Engineering is boring?

I was reading the following article in Engineering Times: Engineering is not boring

The author of this article, Dylan McGrath, mentions a speech given by John Cohn, and IBM Fellow, on what we can do to get more people interested in the profession. Mr. McGrath also indicates that the secondary topic in the speech was "Engineering is not boring". During the speech, Mr. Cohn said that he would do engineering work even without pay. That sentiment is also mine. I decided to do engineering work because I like doing it, not because of the earnings potential (though that reason has also come true over time).

While I certainly do not have the experience nor the credentials of Mr. Cohn, I would like to add some thoughts to the discussion. Having worked in engineering for about 9-10 years now, I have some ideas on getting others interested in engineering. This is an important topic, as some economists say the problems we are facing in our economy now are related to a lack of production in America. We need new products, and who could better design them than engineers?

The first problem mentioned in the article is that people do not associate engineering with saving lives and "social values". One of my children is interested in recycling. I plan on helping him build some projects around the house to help with recycling and reusing things. Someday, maybe my son might think about a career in environmental engineering. Regardless of the thinking on climate change, there will be plenty do to in figuring out how to manufacture products that don’t pollute. Also, another thing to pursue are ways to reuse scrap material in the manufacturing process.

Another item mentioned in the article is outsourcing. This has always been a sore spot for many in the United States. I don’t blame teenagers looking at career choices other than engineering when they see how some industries can be very volatile to engineers. I’ve heard that many going to college decided against engineering and went into investment banking. Since our economy has shifted, engineering might be considered again. Choosing a career that will provide for your family is important.

One thing that was not discussed in the article, but I think a big reason for engineering decline, is that there is pressure to go into management and abandon design and test functions. The career ladder in several companies I’ve worked in can only get you so far as an engineer, but to make top dollar and get bonuses, etc., you have to switch to the management ladder. Many people get an MBA after obtaining an engineering degree. I was reading a statistic the other day mentioning a 70,000 engineer shortage by 2010. Some of this may be due to more senior engineers moving into management. The good news is that companies are developing "fellows" programs to honor engineers and encourage them to stay in design functions.

In any case, I like the way Mr. McGrath ends the article, by saying we need more engineers to "celebrate engineering". In our conversations with people, or even in our private moments of reflection, we need to remember the things that caused us to get into this profession in the first place. For me, it was an unquenchable curiosity of electronics and programming computers. I still haven’t lost the curiosity, and plan on trying to help my children understand the importance of engineering and the value that engineers add to society.