Prompt #1

Engineering Preconceptions

• Engineers have to love math and science
• Most engineering occupations get paid extremely well
• It's difficult to earn a degree in this field
• Generally, engineers are stereotypical nerds (socially awkward, does calculus problems in their spare time, etc.)

By running through an introductory Engineering textbook, I was able to address a couple of my misconceptions about my field. The book appeared to be a really reliable and effective way to get a glimpse at the engineering field as a whole. It touched on some basic topics that helped clarify some things such as...

1. Descriptions of a handful of different engineering types
2. Communication/Teamwork in the field
3. Engineering Ethics

There is such a wide variety of engineering professions out there, and depending on the specific ones that interest you, it's definitely not necessary to be in love with math or even certain sciences. Sure, you need to take a lot of math and science courses to get your degree, so if it's a major struggle than maybe engineering isn't the best choice. However, when you get to the actual profession it's surprising that you don't have to know every single scientific and mathematic principle that exists. For example, if you really like physics but hate biology, Automotive engineers may appeal because they rarely even look at any biological aspects. If you aren't into complex math, there aren't many electrical or environmental engineers that solve differential equations every day at work. 

The stereotypical engineer is very shy and quiet, but plenty of engineers realize that it's extremely difficult to succeed in engineering with that type of approach. So much of the work done in engineering is done with a group or a project team. You need to be able to effectively communicate and be assertive in these types of situations. Engineers do have to deliver presentations occasionally as well. It doesn't look good if you come in, looking down at your feet and talking quietly the whole time. It's important to come across as approachable in the engineering field rather than someone who's distant and not concerned about other people's problems. 

Yes it's true that earning an engineering degree is not an easy task. But, some people in engineering only focus on specific topics and completing tasks logically without considering ethics or morality. For example, a mechanical engineer working for a car company might choose to design a vehicle with a cheaper material that's much easier to build with. However, this could prove to be a danger to the consumer who might be much less safe if a crash occurred. You can't just consider the efficiency and company's profits alone. This is why automotive engineers...

• have to crash test every model
• calculate the right place for airbags to deploy
• design effective seat-belts
• choose balanced material for every part of the vehicle... all to keep the passengers as safe as possible. 

You can see that engineering isn't just about broad topics that you learn about in the classroom, you also have to consider ethical principles as well. Of course, you're taught other ethical principles such as stealing, lying, or plagiarism, but there are obvious other issues that concern engineering specifically and play a big part in everyone's safety today. 

Overall, the textbook was extremely informative and answered a lot of my preconceptions about engineering. It really is an interesting field.

-Danny

Source: 

Stephan, Elizabeth A. Thinking like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2013. Print.