In this tumultuous economy, if any cost will be shaved a razor will likely be close by. Companies under the knife will be looking for ways to improve efficiency and reduce overhead. What does this mean for the average engineer? A thorough technical background is no longer enough to entice employers. The typical engineer needs some spark to not only break into but thrive in the new economy.
But if you remember your undergraduate engineering curriculum as well as we do, what more can we expect engineers to know? It is clear that engineers need to become more competitive, but how do we gain that competitiveness. There are some ideas out there, but we aren’t exactly convinced. So, we are left pondering: what exactly does an engineer need in this new economy? Can the engineer evolve to fit the requirements and unpredictability of unsteady financial times?
So, what does it take to instill knowledge and knowhow along with creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking? Can engineers understand both thermodynamics and market dynamics? Will the infamous gap between technically focused engineers and business-driven managers ever be bridged? In the end, we are left wondering: what will it take to create a New Economy Engineer?
