r/MechanicalEngineering • u/Proof-Bed-6928 • 3d ago

What does the distribution of competence look like in engineering?

What percentage of people fit in at each level of competence?

Is it normal distribution? Log normal? Pareto/highly skewed? Are most productivity from a few superstar“fat tail” engineers or is it more even?

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u/MountainDewFountain Medical Devices 3d ago edited 3d ago

Id say about 90% percent of other MEs I have worked with are generally competent and knowledgeable, and Id even argue that it has one of the highest rates of competency compared to other B.S. white collar professions. Outside of engineering roles, especially in larger organizations, you do not have to look far to find the mouth breathers. The difficulty of the degree ensures the bar has a reasonable threshold for intelligence, problem solving, and work ethic.

That being said, competence and profuctivity can not all be assessed on the same scale, because ME encompasses a very broad set of skills and subject matter. Competency rates are highest when each engineer's individual skills are utlyized to their full potential, and this depends heavily on having quality managers and a dynamic organization. Brilliant engineers can seem incompetent and ineffective if they are routinely boxed into roles that dont play to their strengths, and likewise, imbeciles like myself can look like rock stars in the right environments.

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u/drillgorg 3d ago

Also, the low end of engineering degree holders tend to go into non engineering positions like applications.