Change What You Say About Engineering

Leslie Collins of the National Engineers Week Foundation, Meagan Campion of Lockheed Martin and Nina Norris of NCEES together recently gave this presentation about preparing for National Engineers Week, which starts February 17. One of the most basic points they make relates to how we in industry ought to describe engineering careers. Don’t say, “Engineers solve problems using science and math,” they advise—because engineering consists of so much more than this. Instead, say that engineers “invent, design, and create things that matter” and that they “work with other smart, inspiring people.”

I think Becky Miller of GE Aviation hit on a similar insight when I asked her what she wanted people to understand about her own field of manufacturing engineering. “My job is very people-oriented,” she says in this video. “I work with groups of people every day to resolve problems.”

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