By Karen Auguston Field, Chief Editor --
Design News,
August 19, 2002
ADVERTISEMENT
Sponsored Content
Technology Marketplace
I'm used to getting tons of press releases in the mail each week. But I frankly was surprised (and pleased) by the volume of letters I received from our readers over the past few weeks (see a sampling on page 11). Most took me to task for an editorial I wrote (07.08.02) claiming that being an engineer isn't about the money.
Many readers raised some excellent points and exposed my argument for the oversimplification that it was. One of my favorite letters pointed out that there is a term for doing unpaid work: It's called volunteering.
I suspect (and hope) that for most of you, the reasons you do what you do are a lot more complicated than the size of the paychecks you bring home. That's because engineering is one of those rare professions that offers the potential for people to be creative, make discoveries, and have an impact.
In fact, at the risk of sounding like a pop-psychologist, I believe that most engineers derive a profound sense of personal accomplishment, achievement, and independence from their work. Being an engineer is such an integral part of who they are that they simply can't imagine doing anything else. Maslow really knew what he was talking about!
But just because engineers love their work doesn't mean they ought to do it for free, or for less than they're worth. Nor should they forego the right to expect to receive recognition, appreciation, and acknowledgement for a job well done.
As many readers pointed out, money is one important way that a company can signal it values the contributions of its employees. I agree. It's criminal that more companies today don't place a higher value on the engineers who work for them. We'll be studying that problem in upcoming issues of Design News.
If you love being an engineer and you work hard, you should be well-compensated for your efforts. Tell your boss right now! (And check out our annual career survey at www.designnews.com to see how your salary stacks up.)
If, on the other hand, you really are miserable in your job as an engineer and aren't willing to give it all you've got, my last editorial still stands.
JUNE 26TH WEBCAST: Collaborative Requirements Engineering
Speed your innovation. Capture the "voice of the customer" and translate customer requests into user requirements that define new products. Find out why the new ENOVIA Requirements Management solution enables organizations to improve their overall global requirements management process. Read More
Mechatronics in action
Successful synergistic integration of controls, electronics, computers and mechanical systems is key to the 21st century design process. Unlock the secrets at the Mechatronics Zone!
Webcast: Sensor Know-How Now
Join our moderator Randy Frank and John Keating from Cognex and explore Solving Industrial Inspection Problems. Read More
Engineering Concept Conduit
Engineering Concept Conduit looks at new products and the components that make them exceptional. Each month we’ll look at a new electronic product and see what makes it tick from an engineering point of view. We’ll explore the design and engineering challenges for the product and examine the components that solved those challenges.
Light Matters: Systems Level Approach to HBLED illumination applications
Its good practice to apply a systems-level approach to high-brightness LED (HBLED) illumination applications. Minimally, the system includes the optical, thermal and electrical characteristics of the of the HBLED, the lens (if any) which is built-in to its package, secondary optics such as external plastic lenses/reflectors to direct the light as your application requires and power driver electronics. Read More
Design News RSS News Feeds
Webcast: Sensor Know-How Now
