In order for Apprentice Mech Designers to advance to the next rank, it was not enough for them to settle on an original design philosophy and conduct successful research.
The people who designed mechs for a living did not call themselves scientists or researchers withouth a good reason.
The approach, mindset and work processes were substantially different, though there was also a lot of overlap.
However, any mech designer that wanted to formulate a design philosophy and realize it could not get away by conducting research alone.
They needed to apply their theories and inventions into actual mech designs and prove that their work had practical value!
A mech designer whose research capabilities was stronger than their design ability often did not go far in their careers. They lacked the love and comprehension for mechs that enabled them to break the conventional standards and improve them in a way that had never been done before.
