Overview

Engineering careers are like engineering projects in many ways. Perhaps the goals of personal projects are a bit more general than we would like to have for most of our projects, but they are none the less clear. Goals can be derived from the definition in Chapter 1 of engineering itself. Engineers in their careers are seeking to maximize their contributions toward better meeting human need through the application of technology. It is evident that there are three elements in this maximization.

First, the technology being applied must be more completely and usefully understood. As engineers develop areas of expert specialization, they will want to delve deeper and deeper into the technology. They find out more about the technology of immediately adjoining areas with which they will frequently interface. They keep up with general advances and changes in the profession.

During their careers, engineers typically move several times from one specialty to another and find out again the need, as efficient students, to acquire deep competence in these new technological areas. Also, as we saw in Chapter 12, most engineers will broaden their interests to include systems understanding and at least some systems competence.

Second, engineers need to better develop their understanding and appreciation of human need. With increasing technical knowledge they are in a continually improving position to see creatively what needs to be done and what can be done.

But improved technological knowledge without corresponding depth in understanding of needs will force the engineer to...