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<\/a><\/p>\nIn short, this is what a lot of people think of engineering:<\/p>\n
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- Lots of hardcore mathematics.<\/li>\n
- Lots of physics.<\/li>\n
- Lots of moving objects doing cool stuff.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The result is that whenever you go out for drinks or a meal and the bill comes, everyone will turn their heads and look to you to work up the bill according to every individual on the table. Whenever there\u2019s some appliance at home that breaks down, your parents will turn to you and expect you to perform some miracle, just because you are an engineering student.<\/p>\n
But I argue that we are not just defined by what we study.<\/p>\n
What you actually learn in engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n
Some facts do remain true though. Engineers are supposed to be at the forefront of technology. We are taught to be innovators, to challenge physics. Ultimately, we are taught to be problem solvers<\/em>.<\/p>\n
We are taught to solve problems in a very logical fashion. When we face a new problem (e.g. we want to increase a car\u2019s fuel efficiency), we would normally go through this sort of thinking process:<\/p>\n
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- Hypothesize a solution (Would reducing the car\u2019s weight decrease consumption?).<\/li>\n
- Test if the hypothesis is correct (Seems plausible. let\u2019s test it by driving around and measuring the fuel consumed.).<\/li>\n
- Refine hypothesis (How much saving would I get for every kilogram I decrease?).<\/li>\n
- Rinse and repeat.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
And this thought process is not limited to engineering problems. It is applicable to any<\/em> sort of problem. Say for example a relatively simple business problem: How am I going to attract more customers?<\/p>\n
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- Hypothesize a solution \u2013 Would more advertising attract customers?<\/li>\n
- Test it \u2013 Run focus groups to test advertisement campaigns.<\/li>\n
- Refine \u2013 Focus groups show preference to advertisements that focus on our speciality.<\/li>\n
- Rinse and repeat.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Different problems, same approach. We are trained to do that.<\/p>\n
So do engineers end up not following the engineering career path?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yes, many do end up doing something completely different. A prominent example would be Hu Jintao, the former president of China. He was trained to be a hydraulic engineer before he entered politics. When I was doing the voiceover for the recent University of Southampton Malaysia Campus engineering facilities video<\/a>,\u00a0the person who was hired to produce the video graduated as an engineer.<\/p>\n
If you do like engineering and would very much like to progress through an engineering career, by all means go for it. For the rest of us who may have doubts or second thoughts, my point is that we are not stuck to it.<\/p>\n
Many vacancies in various companies will advertise something along the lines of: \u201cBackground in accounting, finance, science or engineering required.\u201d That basically means that they are hiring anyone with a degree that teaches people to think critically. But engineers do have one trump card (bias towards one\u2019s degree): Only engineers can do an engineer\u2019s job. Hence we have the best of many worlds: If you want a career in engineering, finance, business or simply anything, go ahead. The world is your oyster.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n