You cannot be a problem solver if problems do not first exist.

Title: Why Paper Jams Persist
Context: How boring would the world be if everything worked exactly the way it was intended?
Synopsis: Failure is merely an opportunity to make something better. When things fail (printers, automobiles, software) we justifiably get frustrated—angry even! “How could this not work as intended?”, we ask no one in particular (possibly with some additional colorful words thrown in). We expect perfection. I’m only trying to print a spreadsheet, or start up my car, or submit this form, yet the system is so stupid—no, so stupidly designed!—that it can’t even do this one simple action without failing. Yet there are people; engineers, mechanics, designers, who devote their professional lives to addressing these very specific, and very vexing, moments of failure. These people do not consider failure an option, they consider it a necessity, for without failure there would be no need for them to exist. So the next time your print emerges all smudged, your engine warning light comes on, or you find yourself lost in a navigational black hole, do not despair for help will soon be on the way! At least once the problem report has been properly triaged.
Best Bit: “Engineers tend to work in narrow subspecialties, but solving a jam requires knowledge of physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, computer programming, and interface design.”

via newyorker.com