I live in a small town across from my dad, who unfortunately deals with Parkinsons/Dimensia. I work a factory job while here. The tedium is utterly devastating. It's been 5 years. I have an engineering degree from a good school, but opportunities here for better are scarce.
I got a rare alert that a design job had opened up in the next town over. Fk this factory man. I apply with a helluva letter attached and get a call the same day.
I go in for the first interview. It's conducted by a couple folks. I crack some jokes, and I can make one guy laugh a ton, but the other (the owner) is a rock. The engineer finds himself having to clarify many of the owner's questions (who himself is an engineer). They test my mechanical skills and the rest of the questions I practically had scripts for.
2nd interview is the owner only. Some easy questions first – but then, I'm fucking impressed! A little philosophical one. Just a theoretical.
“If you could do anything for work, regardless of geography, what would it be?”
Nuclear Engineer. I explain that I've grown up with the Earth's welfare hanging in the balance. I explain that I see my craft as a tool for utilitarian good. I explain the capability of nuclear engineering to broadly touch the lives of multitudes of people.
“As an engineer you believe that crap?”
I had the biggest shit-eating grin on my face immediately. I barely liked my prospective employer as it was, but I now pretty much had him pinned as a blithering moron. I wanted to make my time worth it. I ask him to clarify his stance. He sees nuclear as small fish in a big hydrocarbon pond. He's thinking business. I speak about the initial resistance to LED lights and where they are now, for instance. He agrees with my concept of innovation there but can't translate it. Have I mentioned this man's age? He mentioned 57. He recommends that I listen to the REAL scientists. More shit eating-grin is all I offer to that.
We continue the interview! We talk about a design. I wont go into specifics here, but I make a comment that “I see simple little stuff like this every single day”. That has to sting. As the interview closes I let him know that the workplace looks great! But I'll not be able to accept his offer on account of his professional opinions. I fucking leave
It's difficult to stay hopeful sometimes, though.