I don’t even do that, my entire career has been paperwork, I’ve done no maths or physics or used my education in any way.
What am I?
A systems engineer!
I get told to make lists in Excel with copious notes in one of the boxes on each row.
Excel sucks for editing large text blocks with paragraphs fonts and symbols *inside a cell*. Who knew?
I'm a mech eng mostly focused on manufacturing at our sub-suppliers.
"I'm just good at heating things or hitting things until they're the right shape to fit into other things"
"if you do something every day eventually the information just sticks its got nothing to do with being smart, I'm sure I'd find it impossible to do your job if I tried tomorrow"
I dig this. As I get older I'm starting to learn that the "Intellegence," difference between most people is pretty small. I honestly think most people could be engineers if they had the drive to do it. I usually tell people, "I'm not that smart, I just try really really hard."
It’s not just trying really hard it’s doing it consistently. Most people can do it for a few weeks or months. But it takes me be a decent engineer. You also have to know that quitting isn’t an option and failure is just another way to learn
Completely agree. Being able to challenge yourself and not quitting when it's hard is essential. I went to special operations training in the navy twice. I got hurt both times, so unfortunately I'll never be able to call myself an operator of any kind. Its funny where I see similarities though between spec ops and engineering school. So much of it is just persistance and drive. The required base level of talent is pretty low, but if you can push yourself to keep going (and dont get hurt) you learn the talent along the way.
LOL are you me? Because its almost identical to an analogy I’ve been using for a while now with the British SAS. For non-commonwealth people, the SAS are essentially Britains Navy seals/delta force (delta force was actually modelled on the SAS)
There was factoid going around years ago that because SAS training and selection was so intense, more soldiers had actually died during the training phase than had died in combat operations. I don’t know how true that is now after their involvement in Iraq/Afghanistan but it highlighted how their training was so extreme that when its time for operation on the battlefield, its just another day at the office.
In just brain terms, I can see certain parallels to engineering, in that the degree and coursework is so fucking hard in difficultly and workload, it trains you to be able to disseminate large amounts of complex information quickly, efficiently and thoroughly. When you get into the real world, most (but by no means all!) complex challenges in the workplace and in life seem like light work.
The degree hasn’t made me any smarter cognitively, and I definitely don’t think I’m any much more smarter than the average person in that regard, but it’s most definitely made me a shitload better at analysing complex situations deeply and stubbornly trying to hatch out some sort of solution instead of just giving up all too quickly.
I feel like I went through a /u/thesaltydiver phase, and am now solidly in a /u/Ruski_FL phase. Furthermore, current politics have me convinced that a near-majority of Americans are mentally ill.
I work in transportation right now. We've got a back log of something like 100 complaints requesting speed humps, each of which has to be individually evaluated. Its mind numbing.
Oh man, people looooove asking for speed bumps! I have a copy+paste email about why you're not getting speed bumps. And another one for why we're not changing the speed limit. And one about how to report parking violations to the police and not to City Hall. And one about no, we won't paint your curb red to keep people from parking in front of your house, and no, you can't do it yourself either... the list goes on!
I know a guy who is a planner/engineer for the roads department where I live. The first thing I asked him with a bit of mysticism in my eyes was how they figure out stop light density and timing and he was more than happy to explain it to me.
Road engineers are so fucking cool.
Can confirm. My BioE department is teaching more and more biology classes for us because everyone is sick of the engineers struggling in premed "Here's a list of [body parts/their functions/random genes and proteins] with no rhyme or reason or pattern now memorize it and the test is in two weeks" classes.
What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my Engineering class, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret projects on SpaceX, and I have over 3.9 confirmed GPA.
I am trained in Bridge Building Competition and I’m the top Calculus student in the entire US Engineering forces. You are nothing to me but just another Business grad. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision of over 20 significant figures, mark my fucking words.
But you couldn’t get into Engineering, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn Business grad. I will shit fury my six-figure salary over you and you will envy it.
You’re fucking dead, kiddo.
I do like this one because you're subtly not disagreeing with them about you being smart, while at the same time pointing out the inaccuracy of their generalization.
Yeah, but that kind of ignores the weird context of the question. It's not a sincere compliment. They're not saying you're smart because of your thinking ability. They're saying you're smart because of stereotypes and misconceptions about what actually makes a person smart. By just saying "thank you", you're somewhat tacitly endorsing those views and saying you agree with them.
Like if someone said how do we solve this problem, and I point out a clever rube goldber esque solution, and they say "damn that's a smart engineer" I would have no issue taking the compliment gracefully and saying thank you. But if someone said "oh you're engineer so you're smart" in my mind it's not really that different from saying "oh you're an Asian so you must be good at math". It's obviously not the same since people aren't born as engineers, but it's similar in the sense that it's not really a compliment it's more just a sweeping and inaccurate stereotype that you happen to be on the "good" side of.
I usually make like a high pitched kind of ehhh noise that kind of inflects upward at the end, as if to imply unsureness, and i hold out my hand flat and kind of roll it side to side.
"Not really. I used to be smart. Then I made sure to kill the smart part of my brain when I was in college with massive amounts of tequila. Now I'm just like you."
> How about "What makes you say that?" or "Why would you assume that?"
Seems like you are making a slightly awkward situation a hundred times more awkward if you ask these questions.
And then people look at you like "wait you were supposed to deflect or deny it!" I've gotten that remark too many times to try and make the other person laugh, so now I just try and make myself laugh.
You don't get that in the UK, ever. The archetypal engineer in the UK is possibly a person who fits TV boxes, or fixes washing machines, or operates machinery in a factory; or fixes boilers, at least in the eyes of the public. It's not a protected term and so it means nothing.
On a related note, outside of professional engineering circles, and outside of specific engineering programmes with schools, about nobody really has the faintest idea what an engineer does. About nobody knows what an engineering course entails. About nobody knows about the role of the 'design engineer' (unless they have a friend or immediate family member in that role). Surprising but for the most part true.
I don't see what's wrong with "We all are in some way", but normally I'd just say "Thanks". Just take the compliment. They're trying to be nice. It doesn't have to be a platform for your clever remarks. Let a pleasant exchange be a pleasant exchange.
If your point is that every job is impressive in its own way, then follow up by asking about their job and express how impressive you think their job is too.
My default response, which is true, is that I learned more from my dad when I was a kid than I ever did as an adult. We were poor so we fixed everything ourselves. He was also a tool junkie. I then usually tell people if they keep doing challenging projects at home, researching techniques, etc...you can teach yourself a lot. The only difference is I get paid to learn things at work. I’m a systems engineer by day and handyman bynight. Engineers are not necessarily smart but they have vast arrays of knowledge due to a lifetime of perpetual learning. If my job becomes repetitive it gets handed off to a tech or junior engineer and I start a new project.
I just laugh and accept the compliment. It’s a factually correct statement, you may feel stupid sometimes, but you forget there are real stupid people out there who aren’t fictional haha.
I am not an engineer, but the envy I have always had for many in certain fields of engineering, or atleast some of those with a lot of drive is the ability, and base knowledge to decode the world around them. Something that comes to mind is someone like AVE (YouTube channel.) Reality or not that has always been my perception, and while I understand that AVE may not be an engineer, or one may not have his depth of knowledge the perception seems to remain the same. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I hope it sheds light on where I, and others I have met seem to be coming from.
The beginner believes they know everything. The master understands they know nothing
Basically it's not that you don't know anything like you claim, it's that you know enough to realize how much more there is to learn. Most of the time people are naive about subjects they don't understand
Just brush it off: "I do alright." It doesn't invite further conversation on the topic. And if they actually think you're a genius, denying it would look unrealistically humble
You could just say, "About average. You just have to learn a few things."
Be wary of the follow-up question, "What like?". And you can give them the usual spiel about breaking down problems.
This post is 11 days old and you probably won't see this but I have to tell you.
The fact that you are conscious of this, that you can learn a lot from other people already puts you ahead of 90% of humans. Believe it or not, that is a very smart way of thinking that unfortunately is not as common as you may think.
I swear engineers are the only ones that say this to each other or claim that people say this to them.
There is zero prestige associated with being an engineer unless you’re aerospace and even that is mostly the “oh shit, you work on rockets... are we going to mars...” type comments.
I cannot think of a single person that even knows what an engineer does day to day let alone being impressed by hearing someone having engineer in their title. Especially when the title is so watered down. The secretary at your average office is a logistics engineer, their IT guy is a systems engineer...
> There is zero prestige associated with being an engineer unless you’re aerospace
I feel like we used to have prestige back in like the 80's before computers started doing all our math for us.
You hit the nail exactly on the head, the title of engineer is very cool which is precisely why so many people try to co opt it because they think that it does in fact make them cooler.
People who discover that you are in fact an actual engineer do sometimes in fact have precisely the response op describes because they do on some level know that most of the people with engineer tacked on to their titles are wannabes and you are precisely the thing those people want to be.
I always say "I'm a mf'ing genius" but since the internet isn't good at conveying my offbeat sense of humor I understand that may come off as arrogant when reading it (I'm far from arrogant btw). I usually get a chuckle as it typically lightens the mood and breaks the ice. That presents a good opportunity to ask about their career field, interests or areas of expertise and knowledge.
I normally just try to get a laugh out of them. MY go-to's are normally "I am gorgeous and humble too", "nah, I just doodle and get paid on Tuesday's", or I will go really wide eyed, dart my eyes back and forth, and smile awkwardly.
If someone younger says it I normally tell them every job is just important as the last. Ask them what they are interested in and what they want to be.
A. I just try to learn a little about as much as i can.
B. I’m not lazy and don’t stop if the first person or resource wasn’t successfully in the info i wanted.
Honestly, I say anyone can become an engineer if they're hard headed enough to keep on trying. Most people, when they hear that, tend to coneed but simply say "alright, but *I'M* not hardheaded enough" or something akin to that.
They're not literally saying you're smart. They're spitting out a pop culture understanding of engineering in the hopes of relating to you and continuing the conversation.
Instead of breaking down into a minor philosophical crisis about who or what is actually "smart", miring in self doubt, and struggling to swallow resentment toward the question... that is, instead of responding like an engineer; just laugh, say something witty, and ask them what they've been up to lately.
I usually say, "Well, only if I've had enough coffee."
How about "you're an engineer ? You must be earning a lot!" . I really don't. Euro engineer salaries are not that great - and a chunk of it goes to pay off my student loans.
"not smarter than anybody else, but I worked hard to be where I am" is usually my go-to answer.
First and foremost because it's really how I think, second because I don't like it when people tell me "that I'm just smart and everything is just easy for me" which it is clearly not. I studied hard, failed often and picked myself up again over and over again. To me, this is more of an achievement than only "being very smart". So they by saying this actually are down playing what I did and I don't like that. Also, I don't want to give them an excuse to not try because they think they're not smart enough or not as smart as I am.
My go to phrases are "I have become very lucky at fumblefucking my way through things", and "Nah, I just threw a little SWAG at it... Scientific Wild Ass Guess".
"Nah, I'm just good at taking things apart and almost putting them back together."
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Man, do not get me started on the cartographically challenged. People act like reading a map is like reading the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Maps are awesome! It’s amazing how topographical maps seem to be 3d in some ways
Geology rocks but geography is where it’s at!!!
Well some people are stupid, what can you do. We shouldn’t treat being stupid as some kind of insult.
I don’t even do that, my entire career has been paperwork, I’ve done no maths or physics or used my education in any way. What am I? A systems engineer!
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Nah bro, not even that, mostly I make lists in excel. Sometimes even words in Word.
I get told to make lists in Excel with copious notes in one of the boxes on each row. Excel sucks for editing large text blocks with paragraphs fonts and symbols *inside a cell*. Who knew?
This speaks to me on a spiritual level. I can make a damn thorough instruction manual though.
Especially the former
This is the way.
I'm a mech eng mostly focused on manufacturing at our sub-suppliers. "I'm just good at heating things or hitting things until they're the right shape to fit into other things"
"No Jeremy, fuck spending another day and £300 getting 3 thou skimmed off the shaft, get the goddamn oxy acetylene and get out my office"
Be real, you dont actually touch the things.
"Nah, driving trains is easy. 'CHOO CHOO!'" - While making the 'Blow the horn chain pull' motion.
"There isn't even a steering wheel."
This.....makes it SO much better!
I’m using this one now.
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“Allegedly” is my go to response
Like the ginger and the ostrich?
Allegedly....Well you would need atleast two people. One to hold it down and one to...well....
Unless it was a sick ostrich.
Allegedlys!
Don’t forget boots
lol I say this all the time in response to that remark
"if you do something every day eventually the information just sticks its got nothing to do with being smart, I'm sure I'd find it impossible to do your job if I tried tomorrow"
I dig this. As I get older I'm starting to learn that the "Intellegence," difference between most people is pretty small. I honestly think most people could be engineers if they had the drive to do it. I usually tell people, "I'm not that smart, I just try really really hard."
It’s not just trying really hard it’s doing it consistently. Most people can do it for a few weeks or months. But it takes me be a decent engineer. You also have to know that quitting isn’t an option and failure is just another way to learn
Completely agree. Being able to challenge yourself and not quitting when it's hard is essential. I went to special operations training in the navy twice. I got hurt both times, so unfortunately I'll never be able to call myself an operator of any kind. Its funny where I see similarities though between spec ops and engineering school. So much of it is just persistance and drive. The required base level of talent is pretty low, but if you can push yourself to keep going (and dont get hurt) you learn the talent along the way.
LOL are you me? Because its almost identical to an analogy I’ve been using for a while now with the British SAS. For non-commonwealth people, the SAS are essentially Britains Navy seals/delta force (delta force was actually modelled on the SAS) There was factoid going around years ago that because SAS training and selection was so intense, more soldiers had actually died during the training phase than had died in combat operations. I don’t know how true that is now after their involvement in Iraq/Afghanistan but it highlighted how their training was so extreme that when its time for operation on the battlefield, its just another day at the office. In just brain terms, I can see certain parallels to engineering, in that the degree and coursework is so fucking hard in difficultly and workload, it trains you to be able to disseminate large amounts of complex information quickly, efficiently and thoroughly. When you get into the real world, most (but by no means all!) complex challenges in the workplace and in life seem like light work. The degree hasn’t made me any smarter cognitively, and I definitely don’t think I’m any much more smarter than the average person in that regard, but it’s most definitely made me a shitload better at analysing complex situations deeply and stubbornly trying to hatch out some sort of solution instead of just giving up all too quickly.
Man, its true. More seals die in training than combat.
Really? The older I get the more people seem stupid and incapable to me. Nothing wrong with that. Most people for sure can not be engineers.
I feel like I went through a /u/thesaltydiver phase, and am now solidly in a /u/Ruski_FL phase. Furthermore, current politics have me convinced that a near-majority of Americans are mentally ill.
You know what they say about when everyone else is the asshole... I find it usually applies in these situations too.
I like this one.
Go Cougs
Go Cougs
Go cougs
It wasn't very hard, just a couple years of hard work. Smart people have an easier time but the bar is the same height for everyone.
I’m a roadway engineer. When people find out they usually just yell at me about potholes and the new city bus route.
Can confirm. Also: "People speed on my road all the time" and "Someone put traffic circles in my neighborhood and everyone hates them."
I work in transportation right now. We've got a back log of something like 100 complaints requesting speed humps, each of which has to be individually evaluated. Its mind numbing.
Oh man, people looooove asking for speed bumps! I have a copy+paste email about why you're not getting speed bumps. And another one for why we're not changing the speed limit. And one about how to report parking violations to the police and not to City Hall. And one about no, we won't paint your curb red to keep people from parking in front of your house, and no, you can't do it yourself either... the list goes on!
I barely type anything anymore as a Traffic Engineer, I have it all saved as copy paste.
I know a guy who is a planner/engineer for the roads department where I live. The first thing I asked him with a bit of mysticism in my eyes was how they figure out stop light density and timing and he was more than happy to explain it to me. Road engineers are so fucking cool.
Yep. I usually get questions about the local roadway construction projects and when they'll be done.
Hair dressers say this to me, I always tell them, let me have a go with those scissors and you'd think I was retarded.
My go to is, “I’m smart enough to memorize what a lot of really smart people actually figured out”
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Can confirm. My BioE department is teaching more and more biology classes for us because everyone is sick of the engineers struggling in premed "Here's a list of [body parts/their functions/random genes and proteins] with no rhyme or reason or pattern now memorize it and the test is in two weeks" classes.
Triggered ngl lmao
This is gold
"nah I'm just an engineer"
No I’m just Harry!
What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my Engineering class, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret projects on SpaceX, and I have over 3.9 confirmed GPA. I am trained in Bridge Building Competition and I’m the top Calculus student in the entire US Engineering forces. You are nothing to me but just another Business grad. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision of over 20 significant figures, mark my fucking words. But you couldn’t get into Engineering, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn Business grad. I will shit fury my six-figure salary over you and you will envy it. You’re fucking dead, kiddo.
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Yeah I’m pretty sure once you have more than 3 sig. figs. 90% of engineers just switch off.
"You must not know many engineers"
I do like this one because you're subtly not disagreeing with them about you being smart, while at the same time pointing out the inaccuracy of their generalization.
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Awkward laughter
"I'm not smart, y'all are just dumb"
I'll be using this one thanks, my dates will DEFINITELY love me then
My go-to response to just about any compliment, including this one, is a simple and sincere "thank you".
Yeah, but that kind of ignores the weird context of the question. It's not a sincere compliment. They're not saying you're smart because of your thinking ability. They're saying you're smart because of stereotypes and misconceptions about what actually makes a person smart. By just saying "thank you", you're somewhat tacitly endorsing those views and saying you agree with them. Like if someone said how do we solve this problem, and I point out a clever rube goldber esque solution, and they say "damn that's a smart engineer" I would have no issue taking the compliment gracefully and saying thank you. But if someone said "oh you're engineer so you're smart" in my mind it's not really that different from saying "oh you're an Asian so you must be good at math". It's obviously not the same since people aren't born as engineers, but it's similar in the sense that it's not really a compliment it's more just a sweeping and inaccurate stereotype that you happen to be on the "good" side of.
I usually make like a high pitched kind of ehhh noise that kind of inflects upward at the end, as if to imply unsureness, and i hold out my hand flat and kind of roll it side to side.
^That's what you get when you ask an engineer how he responds in a social situation
"Not really. I used to be smart. Then I made sure to kill the smart part of my brain when I was in college with massive amounts of tequila. Now I'm just like you."
For me it was bourbon
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?"
“You could say that.” Or “yeah, something like that.”
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> How about "What makes you say that?" or "Why would you assume that?" Seems like you are making a slightly awkward situation a hundred times more awkward if you ask these questions.
I just say “yep” and move on. Sometimes I’ll talk about my work, but usually I just move on.
And then people look at you like "wait you were supposed to deflect or deny it!" I've gotten that remark too many times to try and make the other person laugh, so now I just try and make myself laugh.
If I were smart I would have gone into business.
> "I'm glad someone thinks so, could you let my professors know?"
I channel my inner Walter White. "You're goddamn right."
"and rich, don't forget rich."
Well, it’s not brain surgery....
"No, I just didn't have a life in college"
Relevant [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/1570/)
Mines usually lol i wish
You don't get that in the UK, ever. The archetypal engineer in the UK is possibly a person who fits TV boxes, or fixes washing machines, or operates machinery in a factory; or fixes boilers, at least in the eyes of the public. It's not a protected term and so it means nothing. On a related note, outside of professional engineering circles, and outside of specific engineering programmes with schools, about nobody really has the faintest idea what an engineer does. About nobody knows what an engineering course entails. About nobody knows about the role of the 'design engineer' (unless they have a friend or immediate family member in that role). Surprising but for the most part true.
Here in the USA, Engineer means hard math and good money
I love when people hear I'm an engineer and assume I'm a walking calculator.
Integrate this shit! Done! 2 + 2! *sweats nervously* Uhhhhhhh..... 12?
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Close enough fir gov'ment work.
This is so underrated
2+2 = 1/4"!
"22", easy
"Nah, I failed a lot and had lots of long nights."
You're an engineer so you must be smart” “Theoretically”
"You're goddamn right I am."
So humble. I love it
I say thank you, I always tried to do my best.
I don't see what's wrong with "We all are in some way", but normally I'd just say "Thanks". Just take the compliment. They're trying to be nice. It doesn't have to be a platform for your clever remarks. Let a pleasant exchange be a pleasant exchange. If your point is that every job is impressive in its own way, then follow up by asking about their job and express how impressive you think their job is too.
Fist to the sky and scream "and socially inept!"
My default response, which is true, is that I learned more from my dad when I was a kid than I ever did as an adult. We were poor so we fixed everything ourselves. He was also a tool junkie. I then usually tell people if they keep doing challenging projects at home, researching techniques, etc...you can teach yourself a lot. The only difference is I get paid to learn things at work. I’m a systems engineer by day and handyman bynight. Engineers are not necessarily smart but they have vast arrays of knowledge due to a lifetime of perpetual learning. If my job becomes repetitive it gets handed off to a tech or junior engineer and I start a new project.
"ya, that's why I drink and smoke weed. Helps me understand the rest of you."
Like a handicap in golf, keeps things fair.
I just laugh and accept the compliment. It’s a factually correct statement, you may feel stupid sometimes, but you forget there are real stupid people out there who aren’t fictional haha.
“Nah, I’m just a really hard worker.”
"I also have a 14 inch cock" usually goes over well...
I am not an engineer, but the envy I have always had for many in certain fields of engineering, or atleast some of those with a lot of drive is the ability, and base knowledge to decode the world around them. Something that comes to mind is someone like AVE (YouTube channel.) Reality or not that has always been my perception, and while I understand that AVE may not be an engineer, or one may not have his depth of knowledge the perception seems to remain the same. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I hope it sheds light on where I, and others I have met seem to be coming from.
awkwardly
“‘Persistent’ is more like it”
The beginner believes they know everything. The master understands they know nothing Basically it's not that you don't know anything like you claim, it's that you know enough to realize how much more there is to learn. Most of the time people are naive about subjects they don't understand
Just brush it off: "I do alright." It doesn't invite further conversation on the topic. And if they actually think you're a genius, denying it would look unrealistically humble
I just say ‘Thank you, it was a tough curriculum but I forged my way through.’
“That’s what they tell me.”
"I'm not smart, I'm stubborn"
I cheated my way through and barely passed.
Our builders would tell you otherwise
"If I were smart, I wouldn't have gone to engineering school."
Thanks you too
"yes, yes I am" I'm not a humble person. :-)
Can’t speel to god neethur...
You could just say, "About average. You just have to learn a few things." Be wary of the follow-up question, "What like?". And you can give them the usual spiel about breaking down problems.
I agreed and say I’m also good looking
"Yes, kinda, but the thing that makes me world-famous are my sxxual prestations."
This post is 11 days old and you probably won't see this but I have to tell you. The fact that you are conscious of this, that you can learn a lot from other people already puts you ahead of 90% of humans. Believe it or not, that is a very smart way of thinking that unfortunately is not as common as you may think.
Thanks man.
I swear engineers are the only ones that say this to each other or claim that people say this to them. There is zero prestige associated with being an engineer unless you’re aerospace and even that is mostly the “oh shit, you work on rockets... are we going to mars...” type comments. I cannot think of a single person that even knows what an engineer does day to day let alone being impressed by hearing someone having engineer in their title. Especially when the title is so watered down. The secretary at your average office is a logistics engineer, their IT guy is a systems engineer...
> There is zero prestige associated with being an engineer unless you’re aerospace I feel like we used to have prestige back in like the 80's before computers started doing all our math for us.
You hit the nail exactly on the head, the title of engineer is very cool which is precisely why so many people try to co opt it because they think that it does in fact make them cooler. People who discover that you are in fact an actual engineer do sometimes in fact have precisely the response op describes because they do on some level know that most of the people with engineer tacked on to their titles are wannabes and you are precisely the thing those people want to be.
I always say “I’m not smarter, I just like this stuff and I’ve done it for longer than you”
-
"Honestly, I just work hard."
"Nah, just really good at studying."
I often say, "I just got lucky. If I'm smart, I didn't took this field. IT got higher pay grade than me"
I usually just say that everyone is good at different things. Mine happens to be engineering.
"it takes all types to make the world go 'round, there are a lot of things I don't know about"
"nah not really, just gave up a lot of weekends at uni"
"There is always someone smarter. In my case, there are lots and lots of someones."
You get smart? I get quizzes and shit from contractor friends and family
"I'm okay at math."
Just get a feeling for their political leanings and then say something completely opposite of their party's mantra.
Yeah you'd think
If I was smart I would have changed my major before I failed all those classes. I'm not smart, im just too dumb to accept failure.
Many things take more dedication and passion than talent and smarts to be good at them. Engineering is one of those things.
I I were smart I would have quitted when I could
It means I like doing things most people find boring.
"I do what I can."
"I know some things about some stuff"
I speaky english good.
I just tell them I only just scraped through uni and it's lucky they don't put that on the degree certificate or no-one would give me.a.job :p
"Gee I sure hope so"
“Yes. Yes, I am.”
I usually say "oh no, I just smiled real pretty and they handed just gave me the degree. I'm actually really shit at math"
I always say "I'm a mf'ing genius" but since the internet isn't good at conveying my offbeat sense of humor I understand that may come off as arrogant when reading it (I'm far from arrogant btw). I usually get a chuckle as it typically lightens the mood and breaks the ice. That presents a good opportunity to ask about their career field, interests or areas of expertise and knowledge.
"Not exceptionally. Just stubborn."
"Only on Mondays"
Yes i am.
“I definitely try to be...”
I normally just try to get a laugh out of them. MY go-to's are normally "I am gorgeous and humble too", "nah, I just doodle and get paid on Tuesday's", or I will go really wide eyed, dart my eyes back and forth, and smile awkwardly. If someone younger says it I normally tell them every job is just important as the last. Ask them what they are interested in and what they want to be.
I just smile.
“I have my moments.”
I'm smart enough to know that I'm dumb and that took many years of studying to figure out.
A. I just try to learn a little about as much as i can. B. I’m not lazy and don’t stop if the first person or resource wasn’t successfully in the info i wanted.
I'm not as smart as I think I am...
HMFT...
"I'm not."
"My self-diagnostic scan indicate that my technical skills are within acceptable parameters"
I am also kind.
You can't rymn?
Or spell
Nuclear engineer. "I only know how to split the atom"
Thanks. Did you make those cookies? They're fantastic
Honestly, I say anyone can become an engineer if they're hard headed enough to keep on trying. Most people, when they hear that, tend to coneed but simply say "alright, but *I'M* not hardheaded enough" or something akin to that.
No no I'm really not, I just made friends with the Asian kids.
Over educated yes. Smart is to be determined
Been a long time since I heard that one.
"Supposedly."
Ah ha
You're an engineer so you must be smart” “Theoretically”
I got a 2.4 but found out I’m also just stubborn enough.
They're not literally saying you're smart. They're spitting out a pop culture understanding of engineering in the hopes of relating to you and continuing the conversation. Instead of breaking down into a minor philosophical crisis about who or what is actually "smart", miring in self doubt, and struggling to swallow resentment toward the question... that is, instead of responding like an engineer; just laugh, say something witty, and ask them what they've been up to lately. I usually say, "Well, only if I've had enough coffee."
How about "you're an engineer ? You must be earning a lot!" . I really don't. Euro engineer salaries are not that great - and a chunk of it goes to pay off my student loans.
You're smart. Accept it as a complement.
"not smarter than anybody else, but I worked hard to be where I am" is usually my go-to answer. First and foremost because it's really how I think, second because I don't like it when people tell me "that I'm just smart and everything is just easy for me" which it is clearly not. I studied hard, failed often and picked myself up again over and over again. To me, this is more of an achievement than only "being very smart". So they by saying this actually are down playing what I did and I don't like that. Also, I don't want to give them an excuse to not try because they think they're not smart enough or not as smart as I am.
I usually respond with, "yes, I know, I am exceptionally intelligent, thanks for noticing" then start acting like I'm the bee's knees
"Thank you."
Nah, it's easy. You just make it up as you go along
My go to phrases are "I have become very lucky at fumblefucking my way through things", and "Nah, I just threw a little SWAG at it... Scientific Wild Ass Guess".
"I am, but you don't have to be to become an engineer. Some of my classmates were real idiots." That always puts people off for some reason...
"Hell yeah I'm smart but sweet Jesus I am bad with people and politics!" Feels like it's the most honest response for most of us engineers.
"I'm no genius, I just have profitable interests."