Stereotypes in the Engineering Field

By: Noemi Melo      
            Within the engineering field there are many stereotypes, like that engineers are nerds, they love math, their work is boring, that the engineering field is a male-dominated profession, and that school is extremely difficult. In this blog post I would to like clarify that none of these stereotypes are correct and the reason why they are incorrect.
             To start off I would like emphasize that to become an engineer you don’t necessary have to be extremely intelligent or be some kind of geek. Due to the fact that this profession requires rigorous classes, many might think that engineers are geniuses. Most of the engineering fields require statistics, physics, chemistry, and other knowledge bases. Nobody enjoys taking these classes since they are difficult classes and they aren't always interesting. Some of the classes that have to be taken in order to become a engineer do require an excessive amount of studying and tutoring. Not everybody is born with intelligence to become an engineer but that does not mean that you can’t be an engineer yourself. I've had the honor of meeting multiple engineers and I have been able to hear their stories how they weren't straight A students in high school or their first few years of college. Some of these engineers dropped out of college yet returned and graduated with their engineering degrees because they knew if they put in the effort and time that they could graduate with an engineering career.
             Not everybody that decides to major in the engineering field loves math. It does not matter if math isn't your strongest subject or if you don't love math. Engineers have to be good at problem solving which is a big difference in loving math. Even though you aren't good at math there are tutors available to help you understand the material and make it through your math courses. I haven’t met anybody in my entire life that loves math. As engineer’s mathematics is required, a lot of it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to love it.
             Engineering isn’t a boring field, however, it does ultimately depend on where you work. Some people might love their job and others might hate theirs and want to go home so badly that they sit and stare at the clock. I suppose that this can be true for any career or job. I mean, it is a job, not a stroll on the beach. A number of people find engineering to be exciting because of its flexibility. Engineers are problem solvers and thinkers, constantly innovating new things and coming up with new medical research to better a procedure or product. A new product that engineers have developed is a method to test blood sugar levels by means of a laser light that is capable of reading through the epidermal layer on the palm of the hand, eliminating the need to draw blood. In this field you are constantly learning new things and trying to improve ways to better peoples life whether it be a medical device or building dams or helping with pollution and global warming.
             The National Science Foundation of Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, show that only 30% of women plan on graduating with a science and engineering degree. Even though millions of studies show the lack of women in the engineering fields it is said that in a couple of years this profession will be balanced out with males and females.
             Even though engineering does require a lot of work and dedication and plenty of study hours, anybody can graduate with a degree in engineering. Engineers do not have to love math but instead be adept problem solvers. Engineering might be a male-dominated field as of now, but that does not mean that their are not female engineers. Since engineers are constantly innovating new technologies it is not consider a boring field. Lastly, the rigorous courses shouldn't stop you from pursing a degree in engineering. As I mentioned, these are only a few stereotypes of the engineering field and I hope this post has been useful in clarifying the truth of this profession.