I would allow that engineers are somewhat entitled to feel that techs are on a lower rung of the evolutionary ladder. They've worked hard to get where they are, after all. Most techs have about two years tops in technical training, and the training itself is more toward the practical and not theoretical or design aspects. Sadly I would also have to admit that your average tech (myself included) simply haven't the IQ power of an engineer. There are exceptions, of course.
There are those (technicians) who feel that engineers intentionally design some products to be difficult or impossible to work on; that there is pressure from above to prevent repairs from competing with new product sales.
There can be no question that sometimes engineers miss important practical aspects. Even just a few obvious test points might make a vast difference in serviceability, especially where service data is not available.
I personally feel that part of the problem is the low labor costs in places like China, Malaysia, etc. The manufacturers don't need to care if something is difficult to assemble, since their labor costs are low, they don't care about warranty service being unnecessarily difficult, and they certainly don't want the product life being extended much beyond the warranty period.
Been a repair technician for 30 years. I love what I do, but there are plenty of frustrations as well.
I,& most Techs of my generation (Old codgers),had around 4 years of both theoretical & practical training to start with,& have had to keep learning throughout their working lives,as equipment using new technology is constantly being placed into service,with one thing constant---failure!
Having the boss freaking out that his latest magic box isn't working does concentrate the brain!
That said, I look askance at the current method of Technical training which seems to rely on learning a number of tricks "monkey fashion",& repeating these to show that the course "Outcome" has successfully been met.
I've only met one Engineer I didn't like,& even with him I could grit my teeth & bear it,but High IQs,---I don't think so!
They are usually just normal,rather nice people,who had the interest & determination to successfully complete their degree,for which I applaud them.
I would dispute whether the average Engineer has a great opportunity to show much creativity & innovation.
A lot of Engineering I've seen consists of a good knowledge of National Semiconductors application notes!
One thing that some Engineers tend to do is, to make a guess when they are consulted by a Tech with a problem,& will not be swayed
from that idea,even if it is incorrect.
Once you have proven that their initial idea is wrong,they are usually much more helpful.
With such people,you need to be very diplomatic,which is not always a characteristic of older Techs,so the Engineer is sometimes left out of the loop & the issue sorted at a Tech level.
Perhaps the idea of Engineers "looking down on" Techs comes from a Tech who has had this experience.
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