James Newton wrote:
>
>I've started a beginning engineers checklist at
>http://techref.massmind.org/begin
>and added this to it. I'd love to hear some other sage advice that is
>general for survival in this business.
>

Speaking of real [albeit non-engineering] classics, check out
the recent Dilbert column on how a pointy-haired "clueless" guy
deals with unwanted phonecalls. Brilliant. Starts out:

"Again? That thing rang last week, too" ....
=============

Back to "true" life drama [and deserved(??) karma]:

Several years ago, while working in aerospace, I was talking
with my manager/boss in the hall one day, when he looked at his
watch and said, "Oops, I have to go to a meeting now. Maybe you
should come along too". [note - I had no previous knowledge of
this meeting].

Well, the meeting was with the "customer", included 20-30 people,
me being the least senior, and included our division manager and
several air force colonels. The "major theme" of the meeting,
as it turned out, concerned problems with one of the subsystems
I was test engineer on at the time. Among other things they
wanted to hear a detailed history of the problem going back
several years, and all the steps we had taken along the way to
correct it. Well, needless to say, .....

Later, my [pointy-haired] boss said, "You did a pretty bad job
in there today. You should always be prepared for this kind
of thing, ....".

P.S. After that date, I was no longer on the A-List in the
department.

P.P.S. Eventually Mr. Pointy-Hairs was canned, after almost
getting himself shot, trying to barge past a marine guard at
the launch pad.

Just one of many,
- Dan Michaels