We need more Engineers

I work with engineers in India on a daily basis, in various capacities, including mentor & manager. I have spoken with literally hundreds just this year & they are all sharp, full of energy, and looking for a challenge.

During my studies at SJSU, a physics professor told us that it is engineers who solve the world’s problems. This was during the early 1990’s and a recession was in full swing. He said it is always engineers who can take the problems facing society and build solutions that energize economies.

I came across this chart in the March 10th Business section of the Mercury News. To my eyes, one item leaps right out. Top discipline producing degrees in the Bay Area: Business & Marketing. Engineering (I’m assuming all flavors) is farther down, 1/4 the number. Even if you add Computer Science in there, it is only 1/3 of the size of the top line. That is a big problem, in my opinion.

What I see is a lot of people who want to play in the business world, sell products, creating marketing programs, or simply trade stocks all day. But is that making anything that solves problems? If engineers were in charge instead of Wall Street, would the financial markets look different?

Two items to ponder: China’s current leadership all have Engineering degrees.

Second is what my boss told me last month about India. Every year, their schools produce one million engineering graduates. 600,000 of those are in the computer / software / networking disciplines. The “kids” (crap, I feel old) I talk to see Engineering as a way to rise up in the world, to have a high paying job that has a future. To them Engineering is the path to stability. Much different than here in the US, at least in my opinion.

So what to take away from all this? Unless the US wants to end up playing second fiddle to the world, Science & Engineering need to be at the forefront of public education. It isn’t enough that a kid can make a web page or plug cables into Linksys boxes. It is to understand how all of this stuff works. I run into a lot of people who resign themselves into not understanding even the basics of networking. I point out that India & China one day will have more technically qualified people than the entire population of the US.

Enough of my ranting.

-Mike M.