Agenda: Roles & Responsibilities of the 2020 Engineer

Engineering Education Today What Engineers Do Today Changes in Roles and Responsibilities The Three Types of Engineer The 2020 Engineer Discussion

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Food For Thought Is our profession respected / valued in our society? Where do you see the role of the engineer in 2020? What can we do to effect the education of the engineer of 2020? What are you doing to train / create the 2020 engineer?
How successful have you been?
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Engineering Education Today Highly specialized even at the Bachelors level. Very little room in the curriculum for classes outside of math, science, or engineering. Emphasis on developing the engineering student as a researcher rather than a practitioner.

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Engineering Education Today Catering to the companies and industries that give money to the school. Attempts to teach teamwork through group projects and other assignments. Strong emphasis on the academic aspects of the college experience. Very small percentage of faculty with industry work experience.

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What Engineers Do Today You can find engineers at all levels and in many, many industries. Engineers design buildings, machines, and factories. Engineers teach, perform research, and invent. Engineers manage companies and work for charities. Engineers impact the world.
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What Engineers Do Today Professional Engineering Registration

Graduate from an accredited school. Take and pass the EIT exam. Work for 4 years under the supervision of a PE. Take and pass the PE exam.

Not consistent between states. Not all engineers take the exam in their field. Most Take Exam early in career
Longer the gap, tougher to pass Based on theory, not practice
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Changes in Roles & Responsibilities Engineers are expected to be able to do anything that is assigned to them. Either through first hand knowledge or by using their network of contacts. Need to gain more experience on how things work or are built. Writing skills need to be sharpened. Networking skills are critical to success
Peers, vendors, etc.
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Changes in Roles & Responsibilities Computer skills are always increasing. The engineer has to hit the ground running that much faster as a result of the shortening of process and project cycles. More engineers with project management skills. Dual role required: Technical Expert and Coordinator

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The Engineering Specialist This is what schools create for the industry to hire. Either has an advanced degree or wishes to specialize in a single aspect of their engineering education.
Structural engineer. HVAC specialization from Mechanical Engineering. Power distribution from Electrical Engineering.
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The Engineering Specialist Fills key position on project teams as the discipline lead / technical expert. Usually stays in an individual contributor role throughout their career. Can become a recognized industry leader in their field. Often passed over for senior positions
Require PM / Business Experience Exception: Technology-driven organizations

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The Engineering Generalist This is what companies create from new engineering school graduates. They have some amount of knowledge in several areas of engineering. Successful engineers in this group are generally groomed for management of a group or serve as the lead project engineer.

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The Engineering Generalist This engineer would take the role of the member of one of the discipline groups on a project team. The career path for this type of engineer can go down either the individual contributor or manager role. Usually career growth involves movement away from technical discipline

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The Business Focused Engineer Engineering generalists that want to be Project Managers or Engineering Managers become business focused. An engineer that either goes to business school or takes business classes. Has moved from a position of expert knowledge to a position of relational knowledge. Needs to possess strong people and team building skills
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The Business Focused Engineer These engineers are often placed in front of the customers because of their people skills. Knowledge is usually a mile wide and an inch deep Familiar will aspects of project / business Can quickly lose technical edge

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The 2020 Engineer Must have more education in areas outside the areas of math, science, and engineering. Must be able to develop a network of contacts quickly. Must work to advance the profession. Must be a strong writer / communicator Must have excellent people skills. Must be able to multi-task and manage.
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Questions Questions from the Presentation Discussion Questions

Is our profession respected / valued in our society? Where do you see the role of the engineer in 2020? What can we do to effect the education of the engineer of 2020? What are you doing to train / create the 2020 engineer?
How successful have you been?
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