Engineer Style

[Bradford]

OK - no offense to any of our members who are engineers, but most engineers have terrible style.

A few of us went to lunch today at a restaurant located basically next door to one of the chip makers here in Phoenix (we were in Chandler actually) and there were a ton of engineers in the same restaurant.

How do I know they were engineers? Probably because the majority of them were wearing relaxed fit faded blue jeans, tucked in polo shirts (with Cisco, Intel and other logos), and running shoes. A few changed it up with khaki shorts while others wore Dockers and short-sleeve dress shirts.

The few females among them were in the same outfits.

It was a very surreal experience and I really wish I had a camera phone to record the moment.

 

[LA Guy]

That sounds like your typical IT conference. I read recently (honestly can't remember the source) that the results of a study on online dating sites showed that those stated that their profession was computer related got, by far, the fewest responses. Of course, what the researchers really did was use all their grant money on a "factfinding" trips to Cabo, and then just stated the obvious when the time came to publish. So there, microsoft-taking-over-the-world-geeks

. Goes for you Apple dorks too.

 

[Hanseat]

I'll actually make Dilbert-day with a friend of mine who is going into engineering:

Picked up a red-black striped tie and will put a wire in it so it curls up. pocket protector is on the way and I'll put in a TI-89 for a nice bulge.

They're engineers and as such tend to think about the stuff that really matters and is truly interesting (that from a non-tech guy). Let 'em have their fun and spend theit brain power on something more productive.

 

[countdemoney]

Geez, I thought you were gonna say something about Wernher Von Braun.

I can walk!!!

 

[cmrocks]

I'm going into engineering. I guess it's a good thing I'm on this site.

 

[drake]

As an Engineer I can put it best by simply saying: **** off.

 

[LabelKing]

Do they wear belts that come with the pants?

 

[kronik]

As tactless as this may sound... I'm an engineer, and I don't need online dating sites to get dates. Not to mention, I look nothing like, nor do I dress anything like, the typical IT geek. Unfortunately, the stereotype is most accurate.. I know a guy that works for Boeing that.. pretty much every polo he owns is IT-related; it's quite sad.

SCREW YOU GUYS AND SCREW THAT SURVEY.

 

[Huntsman]

As an engineer, I have to agree. Sometimes it is painful. I am somewhat compelled to do the shirt and tie thing, were I to wear a suit I would be really out of place. My philosophy of engineering is that it is a fusion of imagination, knowledge and intuition -- definitely an art -- and if I were running an engineering firm, I would let everyone wear whatever they pleased, except at client meetings. I think engineers would do better if they had the freedom to overcome the stereotype. At least in some industries. Regards, Huntsman

 

[dusty]

As a student of engineering I can vouch that this stereotype is almost universally accurate. The worst thing is to see other students dressing like this for their internships. At least wait until you're 30, guys.

 

[StevenRocks]

I used to work in a civil engineering firm. It's a style wasteland sponsored by Kohl's.

 

[PunctualAlex]

Hey! I'm an engineering student! I actually go to an "engineering school" and I have to say that it is the most stylistically backwards institution I have ever seen. Students, staff, faculty alike, no one has any idea how to dress themselves. That goes for streetwear and business clothing. It's terrible. Half of the people at this school seem to think that ankles are a fashion statement and should be displayed proudly at all times, especially to show off your new socks and Tevas. Most girls are incapable of wearing pants with a waist below their belly-button. 4 or 5 days of facial hair is de rigeur, and clip-on ties are the standard for whichever faculty bother to put on a tie at all. There are a few exceptions, of course. I had a chemistry professor recently who had excellent taste in everything except for eyeglasses and hairstyles. I think I made a bad impression by staring at his tie knot one day. It was really well done and the tie was obviously high quality, but it would've been awkward to ask him about it. Of course, the next day the electrical engineering department had a "hawaiian shirts mandatory" BBQ the next day and the department head showed up wearing a pair of khakis with pleats wider than your average city bus.

Edit: The advantage of going to a school like this is that if I can wear even vaguely decent clothing which fits me and has no noticable stains or tears, I look amazing by comparison.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by drake

As an Engineer I can put it best by simply saying: **** off.

Dude, no need to get defensive. The stereotypes stand up, in general, of course, to scrutiny

And I know what I am talking about - I went to a big Engineering school for undergrad, and to Caltech for grad school. I'd put down some heavy money that the typical engineer sees less action than GWB did during the Vietnam War.

 

[PunctualAlex]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Dude, no need to get defensive. The stereotypes stand up, in general, of course, to scrutiny

And I know what I am talking about - I went to a big Engineering school for undergrad, and to Caltech for grad school. I'd put down some heavy money that the typical engineer sees less action than GWB did during the Vietnam War.

Of course, that's not such a bad thing if you've seen engineering school women.

 

[summej2]

I'm a physicist, so I can't quite speak to this (engineers, for example, hold a monopoly on the short-sleeve dress shirt with tie look). But, while the assumption that engineers (and, frankly, scientists and mathematicians too)dress poorly is a fair rule, there are always notable exceptions. Case in point: my Ph.D. advisor, who was an engineer by training, wore very tasteful three-piece bespoke suits, understated designer ties,and french and italian shoes. Come to think of it, he was thronged by women...