A Shortage of Engineers

by Robert Grossbach

Book Overview

When Zack Zaremba graduates form engineering school, he wants little more from his career than to do useful, interesting work. It is not long, however, before life becomes more complicated: He's assigned to an Air Force contract with impossibly difficult specs, $100,000-a-day late penalties, bullying managers, disgruntled coworkers, and parts that must be ordered before there's a design. When he fall fervently, passionately in love with Lilah Li,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312275544
• ISBN13: 9780312275549
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

If you've ever worked in design....

If you've ever worked in design engineering, and you've got a sense of humor (OK, I admit that limits the potential readership), then you've got to read this book. I was hooked after the first half a dozen pages, when the newly graduated, newly hired young engineer fantasizes, on his first day, that he is going to work for this same company for the next 45 years, until his retirement. If that doesn't make you bust a gut, nothing will! There are just so many situations and characters that you'll recognise from real life. For instance, have you ever been asked to submit a detailed list of materials and components to purchasing- before you've even begun the design work? Have you ever been assigned a design project only to have to consult a dictionary to find out exactly what the item is that you are supposed to design? Have you ever worked forever on a project that the entire team knew was doomed from the first week? As for characters, well, I'm strongly tempted to change my screen name to "Shopper Jim"- that advice to always keep enough boxes in your office, or trunk, to move all your stuff is just too close to the mark.... Prior to this, the only humorous novel that I ever found dealing with engineers was Vonnegutt's _Player Piano_. While that book is excellent, and reminds me of my early days, this novel is right on the money with the current state of the profession. Oh yeah, after you've read this, the fact that manufacturing (and engineering) in the U.S. is packing up and/or dieing off is alot easier to take....

Funny as in "HAHAHAHA!"

It didn't take long for me to read this novel. I was surprised because the idea of reading a story about engineers didn't really strike me as "interesting." However, when I found out that Robert Altman was doing his next film based on this novel ("Voltage", which at the moment is on hiatus), I decided to check it out. Boy am I glad I did! It's hilarious! I mean, I laughed my butt off on practically every page of the book! Robert Grossbach is VERY good with dialogue, sarcasm, dry humor, and so on. Very much embraces the way the engineer thinks (I know many guys like the ones described here). Actually, if one were to compare the humor to that of the film, "Office Space," I'd say it's very close, if not, even more laughable.I love the way this novel exposes the total absurdity caused by workplace bureaucracy, politics, etc. All of the characters are so fascinating and real. Similar to Catch-22 in the sense that none of the policies make any sense, none of workers really care to follow the management's rules, so much complacency and such a rude awakening for a young man entering the workforce three weeks after graduating from college. It's enough to embitter someone for a lifetime.Some examples that set off "out-loud laughter" are Zack's Urinary Styles and Strategies, Shopper Jim's rules of the workplace, aside from all the other incredible idiosyncrasies that all the characters possess. I especially snicker at the way the author describes dressing style of one of the female characters, Lilah. Florescent-colored dresses? My God! For a story set in the late 80s, it's perfect! Still these facets are just a tip of the iceberg.A few issues that made me wonder was 1) Is it true that most guys are as horny and so quick to fantasize and physically react to beautiful women as the main character in this book, Zack Zaremba? I had to consult my husband on this one and he said "Not really," although I now wonder if HE was telling the truth...and 2) Other than the constant horniness, Zack seemed to be rather mature for a 22-23 year-old male. But hey, maybe I just didn't know any mature 22-year-old males in my lifetime! The preceding issues aside, this novel is still very entertaining and disillusioning all at the same time, but never depressing. Very much like the character of Shopper Jim, it's written in a manner that's not meant to be taken too seriously, you could cry at the total absurdity of the engineer's world, or you could just laugh...and laugh...and laugh!

A Look Under the Hood of High-Tech

A Shortage of Engineers is a wonderful, madcap look at the oozing, bubbling madness percolating beneath the veneer of detached rationality in hi-tech corporations and, by extension, hi-tech civilization.Protagonist Zack Zaremba is a newly hatched engineer who loses his innocence against a backdrop of pervasive corporate mendacity, as people routinely lie to bosses, colleagues, subordinates, and customers. Perceptions and moral judgements fade from black and white to to shades of grey. In the end, Zack must stand up for what is right ... or is it?Many scenes are indelibly drawn: A Christmas party where Zack learns exactly how much the bosses really care, the lynch mob of soccer moms who disapprove of his coaching efforts, the moment when he first shares hot sex with the girl of his dreams, and a hilarious take off on "Who's on first", are just a few.Placing this latest work shelf-side of the earlier "Someone Great" and "Easy and Hard Ways Out", Grossbach has carved out a niche as the foremost chronicler of turn of the century American hi-tech dementia. In its cutting insights on the madness of authority the book commands comparison with Catch-22, and merits becoming a classic in its own right.

No shortage of wit and wisdom

A Shortage of Engineers is a must-read book. If you love Dilbert, Office Space, or just plain common sense, this book will appeal to you. It strips away the thin veneer of sanity that hides the dysfunctionality that characterizes large companies, while entertaining with a love story and a rite of passage for a young engineer. Any thinking person will see deep meaning in this book, but the other 90% of the population should view it as a wake up call.In my past life, I worked on large contracts as an engineer. Grossbach hits resounding chords, again and again. I found myself cheering at some points. At others, I nearly cried. But mostly, I laughed. Out loud. If you're tired of dealing with politics in the workplace, politics on your kid's soccer team, or any kind of nonsense, you will find A Shortage of Engineers is more documentary than fiction.To all you dysfunctional, cut-off-from-reality CEOs out there, you really need to read this book. If only you knew what kind of waste goes on in your organization, how ridiculous it is, and how foolish it makes you look....This is one of the best books I have ever read! I have a feeling that if everyone read it prior to voting, we'd have a far different legislative landscape. We would not have the IRS, for example. Think about it. The only purpose of the IRS is to give a group of hostile, insane, stupid people a place to go where they can make harassing phone calls and send out threatening letters. This is cheaper than building asylums for them and hiring people to take care of them. We have a few dozen IRS-inflicted deaths each year, and consider that normal.As A Shortage of Engineers points out, lunacy is quite normal. The best thing we can do about it is laugh. And A Shortage of Engineers will have you in stitches.

Bringing high-tech down to earth

Fresh out of engineering school, Zack Zaremba quickly loses any idealistic notion of pursuing his profession as a creative activity at International Instruments. He fights gallantly against a thousand obstacles and betrayals perpetrated by bosses, bureaucrats and the system in general, as well as his own weaknesses. But through crushing disappointments and small triumphs, he learns about himself and how to live his life. Along the way you'll meet a gallery of memorable characters populating this demimonde, and laugh out loud as Grossbach deftly plays each one's foibles against the next.Grossbach is a gifted and knowledgeable storyteller who weaves a tale rich in sensitively drawn characters, ironic twists and turns, and authentic detail. A satirical, disturbing and yet compelling glimpse into the basement below technology's ivory tower.