Top 10 clichés about engineers (reviewed and corrected)

Every profession is full of clichés. Engineering is no exception to the rule! Here are the top 10 stereotypes

Some clichés about engineers stem from a bygone era (when engineering was exclusively male). In contrast, others are perpetuated by films and television series (engineers are geeks, always glued to their screens). This list is inevitably incomplete…

Cliché #1: Engineers are introverted and difficult to work with

• • Reality: Sure, some engineers lean introverted -but so do writers, designers, even CEOs. The truth is, engineering draws people who like solving problems, not avoiding people. Engineers are often thoughtful communicators who value clarity and purpose in conversations; not antisocial, just efficient.

Cliché #2: Engineers must love mathematics

• • Reality: They are good at maths, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they love it. Sometimes it takes courage to apply yourself energetically to a task that seems daunting at first glance. You have to be good at maths to succeed. But even if you don’t like maths, you can choose a specialisation that interests you. And there are a number of these in engineering schools. Gradually, maths will serve as support for this specialisation, rather than the main subject.

Cliché #3: Engineers are not creative

• • Reality: Creative people sometimes shy away from the profession, imagining that they will only be applying theories and putting them into practice. We imagine that engineers will lose all their creativity once they enter the profession, becoming nothing more than detail-oriented employees. However, organisations need engineers who are increasingly intelligent and creative.

Cliché #4: Engineering is tedious work

• • Reality: Work is not a walk in the park! Being an engineer sometimes means being able to choose a flexible schedule and organise your work at your own pace, provided your projects are completed. Whether at school, with student associations, sports or in groups that offer facilities for their employees, engineers don’t have time to get bored!

Cliché #5: Engineering is a male profession

• • Reality: That’s an outdated stereotype that still lingers. Engineering has been male-dominated historically, yes, but that’s changing fast. Women and underrepresented groups are bringing new perspectives, collaboration styles, and innovation into the field. The profession is richer for it.There are currently over a million engineers in France, and this population is becoming increasingly female*.

Cliché #6: Engineering school is difficult

• • Reality: Engineering school requires regular work. Theoretical classes, tutorials, practicals, projects, cross-disciplinary weeks… The pace is fast, but not unbearable! Overall, it’s one hour of work at home for every hour of class (25 hours per week). If you do the math, that comes to 20 extra hours of work per week.

Cliché #7: Engineers stick together

• • Reality: There’s a camaraderie in the profession, definitely, but engineers are just as diverse socially as any other group, and they can work with very different profiles. Today, teams work in project mode. Professions are no longer compartmentalised: data analysts work with marketing project managers, UX designers and data miners.

Cliché #8: Engineers aren’t fun

• • Reality: Engineers are supposedly men who wear glasses, aren’t very comfortable in their own skin, are introverted, and aren’t very friendly. Spend one evening at a robotics competition or hackathon and you’ll see how false this is. Engineers love a good laugh, especially the kind that comes from a project working after hours of chaos. There are as many personalities as there are engineers!

Cliché #9: Engineers work all the time (80 hours a week)

• • Reality: You can have a regular schedule and office hours, except when you’re starting a start-up! In fact, it’s like any other job! Of course, engineers don’t really work 35 hours a week, but they don’t work any more than other executives. In short, engineers value balance and efficiency; they work hard, but not endlessly.

Cliché #10: Engineers are geeks.

• • Reality: The word “geek” usually comes with a negative connotation. But being a geek today means being deeply passionate about something, whether it’s circuits, cars, code, or coffee brewing methods. That passion is what makes engineers so good at what they do!

*Enquête Nationale IESF 2017

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