Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertG
How then, do we increase demand?
In any case, a greater supply or demand of engineers will benefit this country. Has anyone else thought about this? While most people do not pick their profession based on the money, this still seems like an important topic we should discuss, and is an unintended negative consequence of robotics programs.
Please note that my knowledge of economics only covers the first few months of my high school economics class, so please comment if you have an economics background.
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First, have you researched your assertion that we need to increase demand for engineers in this country? I know that in my sector, electric utilities, there has been a shortage of mechanical, electrical, and civil engineers for every year one of the last 20 years. I have been following the trends in our industry specific journals. Last year the shortage was approximately 200,000 mechanical engineers, 200,000 electrical engineers, and 160,000 civil engineers, and those numbers have only been growing in the last two decades. At least once every year, there is an article pondering how we will ever fill the ever increasing needs of our industry.
I don't see this trend reversing any time soon. Don't worry, even if every student who participated in FIRST became an engineer, it would not fill the needs of this country, let alone the needs of the world. Unless, there is an unprecedented change in this country's culture towards engineering careers, I don't see programs like FIRST saturating the engineering market within the next 50 to 100 years.
Second, you are correct in asserting that one shouldn't choose a profession based solely on money, but for the last decade engineering fields have always been in the top 10 paying fields for college grads and the work force in general. So if making a decent living is one of your goals, then engineering is a pretty good choice for the foreseeable future. Engineering, like any other career, is not for everyone, you have to enjoy what you're doing. If you don't like what you're doing, you won't be motivated to succeed.
Yes, supply and demand can apply to wages, but talent, motivation, and skill have more to do with wages. Just as there are major league and minor league athletes, there are the same divides within engineering and any other field for that matter. People who have the talent and skills combined with motivation to succeed will always earn top wages regardless of how saturated their field is. The less motivated or less skilled will be the ones to feel any wage decreases. Another, less acknowledged, goal of FIRST is to prove that hard work is rewarding, and those that work hard are rewarded.
Also, to earn the best wages, you need to be flexible and never stop learning. As technology advances, some career paths, or industries, are always bound to become obsolete or secondary. By continuing to expand your knowledge base, you position yourself to always be in demand within the job market. That's one of the reasons why I mentor a FIRST team. I get to work with technologies that I wouldn't normally see within my normal field of employment. That may pay off well for me, I have spent most of my professional career in the power distribution field. Now an up and coming (buzz word) technology for utilities is "Smart Grid" technology. Many of the communication protocols and technologies being investigated for use in Smart Grid applications are very similar to things that I've had the chance to play with in FIRST. I now have a foot up on some of my colleagues. That equates to job security and possibly increased earning power.
This country did not become an economic superpower by taking the easy route or by being unmotivated. We will not continue to be a world leader if we don't stay motivated and innovative. That's the real lesson FIRST is trying to teach.