Engineers in the 21st century

Most of us choose engineering as a profession because we like to solve problems and build things. I picture an engineer as a whole person, a well-rounded, well-adjusted individual who is capable of conducting business like anyone else, with the added benefit of technical skills. We are the modern-day renaissance men and women, like Edison and Da Vinci. These men could invent and create. They were artists who had a broad view of the world and saw possibilities that no one had seen before. There is no reason why we can't be like them and do even more. We understand more science and have modern tools like computers and lasers to design and build things, plus we can use information technology to gather data when we have knowledge gaps. The point is that, once we have a clear picture of who we want to be, now more than ever before, that vision is obtainable, and that vision becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy if we choose to act on it. Certainly, if we think we can't do it, we won't. I'd like to share my vision of an accomplished 21st century engineer and offer some thoughts on how to get there. I see successful engineers as people who take an early interest in science and engineering. They have alert minds and a natural curiosity for everything around them. Their drive to learn is insatiable, soaking up knowledge constantly. They do things for the love of it, not simply for monetary rewards, but for the pride and personal satisfaction that comes with doing something particularly well