> I'm not sure what was going through his head at the time, whether he'd just learned how to write them at college, or if he just thought they were the pinnacle of engineering.

That's understandable and rather common with new fresh grads. They have the energy and motivation but may not quite have the experience. We were all there once, including me.

My history professor from 8th grade used say: "There is a difference between knowing what you're doing and doing what you know".