The Engineer Guide, Part 1: What Engineers Are Hiding From You
This post isn't just for engineers nodding in silent recognition. It's also for anyone curious about what I call "the engineer spirit" and how you can apply its virtues to your personal growth and philosophy.
There's too much to unpack in one sitting, so this is Part 1 of the series.
Before we get to the juicy secrets, let me quickly walk you through the Moroccan engineering curriculum, where I ‘did the walk’ so I can (hopefully) do the talk.
How the Engineering Path Works in Morocco (a concise overview)
It all starts with your Baccalaureate Degree (our version of high school graduation) in a science-related field. The "classic" route is joining Preparatory Classes for Engineering Schools, two intense years of math, physics, and engineering science. This problem-solving bootcamp culminates in the CNC national exam (or an international one). Top performers enter the best-ranked schools, our version of the "Ivy League" … minus the ivy.
There's also an alternative "side quest" route: study fundamental sciences (Math, Physics, Chemistry, etc.) at a national university for two years, graduate with distinction, and you might qualify for engineering schools through tests and interviews.
Once in the engineering program, your first year focuses on mise à niveau (leveling the playing field), while the final two years delve into your specialization. Complete your graduation project, and you'll earn your State Engineer Diploma, a legally protected qualification granted by royal decree. This isn't mere paperwork; it's official validation of your engineering mastery, bearing the highest authority in Morocco.
Now… What Engineers Are Actually Hiding From You
Engineers aren't secretly hoarding productivity hacks out of greed. We simply absorb these practices without conscious awareness, like monkeys who excel at swinging through trees but couldn't explain the physics behind their movements.
Here's what I've discovered (verified through conversation with our field coordinator, so this isn't mere speculation).
1. You Can't Be an Engineer and Be Average
Our passing grade is 12/20 (60%) instead of 10/20 (50%) like most other fields. Translation: you must be above average. It's like athletes who push beyond failure to extract that extra bit of effort. This mindset becomes part of you, even when you don't realize it.
2. Fail Badly and You're Out
If you score less than 8/20 (40%) in any subject, you're eliminated. Other fields might shrug that off, but in engineering, failure isn't just a grade, it can mean real-world disasters. Engineers must develop the mindset that major failures could have serious, even catastrophic consequences. Consider nuclear engineering, nobody wants to witness Chernobyl 2.0.
3. Results Matter More Than Method
In exams, even the most elegant solution earns zero points if your final calculation is wrong. Similarly, in real life, no one cares how brilliant your process was, if it doesn't work, it simply doesn't work.
4. Stress Is Part of the Training
Our professors deliberately overload us with work and schedule multiple exams in the same week (sometimes even on the same day). Why? To prepare us for high-pressure, multi-tasking environments. Eventually, what most people find "stressful" becomes your comfort zone.
5. Communication, Management, Economics (They're Not Optional)
More than 30% of the curriculum focuses on: communication, management, economics, and languages. Why? Because you can be brilliant with ideas bursting from your mind, but if you can't explain them clearly, they're worthless.
You'll regularly work with people from diverse backgrounds, sometimes leading teams with more experience (and more gray hair) than you. Without strong communication and management skills, you're not solving problems, you're creating conflicts.
As for economics? If your ingenious glass-cutting solution requires diamonds... congratulations, you've just invented the most expensive way to look foolish.
6. Internships Are a Survival Game
You're on your own to find them. First year: 1–2 months "initiation" internship. Second year: similar, but with a mini-project. Final year: 6 months on your graduation project.
No one teaches you how the job market works, so you learn through trial, error, and rejection emails. I personally applied to over 80 companies just to get a couple of interviews. Painful? Absolutely. But that accumulated year of internship experience becomes a goldmine later, and forces you to build your professional network early.
Part 2 is loading… don’t go anywhere 😉.
