Editor’s Note: This Editor’s View was originally published in the November issue of ECN magazine.
Among the great mysteries of the world, including but not limited to “Who shot JFK”, “How the heck did Stonehenge happen”, and “Can someone please explain hammerpants to me,” there exists one more great question: What makes an engineer?
I’ve met a lot of engineers over the past few years—I mean, A LOT of engineers—and I’m always interested in how they arrived at their current position. Was it fated from birth? A class they took in high school? A particularly inspiring movie or book? I’ve asked around a bit and while the introduction details vary from person to person, almost every engineer I’ve met exudes a love of tinkering, problem solving, and figuring out how stuff works.
I’ve heard many stories about taking apart electronics—generally much to mom and dad’s dismay—to see what makes the television tick or why the radio is able to function. I’ve heard inspiring stories about sudden high school epiphanies and following in the footsteps of inspiring heroes.
But what I want to know now, is how did YOU end up as an engineer? Throughout 2016, ECN will be publishing several features about the life of an engineer. What makes an engineer tick—which, by the way, many of those dismantled clocks never ticked nor tocked again—and what drives the pursuit of this crazy career.
You’ll be seeing some surveys pop up in your mailbox (if you’re not signed up for the newsletters, visit www.ecnmag.com to do so) and you’ll read about how industry greats and regular joes ended up working in labs and on benches.
So, dear reader, I ask you this: What made you want to be an engineer? Think about it, write it down, make a short film, write a poem, and send it on to me at kasey.panetta@advantagemedia.com. You could be featured on the site or in the magazine. From what I can tell in the comment section, most of you have stories to tell, so fire up the old computer and tell your tale.
Until Next Issue
Kasey Panetta
Editor, ECN
