Behind the meme: Mixed Signals and Relationship Status

It’s long overdue that I wrote an article talking about this meme. I made it back in the fall of 2013 during my freshman year at Wright State University.

 

This photo was taken in the Hong's Electronics lab back in October 2013. The scope in the picture is the Tektronix 7704A Oscilloscope, which I had acquired and wrote about earlier that year.

Hong's Electronics Lab in 2013

The shirt I’m wearing came from the Engineer Memes Facebook group. That’s also where I originally posted both versions of this meme. The group was a hub for students like me who enjoyed jokes about op-amps, signal processing, and duct tape.

I probably ordered this shirt before the school year with that link

The Meme Breakdown

 

• Left Side: “She was sending me mixed signals, so I did a Fourier analysis.”
  This one leans into the joke that engineers take everything literally. Mixed signals? Break it down in the frequency domain.
• Right Side: “Relationship Status: Electrical Engineering.”
  First-semester engineering students everywhere can relate. Between labs, loaded courseload, and late-nights studying, there was not much room for a social life.

I never expected this meme to be reposted as widely as it was. Over the years, I have seen it pop up on every social media website. Many family members, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances message me whenever it gets reposted somewhere. That still blows my mind.

Why It Still Works

One of the photos I took in a similar style a few months later..

This meme is equal parts self-deprecating and sincere. It captures the kind of humor that connects engineering students and professionals alike. It also reminds me of where I started. Just a student with a DMM, a used oscilloscope, variety of components, and a strong curiosity about how electronics really work.

As some people would say, “I’ve become a living meme,” and honestly, I’ve fully embraced it. Now seven years into my full-time career and deep into grad school, it’s safe to say I’m in a committed relationship with electrical engineering.

Thanks for being part of the journey. More stories, technical writeups, and deep dives are on the way.

Jeremy