Let's hear it for engineering

Recently I was a witness to an embarrassing exchange between a young woman and a young girl. When the girl said she planned to take up engineering studies, the woman pulled a face and said, “Why do you go with the herd? Why don’t you do something different and interesting?” The girl’s face fell and all that she could manage in reply, before moving away, was a defensive smile.

My heart went out to the girl for the hurt that the thoughtless remark had caused. It also upset me that, like a false rumour, such disparaging remarks on engineering studies were getting picked up and passed around. The basis of this belief is the perception that all young engineers, lured by the supposedly hefty salaries, necessarily end up as software ‘techies’ or ‘cyber coolies’. So people are quick to condemn the ‘craze’ to take up the engineering course because it is assumed that it is not so much an education that the student is after but a ticket to a comfortable job.

Agreed that there is some truth in this observation; market forces do play a big role on what is the most sought after career line and currently the ‘returns’ are the best and fastest in the software sector. But a blanket condemnation of the subject and all engineers is unfair not just to the young student who is making the choice, but also to the vast and fascinating subject that is engineering.

Fascinating subject

The dictionary definition of an engineer is one who designs or makes machinery. A more comprehensive definition of engineering is that it is the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and applying technical, scientific, and mathematical knowledge to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that safely realise a desired objective or invention.

The lengthy, all-encasing definition is itself an indication of the vastness of the horizons of this field. It is so diverse and branched that one could categorically state that there is no human today whose life has not been positively impacted, on an everyday basis, by some aspect of engineering.  

Engineering as a subject is as ancient as the thinking man and has flourished in all civilisations as a continually growing knowledge. At the same time, it is also one of the most modern and dynamic subjects of study. It would not be an exaggeration to say that engineering solutions are the vehicles on which all other professionals float their innovative ideas. Such is its role that advancements in the other fields, to be meaningful, must be backed by a corresponding advancement in the technical field.

Myth-busting time

From research to real life applications, engineers are constantly engaged in creating solutions that connect advances in science to life. Hence to spread the misconception that all that a vocation as an engineer entails is de-bug software is misguiding the young student. It would indeed be extremely unfortunate if a young, promising student were to shy away from engineering only because he/she has been given to believe that it is a ‘boring’, run-of-the-mill vocation.

Unchecked spread of this attitude is also seriously detrimental to the economic growth of our country.  India has been acknowledged as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. To forge ahead with the same momentum in the future years we need more engineers and more technically-qualified people who are passionate about their profession. Hence it is important that the school-leaving children are made aware of the enormous potential contained in the study of engineering.

The myth that all engineers are condemned to a life of monotonous work should be erased from the minds of youngsters.  It is time for positive marketing of the vocation so that students are encouraged to take up engineering studies for the challenges that it has to offer.