# Andre Sotomayor | Working with Technicians, Hand Calculations, and Engineering EQ

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2022-09-09
- Length: 58m
- Episode: 34
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians/

## Summary

Andre Sotomayor, a principal engineer at Johnson & Johnson’s Vision group and former GE design engineer, discusses the critical intersection of technical skill and emotional intelligence in engineering. He shares how his early career at GE on gas turbine engines taught him the value of hand calculations for sanity-checking finite element analysis, and how a transition to manufacturing engineering revealed the importance of 'Engineering EQ' in collaborating with technicians. Sotomayor illustrates these points with stories about designing assembly fixtures, managing workplace conflicts, and the regret of delaying his PE exam.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=0) Introduction and Early Influences
- [7:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=461) Career Path from GE to Johnson & Johnson
- [12:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=766) Designing Assembly Lines with Technicians
- [18:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=1119) The Value of Hand Calculations
- [23:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=1402) Defining and Developing Engineering EQ
- [28:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=1716) Emotional Intelligence Stories and Star Wars Analogy
- [37:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=2266) Improving EQ and Career Regrets
- [49:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-09-09-andre-sotomayor-working-with-technicians-hand-calculations-and-engineering-eq#t=2995) Motivation and Ideal Tools

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- GE (company)
- Johnson & Johnson (company)
- Extreme Ownership (other)
- Jocko Willink (other)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)

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- [Em Moshouris (Founder, WORC)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-02-11-em-moshouris-founder-worc) (Just Gonna Send It)
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## Citing this page

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