Ok that’s a little bit of a stereotype. You can date and play in the quad. Engineers do get married and have hobbies.

It is nerd culture, not bro culture. And engineering school does not leave much spare time after eat, sleep, classes, labs, and problem sets. It is equal opportunity because it is challenging for all.

I work in aerospace and am now in a more product management/design role but I used to work with a lot of aerospace and mechanical engineers. I found them to be personable and generally nice, although the oldest and most experienced ones could be patronizing towards women on their teams in an old-fashioned but not unkind way. My colleagues attended a vast variety of colleges and it was a great break from previous workplaces that were obsessed with prestige universities.

Like everyone else said, you have to be collaborative to be an engineer. But at some point you also have to defend your work to clients or management or push through an idea that you know is good. That takes a lot of skill and also a certain amount of stubbornness. So as you move through the ranks, there will be an increasing amount of schemers or stubborn jerks.

I’m sure it depends on the area and projects, but a lot of the bro-y culture I experienced came when we were in the workshop actively working on prototypes as a team. Something about getting away from the screen and being adjacent to tools could change the atmosphere and make me feel like I was walking by a bunch of guys working on a car in their front yard. I had a love/hate relationship with the skunkworks. I love creativity and freedom but bureaucracy and rules feel better to me in the workplace. I also don’t want to stand in a messy workshop all evening shifting parts and debating sixteenths. Some people find that fun, so it’s important to know how hands-on you want to be in engineering.

Also, check the social culture of the job during the interview process. A lot of my workplaces had intense social scenes revolving around hands-on, specific hobbies: classic cars, motorcycles, garden railways (!), home brewing, etc depending on the team.

:24 poster again

The three women enjoyed their work.

I think the men perhaps less so. One structural engineer got his general contractors license and became a contractor. One of the owners was male and I think he really did not like supervising people.

Anonymous wrote:Engineering is not bro culture. Most are very studious, awkward, nerdy, etc. They are not the people playing softball in the quad at 4 in the afternoon. They are probably not into dating as much as the average student (time, money, etc). They probably have some kind of Greek-looking organization just for engineers because who has the time or energy to rush a fraternity?

Agree, engineering is the opposite of a bro culture. I worked in a civil/structural engineering firm. All of our engineers were nerdy, both the men and the women. We had 3 women and 3 male engineers in our company. Some were late 20's and single and had problems meeting/communicating with the opposite sex on dates due to the nerdiness. The work was collaborative.

Engineering is not bro culture. Most are very studious, awkward, nerdy, etc. They are not the people playing softball in the quad at 4 in the afternoon. They are probably not into dating as much as the average student (time, money, etc). They probably have some kind of Greek-looking organization just for engineers because who has the time or energy to rush a fraternity?

If you’re not 100% sure you want engineering to be your whole life, don’t major in it.

And that conviction might not survive the first two years of college.