Why Engineering?

“Engineering is about math and physics, Engineering students must love math and engineering school is difficult.” We have heard these statements a million times and maybe so has many of you as if to say, “Do not try engineering in college”. Surprisingly in 2015, 237 826 students were capped as engineering graduates in the US alone and Russia with 454 000 graduates for an annual total. The million-dollar question is: Why engineering?

Thinking like an Engineer highlights some of the responses given by practicing engineers to the why question. Some were just proficient in math and were always on top of their math class. Being an engineering major was the only “logical” thing to do. Some are in the field because their fathers and grandfathers went down the same road such that engineering has become a family profession whilst friends and high school teachers influenced others. Some practicing engineers had the passion to fix technical problems and had broken circuit motherboards as play toys for as long as they can remember whilst others have a dream to make things better, faster, stronger, simpler, smarter, quicker, quieter, greener and more efficient. The truest yet rarely mentioned answer is that of financial compensation. According to PayScale’s 2015-2016 College Salary Report, out of the top 23 most paying jobs, 15 of them are engineering majors. Amazing isn’t it? Engineering is not just a college major -it’s a rewarding profession and one in demand.

Individuals have unique answers to the why question and mentioned in this post are some of them but it all leads to yet another question: Which specific engineering major? It may seem daunting to choose one with more that 40 majors namely electrical, petroleum, mechanical, Bio systems, civil, computer, applied and more to choose from. It takes guidance and introspection for one to find his/her niche in the engineering field.

-Panashe M.

Sources:

McCarthy, Niall. "The Countries With The Most Engineering Graduates [Infographic]." Forbes. N.p., 9 June 2015. Web. 18 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/06/09/the-countries-with-the-most-engineering-graduates-infographic/>.

"Highest Paying Bachelor Degrees by Salary Potential." Web log post. Highest Paying Bachelors Degrees. PayScale, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015. http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/majors-that-pay-you-back/bachelors

Holobowski, Joey Jackson. "WHAT’S SO HOT ABOUT ENGINEERING - Why Engineering Majors Are Always in Demand." Web log post. My College Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015. <http://mycollegeguide.org/articles/9/159/engineers-are-in-demand>.

Stephan, Elizabeth A. "Engineering Essentials." Thinking like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach. Boston: Pearson, 2011. N. pag. Print.