we in the advanced nations live in a
largely man-made world. everything that you use in day to day life like your
smartphone, laptop, car are all products of the engineering enterprise. we are
surrounded by engineering practically every moment of our lives so what is the
exact definition of engineering? well, engineering is a scientific field
and job that involves taking our scientific understanding of the natural
world and using it to invent, design, and build things to solve problems and
achieve practical goals. this can include the development of roads, bridges, cars
planes, machines, tools, processes and computers. in other words we can say
engineering is acknowledged as a discipline that opens up opportunities
and creates technology and products that help make our lives easier. engineers are
shaping the future by applying their skills to almost everything you can
think of from medicine to renewable energy, food technologies to sustainable
mining, there really is no limit what engineers can do. history of Engineering.
the concept of engineering existed since ancient times as humans devised
fundamental inventions such as the pulley lever and wheel. each of these
inventions is consistent with the modern definition of engineering. the word
engineer has its root in the word engine which comes from the latin word 'Ingenium'
which means innate quality particularly of mental power and thus the word
engineer emerged as a person who creates nifty and practical inventions branches of engineering - today the field
of engineering offers more career choices than any other discipline. in the
past there were only four major engineering branches which include
mechanical, chemical, civil and electrical. however; since the human race has been
swiftly advancing with regards to technology new branches of engineering
are being developed. engineering jobs can now also be found widely in the computer
engineering, software engineering, nanotechnology, mechatronics and many
more... what do engineers do - the field of
engineering is so vast that is very hard to define exactly what an engineer does.
yes, engineers still build skyscrapers design machinery, develop software and
oversee public works but that's only the beginning
they also address society's needs and problems on a number of other scales
with a unique blend of technology and science. at the atomic level material
engineers are developing data storage techniques focusing on the spin of
electrons in atoms, at the molecular level chemical and bio engineers are
working on drug delivery systems that work inside cells, at the macro level
environmental engineers are quantifying the particle flow of pollutants through
soil to better understand how to clean up abandoned industrial sites, oil spills
and other bio hazards, and at the Galactic level astronomical engineers
are designing spacecraft for other world exploration. work environment - the
workplace of an engineer depends on the type of engineer, their actual job
description, and the company they work for. many engineers work in an office
environment. some work in industrial plants, others may spend time outdoors at
construction sites and some engineers travel extensively to plants or work
sites here and abroad. many engineers work a standard 40hour/week at times
deadlines or design standards may bring extra pressure to a job.
skills required for engineering - most aspiring engineers will need at least a
bachelor's degree more probably a master's degree from an engineering
school. besides a proper educational background and relevant technical
experience you will need to demonstrate many soft skills, knowledge of the core
subject, application of knowledge analytical and creative thinking and
familiarity with industry standards in order to get and keep a good job. pros of
engineering - engineering degrees usually dominate the best college degrees lists
it's a bit easier to get a job with an engineering degree than with a
humanities degree. engineering jobs pay well and are more stable than most other
careers, also there is a wide variety of job opportunities. if you like solving
problems then the right engineering job will keep you busy happy. you would
finally know how things work in real life. you would finally learn the science
or engineering behind all machines. you can design and implement your own
creation. Engineers often escalate to management positions and earn
excellent money over the life of their careers. if a career and research is
interesting; an engineering degree can pave the way to further study and
understanding of high-level maths gives a greater understanding of the world
around you and application of this to real problems can be very satisfying.
abundant job opportunities worldwide. the world will always get more technically
advanced and we'll need more engineers. cons of engineering - the engineering
coursework can be quite difficult if you don't have the aptitude for it then you
might not be able to get through it. the cost for college will be relatively
high. the amount of stuff you learn at university is negligible to what you do
in industry, in industry you'll probably solve a problem that's never been
encountered before. you need to keep learning new stuff to stay current in
your field. the work can be stressful especially when the equipment or
structure has a potential to impact human life. long work hours. it's hard to
maintain a good work/life balance in the initial phase of an engineering career.
work load can be unpredictable and at times very high. need to do a lot of hard
work during studies and also after studies until you get settled in a good
job. even after that you have to continue your hard work to keep up with the
latest technology. studying never stops. well, don't be scared it's not that
difficult as it looks to keep up with the latest technology. the bottom line is
you have to enjoy it, if you like tinkering with electronics, writing
computer programs, building Lego robotics or taken apart engines then you might
enjoy being an engineer. it's a tough decision to make when you're young but
reach out and try to talk to some real engineers if you're thinking about a
career in engineering Thank you for watching!
