I'm a mechanical engineer, and have also worked with engineers across the spectrum. When I got into management I could still do calculations and it only takes a quick look to see whether the guy knew his stuff. The best engineers have a farm background: they actually know equipment has to really work and have worked it.
So the reality is, hardly anyone appreciates the other guy's skills: operators-mechanics-parts guys-suppliers-designers-engineers-lawyers-management. Each one knows if they had the other job they could do better, and sometimes they can, but until you try, you really don't know what the other guy is up against.
One example: refinery turnaround. Major Cat Cracker revamp. We're in Oklahoma, design team in New Jersey. I'm going over the drawings with the operations rep. He sees four 2" flanges being removed as part of the job. Says they sure would like to keep them because if they get a flow reversal, they run out there, break the flanges and bolt up a steam hose to fluff the catalyst and prevent an explosion, but it is not absolutely necessary. I check with NJ engineers. They say OK and produce new drawings leaving the flanges on. First day of shutdown I'm walking the job. A pipefitter I happen to know from my home town has cut two of the flanges off and is prepping them to weld caps on. He's union and I don't give him instructions, go into the field office and ask to see the drawings. They have the old drawings, I find the new ones in the corner. Next day my acquaintance is welding new flanges on. Flanges are on a 48" pipe. 3 AM the next morning I get a call from the job. Night engineer says they can't get a prefabbed stainless steam ring past the flanges. Now I know NJ was wrong to approve leaving them on, and refinery operator said they could live with them being removed, so I told him to cut them off and keep the job moving. Two days later I see the pipefitter welding caps on. I ask him how's it going. His reply "what a bunch of idiots, take them off! put them on! take them off!". I just agreed with him and walked away.
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Today's Featured Article - The 8N and the Fox - by Zane Sherman. Dec. 13 1998, Renfroe, Alabama. Last niht I dreamed about the day that I plowed the field of about 10 acres over on what Jimmy and Dandy called the Ledbetter field. I was driving the 1948 8N Ford tractor that Jimmy bought in 48 new This was prebably in about 1951 and maybe even befor the house was built. This would have made me to be about16 years old and I drove the tractor for nothing and would have paid to drive it if I had had any money which I didn't, but neit
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