I dunno, reno, I *do* get satisfaction flying a desk! I enjoy engineering work, and I get a great deal of satisfaction from finding good solutions to technical problems. I work more closely with the electricians in my present job than before, but I also act as an AHJ now and get to see my system in action.
On my last job, it was a bit different- I'd toil for months on a drawing package they weren't even going to start work on for 6 months. Nobody ever praises the engineer, either- we get blamed for every typo on the drawing and every problem on the waterfront, whether it was actually our fault or not, but if the drawings are perfect and all goes well? Not a peep. If the work was local and I had a good excuse to be in the area, I'd usually try to pop in during construction, but I rarely had the chance. My greatest satisfaction was always seeing my work on TV, man that's a great feeling. Almost always in the background, but sometimes the history channel or discover will focus on it and talk about what a great capability it gives or just how much they use it. Often, its the first time I get to see it fully installed, too!
