The image below describes it well.
From: What People Think of Engineers
Yes, we do make powerpoint presentations.
And don’t be surprised if management doesn’t listen when we complain.
1) Pushing bad ideas instead of good ideas
2) Taking credit for great ideas that were actually ours
3) Take our best ideas and totally bastardize them.
You can also spend hours in front of a computer. JUST WORK RIGHT YOU STUPID PROGRAM DAMMIT!!!!1!!!!!11!!!! !
Sometimes we do some really fun things. Sometimes, I can be a tester and come up with new ways to fix things. As an application engineer, I can look at any faulty piece of junk customer design and laugh about the mistakes their non-engineering scientists made. Common ones include improper grounding, creating resonant cavities and exposing items that should not be exposed.
Yes, we do get to do some of what we learned in school. It doesn’t always feel that way.