The Hidden Investment Behind Engineering and Technology Professions

Becoming an engineer is no easy feat. It involves years of rigorous education, continuous upskilling, mental endurance, and significant financial investment. Yet, engineers—particularly those who transition into entrepreneurial roles—are often labeled as just “vendors” or “businessmen,” not professionals. The title they rightfully deserve is quietly stripped away.

This misconception becomes glaring when engineers or technology providers engage with clients— When a vendor visits a client’s premises to assess the location and recommend the best-fit technological solution, the visit is often perceived as a desperate sales attempt. There’s a subtle, sometimes explicit, assumption that “the vendor needs us,” which completely disregards the purpose of the visit: to provide a professional, knowledge-backed, and customized solution.

When Success Turns into Superiority

Some successful traders or business owners carry a condescending attitude when dealing with vendors. They treat the transaction as though they’ve bought not just a product or service, but the expertise and time of the professional behind it. They demand attention, flexibility, and urgency—often with little to no appreciation of the time, travel, effort, and thought involved in crafting a tailored solution.

This behavior is a far cry from true professionalism. It is transactional at best, exploitative at worst.

This is often how technically qualified solution providers are treated. Clients with zero background in technology feel entitled to question or override expert recommendations, simply because they are the ones issuing the purchase order.

A Need for Cultural and Professional Shift

The vendor-client dynamic still carries a deeply hierarchical undertone. Clients often see themselves as “superior” because they are paying, and the vendor as “lesser” because they are selling—regardless of qualifications or experience.

This mindset needs urgent change.

Respect should be mutual. Vendors and engineers are not hawkers on the street—they are educated professionals who are actively contributing to the progress of industries, infrastructure, and society at large. They are innovators, solution architects, and enablers of efficiency, safety, and growth.

Moving Forward: Elevating Respect Across Professions

It’s time we stopped measuring professionalism by the size of a bank balance or the title on a visiting card. True professionalism lies in knowledge, skill, ethics, commitment, and service—qualities that engineers and technical vendors bring in abundance.

Let’s begin by appreciating every professional—they all deserve dignity, recognition, and the right to be treated as equals in the professional ecosystem.

Engineers and vendors don’t just sell products—they build futures.

It’s high time we respect that.