Gift-giving for engineers July 19, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
If you have the time, please stop by EngineerBlogs and check out my post on gift-giving for engineers. (I’m guessing it’s generally applicable to the technically inclined, though.) If you have ideas, please feel free to add them.
Peer pressure to read EngineerBlogs June 7, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org, engineering.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
If you have the chance, please go read my post at EngineerBlogs today: Peer pressure: the real reason engineers don’t play well with others. Just remember that all the other cool kids are reading it…
Blogging: the new career boost May 10, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in career, engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
I’ve just finished my EngineerBlogs post for this week about how blogging can be a good career boost. What do you think? (I think it’s kind of meta to blog about blogging.)
No deadwood here April 26, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
I posted my response to Tuesday’s question about the implications of having no tenure and PIs having to fund their own salary at EngineerBlogs. Despite the title, I try to analyze much more than how this will affect the presence of ‘deadwood’ in a dept. Let me know what you think.
Engineering with attitude April 19, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
Today’s post is over at EngineerBlogs, where I discuss the behaviors that are okay in engineering…but not other places.
Over at EngineerBlogs April 12, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
My post this week at EngineerBlogs is Engineering a Fashion Sense. I ponder how women can ‘dress like engineers’. Please let me know if you have an idea on how to deal with my quandry.
The Ides of March are silly March 15, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org, links, pets.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org, Gigadog
1 comment so far
Normally this post would be reserved for letting you know that my latest post is up over at Engineer Blogs. However, before you head over there, I’d like you to stop by My Dog Said, where Gigadog has been cartoonified in Puppy Karma.
Now that you have had your cute fix for the day, go ahead and stop by Engineer Blogs for my post, Constant Craving, where we’re talking about favorite constants. (Such a geeky thing to do…)
Shifting gears March 1, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
If you have some time, please stop by Engineer Blogs and read over my post on Shifting Gears. It’s not so much about shifting as how to keep track of what needs to be done when juggling or changing projects. I’m curious to hear how other people handle it.
STEM graduate crunch solved February 23, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org.Tags: engineerblogs, engineerblogs.org
add a comment
If you haven’t been over to EngineerBlogs yet, please stop by and read my post on how it looks like we’re no longer lacking for STEM graduates.
I also blog at Engineer Blogs, home away from home to some of the best engineering blogs.
Men are clueless July 13, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in engineerblogs.org, engineering, societal commentary.Tags: communication, feminism, sexism, sexist comments
11 comments
I wrote up a post over at EngineerBlogs yesterday called Dating Advice for Women Engineers. (Yeah, I forgot to post a link here…) After I wrote it up and posted it, I reread it and realized that maybe a better title should’ve been something like “A Woman’s Guide to Dating Male Engineers”. And then I worried that I was going to get ragged on for making male engineers sound stupid or clueless. Fortunately, there have been no such responses, which is good because while some may assume that was the implication, that would be a false assumption.
Here’s the thing I’ve come to understand: many males, but particularly male engineers, aren’t clueless. I know that may come as a surprise to some. The reality is that I think engineers expect people to just be direct. And frankly, I really appreciate that. I like being able to just say what I think to my husband and not try to couch everything in terms that won’t injure his ego. And I know that if he says something critical, it’s not that he’s saying he doesn’t like me or anything, he just is making a point about something. It’s a lot easier for us to separate our personal feelings and feelings about outside issues. We can argue passionately about stuff we do at work, and it has nothing to do with whether or not I like him as a person.
I’ve never been good at the whole ‘dropping hints’ thing. That’s probably a good thing because I have also observed that a lot of guys think that when you say something doesn’t matter, it really doesn’t. Being subtle and dropping hints have never been terribly effective means of communicating what you want, despite the fact I see people doing it all the time. When I do see someone trying it, I seem to pick it up sometimes, but I usually roll my eyes and think, “Just spit it out already!”
Anyway, the point of this was that I think people ought to just be more direct. Tactful is also appreciated and ought to be used liberally…but not to the point where it obfuscates your message. And if someone doesn’t get what you’re saying (especially if it’s a guy), it may be because he’s clueless, but it’s also worthwhile to see how clearly you’re communicating.