Remember, Only ask engineers one question at a time....
use small words....
Listen carefully for what they "know" vs. what they "think"
On most occasions, due to our limited time in real society, we are very literal in both our questions and answers..... and I for one often have to ask many questions to find out what someone is really asking.....lol
Most importanly, remember that engineers are humans, just like the rest of us, with feelings and egos.
When they answer your question with more questions, they're not trying to avoid yours. They really need more input because the problem is probably more complex than you imagine.
When you don't agree with them, it's often better to pose your question as a request for explanation for a better understanding rather than a challenge. You'll get a lot more out of them when you let them discover their own mistakes. They can see errors in own their position beyond those you could recognize.
I've been doing computer support for engineers for many years now, and working with them for many years before that. I have the highest regard for almost all of those I've worked with. Sure, there are a few with no common sense and a few bureaucratic, political ones, as in any other profession, but except possiblly for medical researchers, I can't think of any group of people who, as a whole, have made as great a contribution to society in the last 100 years. They have my respect and thanks.
Yikes, hey engineers please dont feel the need to defend the profession. I like you just the way you were CAD'd and prototyped.
If you want I can poke fun at the lawyers. I know we got a few of them too and theyre easier to make fun of. Or if you find it nec. you can poke fun at the truckers. We got at least one of them.
Engineers are awesome! Like you guys said they are human so I am careful to question things within my boundry of knowledge- which is limited to the user end. The fun comes when I have to make sure their explanations of how things work are in a format that our student pilots can understand. Engineer speak can be tough for us mere mortals at times-lol.
i like the fact that most of you posters in this thread actually are classified as "engineers" by heath's ranking system ! and don't forget that "engineer" or (french or german) "ingenieur" comes from "genie" which means genious . "genie civil" in french means engineering and has nothing to do with genie in a bottle .
. "genie civil" in french means engineering and has nothing to do with genie in a bottle 
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