What is an Engineer?
Many people have heard of careers in engineering, but few people know exactly what this means. Often, the field of engineering is confused with science. While science and engineering may be closely related, these two fields are very different. A famous quote by aerospace engineer Theodore Von Karman sums up the difference between science and engineering nicely: “Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was.” This is not to say that engineers do not use science. Engineers apply math and science principals to develop solutions to various problems.
Engineers may do a variety of things from designing products to designing the machines that produce those products, from designing buildings and structures to designing processes to make systems work at their highest rate of efficiency and effectiveness. Engineers design, plan, and direct the construction of buildings, transit systems, and highways. Engineers develop and put into action improved ways to extract, process, and use raw materials, such as petroleum and natural gas. Engineers may also develop new materials that both take advantage of advances in technology and improve the performance of products. An engineer may also attempt to utilize the power of the sun, the Earth, atoms, and electricity for use in creating various types of power supplies. They analyze the impact of the products they develop or the systems they design on the environment and on people using them. Engineers may also use their knowledge to improve many things, including the quality of healthcare systems and procedures, the safety of food items, and the way financial systems operate.
Engineers may work in many varied environments. Engineers can be found in scientific laboratories or manufacturing plants. Engineers can work inside office buildings or in the great outdoors. Engineers work with many different types of equipment from highly specialized computers to more simple printing devices such as plotters that print engineering documents on large format engineering paper rolls.
The type of person that usually makes a good engineer is a person with a mind that is geared towards things mathematical and scientific. Most engineers are natural problem solvers and enjoy the challenges of solving new problems. Engineers are usually curious and creative people who are often characterized by their friends and peers as innovative thinkers. Often engineers work on teams, so having a team player type of personality can be advantageous to someone seeking a career in the field of engineering.
A person interested in engineering may have a hard time choosing an area of specialization because there are so many options to choose from. There are at least twenty five recognized fields in the area of engineering including aerospace engineering, architectural engineering, bioengineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, and software engineering. Careers in engineering have a very good economic outlook as well. Engineers are generally highly sought after and they earn salaries in the high to very high range.