Engineering is more than a choice–it’s a passion

John Gyorki
October 01st, 2007.

Recently, many engineering, science, and technology magazines have lamented about an apparent shortage of high school students enrolling in engineering schools and colleges. The writers frequently cite the enormous numbers of engineers graduating in foreign countries compared to the much lower numbers in the US. Their conclusions imply an alarming increase of imported foreign engineers and more manufacturing moving overseas, which result in a severe shortage of high-technology jobs for young Americans. Furthermore, some of the arguments suggest that the young people prefer higher paying jobs that do not require as much intense study as engineering.

I see several problems with this scenario. First, I trust the statistics the US colleges reveal about lower engineering enrollments and fewer graduates. However, I do not trust the statistics that come from foreign countries that claim to have such large numbers of engineers. I tend to agree with one reporter who believes the foreign engineering stats include two and three-year technicians and technologists whom we do not include in ours.

Secondly, I do not accept the argument that young people are increasingly turning away from low paying engineering jobs because they can get higher paying jobs that require less intense study. I believe salary has little to do with the choice. Engineering is not the kind of career you choose on an impulse. You either have it in you to become an engineer or you do not. Other careers that attract the same kinds of intensely serious people as engineering include medicine, law, art, anthropology, and even auto mechanics, to name just a few. The people who become successful in these professions are passionate about what they do. They do not make their decision based on a shallow suggestion. They knew early in their lives what they wanted to do. They prepared themselves adequately for it while in high school, and they stuck with it no matter what obstacles cropped up. Their reward is in the satisfaction of personal accomplishment and a job well done, not just money.

I think the complaints we hear come from clueless parents of children who have unenthusiastic attitudes and want everything handed to them on a silver platter without having to put a lot of effort and self-sacrifice into a worthwhile career. These people are in a fog. They don’t pay attention to what’s important. Many of the apathetic students who are lucky enough to obtain general business, arts, or science degrees do not know how to write a letter to a human resources department or even how to address the envelope! (Believe me, I received one last month.)

As engineers, I think we should encourage high school students to consider engineering as a career and guide them. I strongly believe that there are mentors among us who should assist those young people who do have the potential to study hard. We need to show them what is possible, what they can do, and what to look forward to when it’s not obvious. For example, invite them into your work environment and let them try their hand at a difficult task. You might be surprised at the results. Mentors are the leading “cause” of young people becoming successful and productive in our society. Recall those who helped you become who you are today. Not one of us will say we had no help, that we did it entirely on our own. We all have had teachers, friends, relatives, neighbors, and even strangers help us achieve our best. And most importantly, we paid attention and appreciated it. We didn’t cruise around at night bashing neighbor’s mailboxes. We stayed home and solved math problems. We had a strong passion for a career in engineering.