This is actually getting quite comical. "Real engineering"... please.
At every PCA event I am surrounded by successful engineers, business owners, physicists, medical doctors, rocket scientists, race team owners, and F1 engine suppliers. The ones who build on the groundwork laid by those with years of hands-on experience and apply their specialized skills are thriving. The ones who ignore or discount those with the most direct hands-on experience go nowhere fast.
Carry on.
