Last November, I was laid off from the engineering company I worked at. I wasn’t singled out, the wave hit close to half the company. Still, it was a shock. In the days that followed the announcement, I quickly arrived at the conclusion that I was heading into a break. Could be weeks, could be months, probably not years ("…but what if?"). I wanted to reflect on what it was I really wanted to do with my life.

This morning, I felt industrious. This is probably due to the extra hour from the Law of DST that shields me from the truth that my body is further into the morning than the clock shows. Because of my sense of industriousness, I aimed myself briefly at the task of baking a sourdough. After 15 minutes of googling and youtube viewing, I realized I will not be baking a loaf today.

Engineering. What is it? What is the soul of the practice? Does it even have a soul, or is it simply defined by the rawness of its pragmatism: Engineering is what works! No ideals other than getting the job done, satisfying the specs, delivering the goods and nothing more. In my decade of engineering, I have sensed that a soul does exist beyond deadlines and delivery objectives. To the soulful engineer, the implementation of the machine (the “guts” of a machine) matter just as much as the interface of the machine (the lights and buttons and knobs facing its user).