Rating: 
Summary: Must read!
Review: A must read for anyone in the field.... and my mother, who probably can't spell enjineer, had a great time with it too. Buy a copy and pass it around the office... but not too obviously.
Rating:
Summary: No shortage of wit and wisdom
Review: A Shortage of Engineers is a must-read book. If you love Dilbert, Office Space, or just plain common sense, this book will appeal to you. It strips away the thin veneer of sanity that hides the dysfunctionality that characterizes large companies, while entertaining with a love story and a rite of passage for a young engineer. Any thinking person will see deep meaning in this book, but the other 90% of the population should view it as a wake up call.In my past life, I worked on large contracts as an engineer. Grossbach hits resounding chords, again and again. I found myself cheering at some points. At others, I nearly cried. But mostly, I laughed. Out loud. If you're tired of dealing with politics in the workplace, politics on your kid's soccer team, or any kind of nonsense, you will find A Shortage of Engineers is more documentary than fiction. To all you dysfunctional, cut-off-from-reality CEOs out there, you really need to read this book. If only you knew what kind of waste goes on in your organization, how ridiculous it is, and how foolish it makes you look.... This is one of the best books I have ever read! I have a feeling that if everyone read it prior to voting, we'd have a far different legislative landscape. We would not have the IRS, for example. Think about it. The only purpose of the IRS is to give a group of hostile, insane, stupid people a place to go where they can make harassing phone calls and send out threatening letters. This is cheaper than building asylums for them and hiring people to take care of them. We have a few dozen IRS-inflicted deaths each year, and consider that normal. As A Shortage of Engineers points out, lunacy is quite normal. The best thing we can do about it is laugh. And A Shortage of Engineers will have you in stitches.
Rating:
Summary: A Look Under the Hood of High-Tech
Review: A Shortage of Engineers is a wonderful, madcap look at the oozing, bubbling madness percolating beneath the veneer of detached rationality in hi-tech corporations and, by extension, hi-tech civilization. Protagonist Zack Zaremba is a newly hatched engineer who loses his innocence against a backdrop of pervasive corporate mendacity, as people routinely lie to bosses, colleagues, subordinates, and customers. Perceptions and moral judgements fade from black and white to to shades of grey. In the end, Zack must stand up for what is right ... or is it? Many scenes are indelibly drawn: A Christmas party where Zack learns exactly how much the bosses really care, the lynch mob of soccer moms who disapprove of his coaching efforts, the moment when he first shares hot sex with the girl of his dreams, and a hilarious take off on "Who's on first", are just a few. Placing this latest work shelf-side of the earlier "Someone Great" and "Easy and Hard Ways Out", Grossbach has carved out a niche as the foremost chronicler of turn of the century American hi-tech dementia. In its cutting insights on the madness of authority the book commands comparison with Catch-22, and merits becoming a classic in its own right.
Rating: 
Summary: Very funny and insightful but the plot doesn't hold up
Review: Anyone who has ever worked in an engineering firm will love this book. Or should I say the parts of the book which deal directly with life in a large, mismanaged technical firm.
This is the story of a recent college graduate working in a defense contracting firm. He quickley relizes that what he learned in school is next to no good to him in here. Parts must be orderd before a design is made, his boss is running a consulting business on the side, and people dress backward. Grossbach brilliantly sums up the frustration of college students hitting the 'real world'. He does it so well that I gave the book 4 stars. The actual plot is not that of a four star book. But the book was so funny and insightful I gave it a favorble rating.
Rating:
Summary: So You Wanted To Be A Hot-Shot Engineer ?
Review: Bob Grossbach, a very talented author and consulting engineer, in writing "A Shortage of Engineers", deftly describes the trials, tribulations, frustrations and triumphs of, Zack Zaremba , a "freshout" engineer, who, armed with a new engineering degree and tons of arcane formulae, solutions to Maxwell's equations and tables of inverse Laplace Transforms, must learn the true and ludicrous nature of engineering as practiced in the Military/Industrial complex. In this environment one must order parts before the design has begun, specify power consumption before a single circuit has been drawn on paper and satisfy Milestone Madness and the Schedule-mania of bureaucrats and "bean counters". Grossbach beautifully and very humorously describes the challenges the initially, very idealistic Zaremba, confronts in trying to fully meet the design requirements specified by the customer and the conflicts that arise when his supervisors strongly suggests that he overlook "minor" technical deficiencies (it has a significant chance of failing) in the design. During his rather brief employment as an engineer at International Instruments Incorporated, Zaremba learns as much about himself, life, love, and integrity as he does about engineering techniques. The book is written with much insight, humor and technical know-how but would probably not be found in the same room as pamphlets with the title "So You Want To Be An Engineer When You Graduate."
Rating:
Summary: So You Wanted To Be A Hot-Shot Engineer ?
Review: Bob Grossbach, a very talented author and consulting engineer, in writing "A Shortage of Engineers", deftly describes the trials, tribulations, frustrations and triumphs of, Zack Zaremba , a "freshout" engineer, who, armed with a new engineering degree and tons of arcane formulae, solutions to Maxwell's equations and tables of inverse Laplace Transforms, must learn the true and ludicrous nature of engineering as practiced in the Military/Industrial complex. In this environment one must order parts before the design has begun, specify power consumption before a single circuit has been drawn on paper and satisfy Milestone Madness and the Schedule-mania of bureaucrats and "bean counters". Grossbach beautifully and very humorously describes the challenges the initially, very idealistic Zaremba, confronts in trying to fully meet the design requirements specified by the customer and the conflicts that arise when his supervisors strongly suggests that he overlook "minor" technical deficiencies (it has a significant chance of failing) in the design. During his rather brief employment as an engineer at International Instruments Incorporated, Zaremba learns as much about himself, life, love, and integrity as he does about engineering techniques. The book is written with much insight, humor and technical know-how but would probably not be found in the same room as pamphlets with the title "So You Want To Be An Engineer When You Graduate."
Rating:
Summary: Bringing high-tech down to earth
Review: Fresh out of engineering school, Zack Zaremba quickly loses any idealistic notion of pursuing his profession as a creative activity at International Instruments. He fights gallantly against a thousand obstacles and betrayals perpetrated by bosses, bureaucrats and the system in general, as well as his own weaknesses. But through crushing disappointments and small triumphs, he learns about himself and how to live his life. Along the way you'll meet a gallery of memorable characters populating this demimonde, and laugh out loud as Grossbach deftly plays each one's foibles against the next. Grossbach is a gifted and knowledgeable storyteller who weaves a tale rich in sensitively drawn characters, ironic twists and turns, and authentic detail. A satirical, disturbing and yet compelling glimpse into the basement below technology's ivory tower.
Rating:
Summary: A real treat!
Review: If you've ever worked in a corporate bureaucracy (not necessarily an engineering one), you'll love Shopper Jim's consistent ability to tell it like it is. What's more, if you've been in the workforce, you've most likely met and worked with most of the characters in the book... some of whom are heartbreaking, others despicable, all true-to-live. A little bit of slapstick keeps the pace manageable. An absolute must read for anyone who's an engineer or is thinking about becoming one; certainly of interest to anyone else (my retired mom loved it). If you're a displaced Long Islander, you'll also enjoy the local flavor.
Rating:
Summary: If you've ever worked in design....
Review: If you've ever worked in design engineering, and you've got a sense of humor (OK, I admit that limits the potential readership), then you've got to read this book. I was hooked after the first half a dozen pages, when the newly graduated, newly hired young engineer fantasizes, on his first day, that he is going to work for this same company for the next 45 years, until his retirement. If that doesn't make you bust a gut, nothing will!
There are just so many situations and characters that you'll recognise from real life. For instance, have you ever been asked to submit a detailed list of materials and components to purchasing- before you've even begun the design work? Have you ever been assigned a design project only to have to consult a dictionary to find out exactly what the item is that you are supposed to design? Have you ever worked forever on a project that the entire team knew was doomed from the first week? As for characters, well, I'm strongly tempted to change my screen name to "Shopper Jim"- that advice to always keep enough boxes in your office, or trunk, to move all your stuff is just too close to the mark....
Prior to this, the only humorous novel that I ever found dealing with engineers was Vonnegutt's _Player Piano_. While that book is excellent, and reminds me of my early days, this novel is right on the money with the current state of the profession.
Oh yeah, after you've read this, the fact that manufacturing (and engineering) in the U.S. is packing up and/or dieing off is alot easier to take....
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Real
Review: In addition to the humor you'd expect from the jacket cover description, the novel contains bittersweet characterizations and surprising events that ring true. Engineers will enjoy the funny and accurate portrayal of the absurdities often found in working in the field. Non-engineers will appreciate that they have chosen a different profession. And everyone will enjoy how the book is both funny and sad - just like real life.
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