By Mekgineer Davvi Dolittle
Hello everyone! How are you? I hope you're doing well! If you're reading this article, then, you must have an interest in building all sorts of super neat machines and gadgets to make the lives of you, your friends and family much easier and more fun! Unless, you don't like engineering and are reading it by mistake. Either way, welcome! We hope you like what you read! I'm excited!
Training: How to get started learning all sorts of neat things!
In my first two articles, I wanted to talk, just a little bit, about all the different kinds of tools that an engineer needs to have in order to work, and, how every engineer from someone just starting out right on up to a grand master tinkerer needs to be very very aware of safety in the laboratory or workshop. However, now that we've talked about those two super important topics, I am super happy that I can talk to you this month about how new engineers can begin to train themselves, and learn the necessary skills and schematics to start building all the amazing and wonderful inventions to make life more fun and work less hard! I think that you'll see, that in our modern world, there are all SORTS of things you can learn, and, without too much fuss either!
Picking up the Basics:
Now, I know that a lot of people reading this article are thinking, “Davvi! I don't know ANYTHING about engineering but, it looks super fun and interesting! How do I get started?” I would say back, if I could hear your thoughts, that I am happy to tell you that getting started in engineering is actually pretty easy! Back in Gnomeregan, the basics of engineering were taught in the public school system along with things like mathematics, Common, Dwarvish and phys-ed. To my knowledge, none of the other Alliance races do this sort of thing though, and instead have a system of apprenticeship or, sometimes, private trainers, where a more experienced mekgineer will let newcomers be their helpers, or will teach lessons for a fee. Luckily, most every major city it seems, has at least a few skilled engineers who are willing to help, and generally speaking, as long as you are nice and polite when you ask, a city guards or one of the locals will be able to help direct you to to a seasoned mekgineer no problem! In no time at all, you'll know the proper way to hold a hammer, ad, how to forge and thread nuts and bolts, and even how to make things like your first pair of goggles!
Practice, Practice, Practice:
Now, it's all well and good, to have a more experienced engineer teach you the basics, in fact, it's really super necessary, to have access to a smart and friendly trainer or master mekgineer to teach you things you don't know. However, at the same time, you also really, really REALLY need to practice your tinkering if you want to improve your skill! They say “practice makes perfect!” and, I believe that that really is true, because, say you wanted to make some special bolts for an engine your building, but you make a mistake the first time. The second time, will you make that same mistake again? Maybe. But! By the third or fourth time, at most, you definitely would understand where you went wrong, and you'd never ever make that same mistake again! In this same way, each time you build something, each time you practice, you learn a little bit more, maybe about a more efficient way to do something, or about machining tolerances, or, it may even give you a super great idea for a whole new device altogether! This is why, it's super important not to get discouraged, even when it seems you may have to practice a LOT to improve your skills!
Schematics:
A schematic is a sort of blueprint or plan that engineers make to accurately depict how a device is fabricated and assembled, and with modern printing technology, I'm super happy to tell you that there are more schematics and engineering manuals available today than ever before! With a little silver and a quick trip to the auction house, or to your favorite engineering supplier, you can bring home schematics for any number of super great and useful inventions! Depending on your skill level, or the materials you have at hand, you might not be able to build them all right away, and sometimes, sellers will want a lot of money for certain schematics based on patent rights and desirability, but that doesn't mean that you can't go out and find something you can use right away! There being so many engineers out there, both on Azeroth and in the Outlands, it's also not surprising that there are schematics out there that not even the most experienced trainer knows about! Hand-drawn plans, or top secret designs that might not be readily available, except to more “adventurous” people. Once you know the basics, collecting new and wonderful schematics can be fun AND educational!
Advanced Engineering:
After you've learned the basics of engineering and everything your trainer and schematics can teach you, you may need to seek out new instructors or blueprints, that are more advanced than the ones you are using right now. Although fighting is always bad, and war is a terrible and super scary thing, wars often bring about great innovations in both magic and science, and as a result of the battles that took place in the Outlands a few years ago and the recent war against the Scourge, engineers have been able to learn a great many new and exciting things. If you were to go to the Outlands, you can still find groups of native Outlanders and settlers from Azeroth who are consummate engineers with a lot to teach you. With the majority of the Alliance's top scientists and mekgineers still stationed in Northrend, places like Valiance Keep, and Valgarde, and the city of Dalaran have become amazing places for engineers to study and conduct their experiments. Since engineering is all about change and improvement and innovation, you can't afford to only learn from the sources you have around you, but, you have to be willing to go out into the world and search for bigger, better, newer inventions and schematics, to apprentice under better masters and sometimes, to go to places you might even find just a little bit scary.
Well, I really really hope that you enjoyed my article! I really really hope that you were able to learn something, even if you're not an engineer and read this article by mistake. Although it may seem like a lot of work, and may seem too hard, training your engineering skill, practicing and seeking out new things to learn and build is super important and very, very rewarding! Next week, we will start to talk about the two main branches of engineering, and the different fun and interesting things that can be learned from each of them! Be well, and, enjoy the rest of this fine publication!
