Engineers are scientists, mathematicians, inventors, and project
planners combined. An engineer takes information from various fields
and applies that information to solve problems. An engineer creates!
An engineer is a force to be reckoned with!
Essentially everything that you use in a given day was designed by
engineers. From your computer monitor to your automobile, from your
satellite radio to traffic lights, from your cell phone to the plane you
fly in and the web browser you are using right now to read this
article, artificial kidneys and heart-lung machines. All of these things are designed by engineers! Engineers
create almost everything that society uses!
Engineers invent solutions and products in every field, including
disciplines like aerospace, software, biomedical, chemical, civil,
mechanical, and electrical engineering. All engineers are given a
similar basic education, but they also choose one of these specific
disciplines to be trained in. Many engineers work in multiple
disciplines, for example electrical engineers writing software and
electrical engineers designing electromechanical motors.
An engineer is trained such that they can be given a goal and
accomplish that goal. An aerospace engineer that works for Boeing or
Airbus might be told to "design a plane that can fly X miles at Y speed
and use Z amount of fuel". This example is a bit extreme since most
work is divided among many engineers, but that engineer would be able to
take the problem and design a solution that meets the requirements. A
similar example might be a software engineer being told to design an
embedded application for a cell phone that allows a person to see where
they are on a map using GPS. Another example might be a mechanical
engineer being told to design a car that weighs X amount, has a top
speed of Y, and gets Z mileage.
When considering a problem and potential solutions, an engineer has
to try to find the best solution that meets the requirements and is
financially feasible. Some solutions would work or are too expensive,
another solution might work, but would take too long to develop.
Typically a project has very specific time and money limitations,
requiring an engineer to make difficult decisions. And sometimes, a
project is simply impossible given the requirements and existing
technology.
Engineers frequently work on teams to design a product or solution.
Teams often consist of an engineering leader and a number of senior
engineers and entry level engineers. In many cases, engineers from
multiple disciplines work together on a project, for example an
automobile requires mechanical engineers to design the engine and
computer/software/electrical engineers to design the control systems and
electronics. Some engineers also work alone on smaller projects.
Engineers help meet many societal needs--good housing, plentiful food
and clothing, rapid transportation, pure water and air, and
power. They are the bridge between scientific research and the
creation of new products, translating technical principles into
goods, processes and systems for the benefit of all people.