I am not an engineer, but sometimes I know more about engineering than some of the Engineers I have worked with .
I can expand on my comment now that I'm not typing on a phone keyboard.
I have done hundreds of church/community projects over the years. Kind of my hobby getting out and doing hands-on stuff. Used to do a lot of volunteer work at the local Scout camp. Been everything from a helper to a crew leader to project leader to planner/organizer/etc. Construction projects, plumbing, dirtwork, electrical, etc...you name it.
Helpers have come from all walks of life. Easiest overall have been folks that work with their hands everyday. Industrial/plant maintenance workers are the best. Usually down to earth folks that know how to do stuff, and know their limits Carpenters, carpenter helpers, contractors aren't that great...mediocre helpers at best...they might know one trade very well (framing), but want to THINK they know everything about every other trade, and usually don't Also quick to jump ahead/jump around rather than keeping to the task at hand. One will supposed to be running trim, you look over, and he's helping the guy wiring outlets or whatever (and trying to tell the licensed electrician the "proper" way to do something).
Worst overall have been engineers, er....Engineers. And there have been quite a few over the years. I find most tend to try to bully their way into taking charge of a project (at least for one workday, they're not good at showing up twice). And although they might be able to do all sorts of calcs, or produce drawings for construction, and write pages of specs, don't always know the simple stuff that goes into construction.
We were putting a shingle roof on a building one time, this one guy, a PE that worked in commercial construction (and he made sure everyone was aware of that), insisted that that little clear plastic strip on the back of an asphalt shingle had to be peeled off. I had run off chasing supplies, and when I came back, he had everybody on the crew peeling strips off. Of course, they are just there to keep the shingles from sticking together in the bundle. He insisted he was right, I handed him a wrapper and told him to read the instructions...and call me when he got to the part about peeling the strip. He sat down, read every word on the wrapper, then got in his car and left. Didn't say a word to anybody.
Another so-called mechanical engineer, tasked with bolting deck beams together, complained that my ratchet wrench was broken. Had to show him the little lever that switches from lefty-loosy to righty-tighty. Sure, OK, you don't work hands on with tools....but with all that education, you ought to be able to figure something like that out.
Did have one architect that helped on projects over a few years. He was great, hands on, could do just about anything. Had built his own house. BUT, I had to sit him down, and explain proper flashing to him. He had evidently skipped class on the day they covered "water goes down and out" and "overlaps go from top to bottom". Had to draw pictures and everything. He had run step flashing backwards, starting at the bottom. Didn't see anything wrong with it.
