Trust me, I'm a REAL engineer now

[Vaporo]

So, I haven't been on this forum in a while. I burned out on KSP a few years ago, and since I was starting college I had other priorities.

However, a few months ago I officially graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering, and in part I have this game to thank for inspiring me to pursue this path. Unfortunately, with current events™ the Aerospace industry has taken a bit of a hit, so I'm still looking for a job (By the way, does anyone here happens to be looking to hire a structural FEA or Systems engineer in the Aerospace field?). Today though, I happened across this gem of a job posting:

Quote

Flight Dynamics Analyst - Human Landing System (HLS)

...

...

...Preferred candidates will also have experience and/or working knowledge with:

• Aerospace simulation tools such as OTIS, POST, TAOS, Copernicus, GMAT, or Systems Tool Kit
• Demonstrate an understanding of multi-body dynamics simulations tools such as TREETOPS, ADAMS, or DSENDS
• Have a passion for KSP

To my knowledge, KSP can only mean one thing, and although they're asking for someone with a lot more experience, that alone has convinced me to put in an application. So, wish me luck!

Edited August 13, 2020 by Vaporo

[Vanamonde]

Good luck.

[Bill Phil]

1 hour ago, Vaporo said:

So, I haven't been on this forum in a while. I burned out on KSP a few years ago, and since I was starting college I had other priorities.

However, a few months ago I officially graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering, and in part I have this game to thank for inspiring me to pursue this path. Unfortunately, with current events™ the Aerospace industry has taken a bit of a hit, so I'm still looking for a job (By the way, does anyone here happens to be looking to hire a structural FEA or Systems engineer in the Aerospace field?). Today though, I happened across this gem of a job posting:

To my knowledge, KSP can only mean one thing, and although they're asking for someone with a lot more experience, that alone has convinced me to put in an application. So, wish me luck!

Download GMAT real quick if you haven't - it's free and you can simulate missions with it. Maybe try and learn it a little as well.

[munlander1]

This fall I am starting my freshman semester as an Aerospace engineering student.

Good luck finding a job!

[razark]

23 hours ago, Vaporo said:

So, wish me luck!

Good luck, and, if you do end up working with the agency they contract for, good luck.

[cubinator]

Wow, lots of fresh aerospace engineers and aerospace engineering students popping up here! Sounds like KSP influenced some kids in school. We'll have plenty of Kerbals to send to Mars in no time!

[TheSaint]

You aren't a real engineer...

...until you've been overruled by someone with a degree in marketing.

 

[cubinator]

1 hour ago, TheSaint said:

You aren't a real engineer...

...until you've been overruled by someone with a degree in marketing.

I find this both funny and terribly foreboding as I have an engineering career ahead of me...

[Spacescifi]

3 hours ago, TheSaint said:

You aren't a real engineer...

...until you've been overruled by someone with a degree in marketing.

 

 

Are you implying that in real life employers expect engineers to work miracles?

Much like in any Star Trek where the Captain yells, "I need engines back online!"

Engineer: "We need at least two hours Captain."

Captain: "You have twenty minutes!"

In pop scifi the engineer works a miracle in twenty minutes.

In real life the engineer either nods silently and resigns himself to his 2 hours nevermind what the captain said, or argues with him.

[TheSaint]

21 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

Are you implying that in real life employers expect engineers to work miracles?

Much like in any Star Trek where the Captain yells, "I need engines back online!"

Engineer: "We need at least two hours Captain."

Captain: "You have twenty minutes!"

In pop scifi the engineer works a miracle in twenty minutes.

In real life the engineer either nods silently and resigns himself to his 2 hours nevermind what the captain said, or argues with him.

No, the point is that in real life many people don't understand anything at all about what the engineer (or other technical people) do or how the technical aspects of their industry work. But rather than defer to the people who do, they plow on anyway and demand that the technical people do things that are not only extremely difficult or impossible, but also many times completely unnecessary or actually counterproductive.

[Vaporo]

50 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

In real life the engineer either nods silently and resigns himself to his 2 hours nevermind what the captain said, or argues with him.

Yep. That's how it is sometimes. "Sure, boss. Whatever you say," Then turn around and do something that actually makes sense.

[Spacescifi]

51 minutes ago, TheSaint said:

No, the point is that in real life many people don't understand anything at all about what the engineer (or other technical people) do or how the technical aspects of their industry work. But rather than defer to the people who do, they plow on anyway and demand that the technical people do things that are not only extremely difficult or impossible, but also many times completely unnecessary or actually counterproductive.

 

I actually came to that conclusion not long after my post... it just would have taken longer to say.

So to make another Star Trek example, it's like a civillian company in Star Trek hiring a Star Fleet engineer to design a 'special' photon torpedo. The art/marketing executive also wants to market the new torpedo to potential buyers all over the Alpha Quadrant.

It's 'Special' because it MUST:

1. Change colors randomly along the ROYGBIV (rainbow) spectrum when fired.

2. Cloak every two seconds because that adds to marketing appeal... so says the exec.

3. Transform into the shape of giant glowing lion AFTER it is fired, and transmit a roar over hailing frequencies too. Strike fear in the hearts of enemies and all that stuff.

4. Blow up a borg cube on the first hit, with or without shields.

Can you do that for us? Surely you can. You're an expert!

Edited August 15, 2020 by Spacescifi

[kerbiloid]

2 hours ago, Spacescifi said:

1. Change colors randomly along the ROYGBIV (rainbow) spectrum when fired.

2. Cloak every two seconds because that adds to marketing appeal... so says the exec.

3. Transform into the shape of giant glowing lion AFTER it is fired, and transmit a roar over hailing frequencies too. Strike fear in the hearts of enemies and all that stuff.

4. Blow up a borg cube on the first hit, with or without shields.

It's absolutely normal.
The engineer just used existing examples of photon torpedoes and the cheapest details he could buy for this money in a toy shop.

[kerbiloid]

They require seven red lines.

Two with green ink, two with red ink, others transparent.

They may/should be perpendicular and collected in triangles made of perpendicular lines.

One of the line may/should have the shape of a kitten.

Additional task: there should be an inflated balloon.

***

As we can see, the project objective is absolutely realistic and solvable, and they have given a lot of tips and hints to the linemaker..
More of that, he appears to be the only one among them who doesn't realize what they need and is not strong in geometry and colors.

***

Probably this was already discuseed here, but I don't remember where.
Summary:

***

He should start from the hint given by the skirt-girl and take an inflatable balloon.

He should recall the geometry and realize that:
1. Nobody limits him with flat straight lines.
2. Triangles may consist of three perpendicular (i.e. intersecting at 90° angle) lines, if they are spherical.
3. The balloon is a sphere.

So, he should draw two similar spherical triangles on the balloon, each consisting of three perpendicular straight lines.

Each triangle should be placed next to the side of the balloon, so:
one line (by red ink) should be ot this side,
another one (by green ink) on that side,
and the third line (by red ink) runs around the side, crossing the terminator.

The balloon should be transparent and red, so both green lines (on the back side) look greenish red.

Now he should take photo and reproduce this baloon in 2d.

Then he should take a simple pictogram of a kitten face, make it red, and turn it into a long and thin cylinder with the kitten face on cross-section.

He should pierce the (drawn 2d transparent balloon with two bicolor triangles) with this cylinder, pointing at the viewer's face but rotated a little, to let him see that it's a line. In the shape of kitten if look from the face.

Merge.

Now he has an inflated balloon with seven straight perpendicular red lines, two green, two red, one in the shape of kitten.

***

That's what a real engineer could do.

[Nuke]

4 hours ago, Vaporo said:

Yep. That's how it is sometimes. "Sure, boss. Whatever you say," Then turn around and do something that actually makes sense.

i had a boss one day decide that all email communications be written in ALL CAPS, CONTRARY TO THE GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT IT IS RUDE TO TALK IN ALL CAPS. THIS WAS VERY ANNOYING. EVERYTHING WAS HARD TO READ AND UNDERSTAND. THEY APPLIED THE SAME RULES TO THEIR WEBSITE, WHICH WAS UTTERLY USELESS. IT WAS THE STUPIDEST THING A BOSS EVER HAD THEIR EMPLOYEES DO. I EVEN HAD A LOT OF CUSTOMER EMAILS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POLICY, SO IT NO DOUBT COST US A LOT OF BUSINESS. I FORWARDED 20 OR SO OF THOSE COMPLAINTS TO THE BOSS MAN. NOTHING CHANGED. IT WAS ALSO QUITE INFURIATING TRYING TO ARGUE MY POINT IN ALL CAPS. 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Nuke

[kerbiloid]

He should also set Comic Sans as default.

Pink.

Edited August 15, 2020 by kerbiloid

[SOXBLOX]

I hate Comic Sans!!!!!

[cubinator]

12 hours ago, Nuke said:

i had a boss one day decide that all email communications be written in ALL CAPS, CONTRARY TO THE GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT IT IS RUDE TO TALK IN ALL CAPS. THIS WAS VERY ANNOYING. EVERYTHING WAS HARD TO READ AND UNDERSTAND. THEY APPLIED THE SAME RULES TO THEIR WEBSITE, WHICH WAS UTTERLY USELESS. IT WAS THE STUPIDEST THING A BOSS EVER HAD THEIR EMPLOYEES DO. I EVEN HAD A LOT OF CUSTOMER EMAILS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POLICY, SO IT NO DOUBT COST US A LOT OF BUSINESS. I FORWARDED 20 OR SO OF THOSE COMPLAINTS TO THE BOSS MAN. NOTHING CHANGED. IT WAS ALSO QUITE INFURIATING TRYING TO ARGUE MY POINT IN ALL CAPS. 

They did all that instead of changing some accessibility settings on their own computer, and going to see the eye doctor.

[kerbiloid]

23 minutes ago, SOXBLOX said:

I hate Comic Sans!!!!!

Use caps, please. Don't violate the company rules.

22 minutes ago, cubinator said:

They did all that instead of changing some accessibility settings on their own computer, and going to see the eye doctor.

They use a pager for texting. So, they just can't.

Spoiler

 

[razark]

24 minutes ago, SOXBLOX said:

I hate Comic Sans!!!!!

1. Only used a single color font.

2. Font color is too dark, and can still be easily read.

3. The background is plain white, when it should, of course, be covered in a confetti image, or at least a color that conflicts with the font.

4. Points off for proper spelling, capitalization, and grammar.

 

Really, the only things going for you here are font choice and extra exclamation points.

This is in no way the appropriate style for a serious business communication.

 

(Yes, I have seen all of these in emails before.  From the same person.  All in one email.)

[kerbiloid]

And 5 (five) spaces instead of tabs.

[Nuke]

7 hours ago, cubinator said:

They did all that instead of changing some accessibility settings on their own computer, and going to see the eye doctor.

i don't think the head honcho had any disabilities, he was just an idiot on a power trip. 

[SOXBLOX]

On 8/15/2020 at 1:49 PM, kerbiloid said:

Use caps, please. Don't violate the company rules.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Here goes...

I HATE COMIC SANS!!!

There.

Anyways, Vaporo, do you use SolidWorks? Some folks I know who use it in their department.

Edited August 17, 2020 by SOXBLOX

[Vaporo]

18 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

Anyways, Vaporo, do you use SolidWorks? Some folks I know who use it in their department.

I used Solidworks in class, but mainly Creo during my co-op semesters.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Vaporo