Prompt
#1
By:
Sadab Bahar
Many
people take this for granted, but engineering is essential to live the way we
do right now. Engineers are responsible for keeping us safe, getting from place
to place, and even making sure we have enough food. Think about your favorite
sport and how engineering has impacted it. Most people think about the technology
of the sport and relate that back to engineering, which is correct, but
engineering is so much more. Engineers also design players’ jerseys, helmets,
safety gear, and other equipment (Straten). The purpose of this blog post is to
discuss the preconceptions that myself and many of the world’s population have
on engineering.
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| Picture Credit: aticoexport.com |
Next,
another assumption most people make is the field of engineering is male
dominant. The reason many people think this is because of the high number of
women that leave their jobs. A staggering 52% of women eventually leave their
engineering careers (Joseph). This is a much higher than the rate men that
leave their careers. In order to prevent women from leaving the field of
engineering, we must understand why they do so. Many report bias toward men
while others cannot balance their professional and personal lives. One
of the most obvious misconceptions that I, and most people, have about
mechanical engineers is they simply design cars. While this is true, it only
applies to a handful of mechanical engineers. A major part of mechanical
engineering is design and the incorporation of proper mathematics and sciences
(Lucas). The field of mechanical engineering is not limited to the scheme of
cars. A mechanical engineer can design many every day household items whether
it be a refrigerator or a simple pair of headphones.
Additionally,
many people assume that engineers sit on a computer all day, lack communication
skills, and love mathematics and sciences. Another important engineering trait
is the ability to work with teams. In order to work with teams effectively,
engineers need very good communication skills to better solve problems and
understand the particular needs of customers (Lucas). Engineers also, in order
to further projects, must work with their hands. Although engineering is math
and science orientated, it does not exactly mean they enjoy performing these
difficult calculations.
I
used an authoritative introductory textbook in order to address many of these
misconceptions that I have. The book is Thinking like an Engineer:
Implications for the Education System. While this addressed many of the
misconceptions that most people have on engineering, it provided little insight
of the different fields of engineering. The book itself is mainly about how to
improve the educational system that most colleges use to teach their students
in engineering. I found it not that helpful with my research in the
misconceptions of engineering. I relied a little more on internet sources. This
basic resource was not that effective for this post because this post has
little to do with the re-shaping of engineering curriculums across
universities.
While the book lacked, I still learned
a few things about engineering that I did not know before. I learned the
overwhelming number of women engineers that leave their careers behind. This
number shocked me because I cannot fathom inequality in the work place due to
gender. Another thing I learned was that engineers do not necessarily enjoy
sciences and mathematics. I, personally, enjoy mathematics, however, I am not
in love with sciences. I did, however, know that mechanical engineers did not
simply work with cars. Mechanical engineering is my current major so it is
normal that I know more about the field.
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