What it means to be an engineer.
As an undergraduate student at a public state university, I have made the choice to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Yet, what is an engineer? What does it mean to be an engineer?
The latter question seems more relevant to me now since it fundamentally is a question of identity. Understandably, it should be asked before one decides to choose a major since that will be critical determinant as to what one’s profession will most likely be. In my opinion, the first question is more dependent upon the career and expertise accumulated to decide what type of engineer you are. But these statements, left as they are, remain as questions.
The word “engineer” or some derivative thereof has been used daily around me, either by professors, friends, or those who call themselves engineers. It has become part of the standard vernacular, serving as a mark of distinction, and thereby creating a dichotomy between those who are studying liberal arts or even those in the STEM community itself.
One of the most common questions asked when introducing oneself at a college campus is the question of “what major are you?” It is an innocent enough question, but I have noticed for engineer’s, it is more than that. It is more of a litmus test, where engineers try to find other engineers or a way to quickly gauge another person’s academic ability or intellectual capacity.
Example:
Friend 1: Hi, I am ___.
Me: And I’m ___.
New Person: I am, ___, nice to meet you.
Friend 1: Nice to meet you as well. So what major are you?
New Person: Oh, I am studying biology. What about you?
Friend 1: Chemical engineering.
Me: Same.
Some form of judgement quickly follows, although usually imperceptible, and I feel that many engineers themselves are unaware of such implicit bias. Heaven forbid that a person is majoring in English. The merits of what someone’s majoring in is an entirely different discussion, however, the creation of this distance when one tries to close this gap seems almost paradoxical to me — by no means does this encompass every engineer and many get along well with other majors.
Personally, I am unsure of how I can identify myself as something — namely being an engineer — if I am unsure of my own identity. One simply does not become an engineer by calling themselves an engineer. Nor is it the degree that confers the title.
So I ask my fellow engineers, instead of asking what is an engineer, answer what does it mean to be an engineer.