Like all people, engineers would appreciate a gift of any kind, however, if it does not challenge their curious and logical mindset, it would not necessarily make a statement to them. This is where we come in as we have found unique, and maybe geeky gifts for engineers and engineering students alike. Whatever the price range, there is something that will appeal to the most scientific, technological, and inventive person you know; from books to games, tools, gadgets, and puzzles.
Why Engineers Are Hard To Shop For
Alongside medicine and other science-related professions, engineering is a very difficult discipline to undertake. One has to be very smart and dedicated to make it through to become an engineer; this is due to the amount of math and physics that they would have to study. At the end of it all though, regardless of the offbeat sense of humor they might acquire along the way and become left-brained, there is a huge reward for choosing to become an engineer.
Engineers are widely recognized as people that are very well educated and good at solving problems. They are also some of the most sought-after people for a diverse range of jobs. So, just like knowing a doctor who can be called at any time to help you out with a medical situation, engineers are also very handy people to have at beck and call. The only problem that you might have with such a person is that they are harder than usual to shop for.
Below are some of the things to have in mind when you decide to buy a gift for the engineer you know.
1. Know What Type of Engineer The Person Is
Mechanical, chemical, civil, electrical, management, and geotechnical are the six major and more traditional branches of engineering. There are also modern types of engineering like software engineers, robotics engineers, network engineers, etc. Under all of these branches, there are hundreds of different subcategories of engineering.
Understanding that there are different types of engineers who are skilled differently and engage in varying day-to-day activities based on their specialty should serve as a guide to you getting them a gift that they might b able to use at work.
2. Understand That They Love Challenges
As already explained, engineers are generally smart people. The term engineering is derived from the Latin word ingenium which means cleverness and ingeniare which means to contrive and devise. These people have a different outlook of the world and generally enjoy solving challenging problems and making improvements to gadgets and whatzits.
Armed with this information, you should try to always get a gift that will make their brain tick. Something that would challenge them and allow them to apply themselves. Many people say you can’t go wrong with a mathematical gift since all engineers know and understand math to an advanced degree. But be careful to not go over the top with buying stereotypical gifts.
3. Do Not Always Go For Stereotypical Gifts
As a result of all the time that they spend reading and solving problems, engineers are generally thought to be geeky, i.e scientific, technological, and inventive people. We have advised above that you can not go wrong with buying a mathematical gift for them.
However, note that this does not mean that there are not one or two of them who would appreciate novelty gift items like a smartwatch, perfume, or a grooming kit; things that are often gotten for men as gifts. It is certainly boring if they have a collection of puzzles, mathematical, or work-related items, gotten for them by people who think all they would want to do in life is to face a challenge.
Some engineers in their spare time do not want to have to do anything that is related to their career. As such, getting a gift that opens them up to a different career or a whole new world of things would be appreciated.
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General Guide To Selecting A Gift For An Engineer
The very first thing to have in mind when selecting a gift for the engineer in your life is to know who exactly the person is. By this, we mean that you know the kind of things they may like or dislike. Many engineers today grew up watching sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, Back To The Future, The Goonies, and so on. Getting them something that brings back their childhood memory will certainly go a long way. First and second-generation video games also fall into this category. You, however, have to ensure that this is something that they like by knowing exactly who they are.
While this does not specifically apply to engineers, another thing to note when getting someone a gift is that you should try to know what exactly they might want or need at that time. The best kinds of gifts are those that are both thoughtful and desired by the recipient. This inadvertently means that those that are neither thoughtful nor desired are the worst kinds of gifts to get. There are also cases where you might get someone a desirable but unthoughtful gift, or a thoughtful but undesirable one. An example of the former is giving an engineer a working instrument that each and every one of them is supposed to have from day one, while an example of the latter could be like naming the engineering department building after the best graduating student instead of offering to cancel either all or part of their student loan.
Having gone through all our recommendations, one particular thing that will go a long way in impressing the engineer you are getting a gift for is if your gift is able to make a statement to them. By this, we mean that you go with something that has a personal touch to it. Whichever way you choose to do this; either by engraving their name on the item or getting something that reminds them of a particular occasion in the past, ensure that the item brings back some memory. This will make the gift memorable.