So You Want To Be An Engineer. Ray Floyd
a bright young engineer carrying a 4.0 G.P.A., and appeared to have a brilliant future as a design engineer— until he was asked to perform a simple modification of a printed circuit card. In all of his training, he had never soldered on a circuit board — and had no interest in learning. He moved on, looking for opportunities in research and development where he hoped to apply the theory he had learned. In his case, we wished him luck, but doubted his future success simply because of his attitude toward the mundane aspects of the work. He hadn’t come to the realization that every project is not going to be involved in startling new discoveries; there will be those times when the work is very ordinary. Other young engineers, who relatively had only “adequate” training, understood this and thus were often successful in design and testing of a wide variety of business machines and systems. Some then expanded their career opportunities by also becoming adept at programming for testing and manufacturing process control.
On the other hand, there are those who want to do research in highly specialized or specific areas. In that case, specialization may be appropriate, as long as the individual recognizes the possible limitations placed on their career path by such narrow focus. The authors, however, write from years of broad-based experience in the testing of a wide variety of business machines, robots, automated manufacturing systems, human factors assessments, and various systems, ranging from office systems to others for airports, parking lots, trucking centers, and highway applications. In such cases, the engineer must be able to understand the system aspects of the application, installation, and, if required, provide operating instructions that non-technical operators can understand and follow quickly and correctly. Yes, the engineer must also develop good communication and writing skills along the way, and certainly the ability to work with others in a cooperative and courteous manner.
One author, Richard Spencer, who had several years as a combat cameraman and worked in a hand-cast aluminum cookingware factory, decided to acquire an Electrical Engineering degree. He was offered positions at a television company, the U.S. Geodetic Survey Service, missile research, and IBM. He settled on IBM and had a very satisfying 38-year career there, spending the most time within the Product Test function. In that role, he was charged with the testing of new products prior to public announcement or shipment, and tested everything from input/output equipment to mainframes — both mechanical and electrical. While at college, he gave special attention to mechanical areas of study and to technical writing for communicating effectively with non-engineers. Later at IBM, he had many technical reports to write, coached other engineers and programmers in writing for understandability by non-engineer product users, had two books on product testing published, and was assigned to rewrite a management manual.
Raymond Floyd also had an Electrical Engineering degree and worked in radar, field engineering, and programming prior to joining IBM. Given his broad-based experience, he was tasked with obtaining approval from NASA for funding and then designing, integrating, and testing procedures for diagnostic programs for support computers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During his IBM career, he worked in missile support, Product Test, automated manufacturing systems design, and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. The authors spent 26 years working together at IBM, often on the same projects involving work not only in the laboratory, but also in the field, both in the United States and abroad, even involving the testing of an anti-collision system aboard ships for the shipping industry.
In other words, it is well for many young engineers to approach their training with an open mind about what they will learn and decide if specialization is meant for them. If it’s not, they need to be able to adapt to a wide variety of opportunities over a range of engineering capabilities. Such an approach may lead them to find that there are many more opportunities to take advantage of as they progress in their careers. In addition, with a broad outlook, the young engineers may find more opportunities to move into and become successful managing a broad range of engineering projects and engineering personnel. Excessive specialization can restrict the young engineer’s opportunities, and perhaps they should try for a broader approach as the means to the greatest opportunity.
Although it would take a larger book to discuss all of the variations of engineering studies, within this text, we will provide insight into the types of studies required for general engineering, and some specifics for a few more clearly defined engineering occupations. It is also important to note that engineering studies in the United States may be significantly different when considering the curriculum in other nations.
To begin, the student who wants to be an engineer should have a high interest in science and mathematics. High school courses should have included basic math, algebra, trigonometry, and geometry. In addition, classes in chemistry and physics are essential. In general, a college curriculum in engineering will require the student to include such courses as college algebra, trigonometry, calculus (integral and differential), physics, and strength of materials, with most of these classes coming during the first two years. More specific specialization will more often come in the final two years of study. Once the other science, humanities, and communication courses that are required for accreditation are included, the list of required courses is shown to be quite extensive.
The Engineering Technology Accreditation Committee (ETAC) and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) have very specific requirements for accreditation of school programs, both in technical content and humanities content. In general, one-third of the total required hours must be in the technical specialization, but no more than two-thirds, with the remaining hours reserved for the science, humanities, and communication course requirements. ETAC and ABET provide accreditation reviews for school programs in engineering and engineering technology, both in the United States and other countries; they are the most prominent bodies in the United States.
At many schools you have the option to take either an engineering degree program or an engineering technology degree program. In most cases, the engineering degree will have greater emphasis on mathematics and design courses whereas the engineering technology will have greater emphasis on labs and general technical studies. Although both degrees are in engineering, the first would be more inclined to work in design or research whereas the latter would more often focus on field support, manufacturing, and product testing. As noted earlier, the list of “engineering degrees” is quite large, ranging from microbiology, to computers, to mechanical, civil, electrical, aeronautical, ... and so on. A partial list of degree programs that are reviewed for accreditation by ABET are listed in Appendix I.
In the following pages, some of the more typical engineering career fields will be examined, and some of the choices offered will be discussed. Regardless of the technical path, the ability to write and speak clearly and understandably by various levels of others is essential. It is interesting to note that the fundamental degree obtained may not map directly into the career path taken. Figure 2.1 illustrates a typical engineering program where fundamental building blocks are offered in the first two years and are, in general, common across engineering degrees. Once the fundamental building blocks are in place, students will begin to specialize in the programs specific to the degree chosen and their interests. It is also interesting to note that after graduation the mechanical engineer may find career opportunities in development, manufacturing, construction, or any number of fields. The same holds true for many engineering programs of study.
When one hears that someone is an electrical engineer, the first thought may be that the person is involved in computer design, i.e., a digital design engineer. Just as easily, the thought may encompass the work of a power engineer, or radio frequency engineer, and the list goes on across many different fields — all associated with electrical engineering. These areas just scratch the surface of what an electrical engineer may be trained to do. Although the computer industry does use a large number of electrical engineers, not all are involved in digital design. Many will be involved in power supply design, analog equipment design,