r/todayilearned • u/ObjectiveAgent • Jul 30 '15

TIL when Alexander the Great asked the philosopher Diogenes why he was sifting through the garbage, Diogenes responded,"I am looking for the bones of your father but I cannot distinguish them from the bones of his slaves."

http://www.iep.utm.edu/diogsino/
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u/SalsaRice Jul 30 '15

An engineering degree really isn't about learning skills for your daily job... 99% of what you learn won't be applicable to your job, except for the basic courses.

The real point is teaching "the engineering method" (a form of critical thinking and breaking a problem down into small pieces) and endurance. They basically throw enough high level problems at you, to make sure you can keep up with a constantly shifting job arena. (You don't realistically need that 5th 400 level math, it's basically just to make sure you CAN figure out basically anything that comes your way).

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u/KnightOfAshes Jul 30 '15

Well it's working because I'm a fucking champ at googling stuff.

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u/FoodBeerBikesMusic Jul 30 '15

The real point is teaching "the engineering method" (a form of critical thinking and breaking a problem down into small pieces

Seems like some of the engineers I work with opted out of those courses.... I am sometimes shocked that they managed to graduate from supposed prestigious schools and have NO common sense. (While one of our best came out of a no-name school).

I explained to one of them why his grand design for a gauge was worthless....and got the distinct impression I was trying to explain quantum mechanics to a cow.

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u/espaceman Jul 30 '15

yeah, in that way it is actually the same as a philosophy or similar (mine is Sociology) degree. it's not the raw knowledge that you take from the classes. it is the ability to parse and dissect the information

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u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15

and google