A short guide to choosing a career in ENGINEERING

<p><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>The </span><em style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>Engineer</em><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)> is the chair of a technology trio who create innovations that complement or replace human effort and enhance human development. The </span><em style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>Technician</em><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)> is the artisan that transforms the Engineer's design sketches and calculations into working drawings and ultimately into products </span><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>that meet human needs</span><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)> under the management and supervision of the </span><em style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>Technologist</em><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>. The first edition (2019) discussed extensively the distinctive skills that characterize each technology specialty the interdependence and complementarities of the three different skill sets the prime role of the engineer </span><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>as team leader</span><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)> and the type of training required to produce a professional engineer in the main areas of specialization. This edition extends the scope of specializations to include new and emerging areas and highlights the need to attract more women to the profession. Engineers are creators and motivators of major technology innovations:</span><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> they transform the natural resources and materials in the world around them to create new technologies that complement human effort; they design products and production processes; they design and optimize machinery and structures; they manage production; they drive innovation. I</span><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>t is difficult to imagine an area of human development that is not positively impacted by the products of engineering:</span><strong style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)> </strong><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>building manufacturing machinery energy agriculture water </span><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>supply</span><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)> appliances consumer products transportation communication health services education environmental health entertainment and many more. Throughout history technology and society have co-evolved and today the symbiosis is such that societies shape technologies and technologies also shape societies. Technology innovations are driven by societal needs and wants while new and emerging technologies create new needs and wants. Human development has benefited tremendously from technology but the negative impacts and unanticipated consequences on society and the environment are becoming increasingly apparent as technology becomes more pervasive or powerful. All technology innovations come with consequences and trade-offs many of which are having increasingly negative impact on society </span><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>and raising significant concerns notably security/safety environmental and ethical issues</span><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>. It is vital therefore that engineers who are the creators and prime movers of technology innovations should also be aware of the potentially negative impacts on society especially because many will rise to management positions and have to take technological decisions which require making informed choices between competing priorities. This edition also includes a chapter on The Engineer and Society and discusses in some depth two major concerning issues: environmental degradation and misuse of information technology innovations. Hopefully the discussions initiated in the two new chapters will help to energize further discussions and actions that promote awareness and eventually lead to solutions that enhance human development.</span></p>