Prof Seeram Ramakrishna once wrote:"...the traditional scope of engineers has been broadened considerably..."("The expanding world of engineers"). This statement is considered as the most important compass to the next generation of Engineers stepping into their profession. Engineers nowadays no longer limit themselves to some life's requisite such as building, or designing machinery. They can take part in solving most new challenges. The idea of the great potential of future Engineering is greatly important because it changes the view of society, so motivates the engineer to redouble their efforts to achive success.
Since society's view does have a great influence on each person's decision, this new idea helps us overcome a lot of prejudice about Engineering profession. The word " an Engineer" often remind people of a man working extremely hard with machine, buildings. Unlike a businessman who can have a lot of choices in the economy, engineers can only choose buildings, bridges, cars, ships, and airplanes. He also hardly has a spare time to relax because there are always things to learn, to complete, and it is boring to work with machine day after day. Last but not least, Enigineers' average salary was usually not deserve their labour.
These prejudice now can be overcome by this new idea about a broadened scope of engineering nowadays. We now recognize the variety of options that an Engineer can choose as their profession. Their knowlege can be applied to solve most of the obstacles that human beings are facing today. Engineering does not mean the job when people have to work with machine, and draft everyday. Engineers now can analyse financial problem, play an important roles in health care service, in protecting environment. As the first article-"Introduction to the Grand Challenges for Engineering" has mentioned, Engineering covers "four broad realms of human concern(...) [which are] substainability, health, vulnerability, and the joy of living". Society now has a right point of view about the mission of the next Engineering generations'mission.
Next, let us have a closer look about how this new idea has an influence on each person's especially each Engineer's thinking so that we can understand its importance more clearly. First, being recognized by society gives Engineers motive to redouble their efforts because people tend to accomplish what they are expected to do. Second, from the statement, person can deduce that being an Engineer does not limit his ability, but actually provides him with a valuable opportunity to be as good as he is able to.
Morever, the connecting with other people in other career makes the life as an Engineer be fullfilled with interesting experience. Finally, this statement also gives each person some idea about what he needs to do especially when he is an Engineering students. In order to success, he not only has to really good at his specialization, but also has to sharpen his social skills and develop his awareness of the world in future. More choices mean more challenges, and more responsibilities required. This new idea does open a new horizon to each of Engineer.
In conclusion, the idea of the broadened scope of Engineering makes an extremely difference in the society's way of thinking and becomes a motive for the future's Engineers. Accompanied by the idea about the various challenges human beings are facing today, this new idea really shows the way to achieve human welfare in future. Engineering should not be limited in some aspects of life because its potential is unlimited.
