. One of my favorite quotes is from that editorial article by Joel Orr. "I believe in callings. I believe in a God who made each of us unique and who uniquely equipped each of us to pursue the path which we are intended to follow in life."

I believe that God equipped me to be an engineer and a mother and a wife and a friend. How could I say no to any of that?

 

[IlPadrino]

I believe that God equipped me to be an engineer and a mother and a wife and a friend. How could I say no to any of that?

Does God also equip some to be prostitutes and drug dealers?

 

[IlPadrino]

I love it that Mary actually admits that there are different abilities typically tied to each gender.

This is the whole point behind valuing diversity... there are different perspectives, talents, opinions, etc. that can only be maximized by having a diverse workforce. I'm STRONGLY against the idea of quotas, though... and think we'll be a stronger nation when we stop "seeing" color, race, sex, or religion.

The comrades didn't have it *all* wrong when they said "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need"