SKTK 1523- 02

INTRODUCTION TO
ENGINEERING

TEAM: NRG

LOH CHAI HONG

NUR ANISSYA NABILA BINTI HAZMAN

MUHAMMAD AFIQ BIN MOHD ROSLY

LOGESVARAN A/L KRISHNAN
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

OUTLINE PAGE

TITLE i.

TABLE OF CONTENTS ii.

ABSTRACT iii.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Problem Statement 1

1.3 Objectives 1

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 What Engineering is in General 2

2.2 Challenges of being an Engineer 2-3

2.3 Rewards of being an Engineer 3-4

2.4 Summary 4

3.0 Conclusion 5

References 6

Appendix 7-13

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 ABSTRACT

This report involves searching credible literature and interviewing practicing

engineerings regarding the topics What Engineering is in General and The
Challenges and Rewards of being an Engineer. The purpose of carrying out this
research is to allow the students to truly understand the meaning of engineering and to
identify the challenges and rewards of being an engineer. Throughout the project, the
information is obtained from reliable resources such as journal, research from
organization and Internet while the interview is made via phone call and email. From
the research, it is true that the engineers need to encounter several challenges, for
example the needs of continuous education and bear with rejection in order to become
a profession. However, at the same time, engineers are gifted with rewards such as job
satisfaction and financial security that can conquer great difficulties. Through this
research, the students also tend to receive beneficial advises from the practicing
engineers about what the criteria that a professional engineer should have.

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 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Malaysia comprises of different fields of engineering. According to the Institution of

Engineers Malaysia (IEM), there are 24 different fields of engineering in Malaysia.
[4]. Thus, with such a high demand towards engineers, an engineer should clearly
understand their role and get ready to face the challenges in the future. This
assignment is based on the literature research and interviewing practicing engineers.
For literature research, we have obtained the information from 3 different types of
resources that is report, journal and Internet. For interviews, the interviewees are Lau
Wei Theng, a software engineer and Teoh Wei Keat, a manufacturing engineer. Both

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interviews were carried out on 23 Sept, Saturday night. The interviews were carried
out via phone call and through email respectively.

1.2 Problem Statement

For this assignment, the students are required to understand what is the definition of
engineering in general. The students must understand the true meaning of engineering
so that we can develop interest while studying engineering. The students need to
identify the challenges and rewards of being an engineer that are practical in the
future.

1.3 Objectives

The following are the aims of carrying out this project:

i. To understand the true definition of engineering.

ii. To identify the challenges and rewards of being an engineer.

iii. To benchmark the criteria of becoming a professional engineer.

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 What Engineering is In General

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2.1.1 Definition

According to the UNESCO report regarding What engineering is, what engineers
do, engineering is the field or discipline, practice, profession, and art that leads to the
development, acquisition and application of technical, scientific and mathematical
knowledge about the understanding, design, development, invention, innovation, and
use of materials,machines,structures, systems and processes for specific purposes.[1]

2.2 Challenges of being an engineer

2.2.1 Need for continuous education

An engineer needs to gain as much as the latest knowledge in order to cope with the
rapid advancement of technology. By referring to Martin Brooke, Associate
Professor,Duke University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Engineers need to be prepared to change around what they do and learn new skills at
any age. [3]

2.2.2 Coping with rejection

During the process of designing a new model or delivering new ideas, engineers will
receive different opinions from others. Thus, engineers should be open-minded in
receiving others advise as well as control the emotions. According to Abigail Kuchan,
Lockheed Martin Engineer, One major challenge was learning how to cope with
rejection- not being selected for a job or having my ideas turned down- while
continuing to put my best foot forward. [3]

2.2.3 School vs. Real World

Studying as an engineering student is much different from working as a practicing

engineer. Engineering students learn knowledge from school meanwhile practicing
engineers need to apply the knowledge at the workplace. Application of knowledge is
important to design new technology and solve all the problems created at the
workplace. There is no school that can prepare you for what you learn day-in and

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day-out working on diverse projects and coming up with creative ideas to solve
challenging problems, quoted from Jatin Mehta, Senior Electrical Engineer,
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

2.2.4 Being a female

People thought that a female is not suitable to become an engineer as engineers are
mainly consist of males. The prejudice towards female engineers has refrained them
to develop their potentials to the greatest in the field of engineering. Abigail Kuchan,
Lockheed Martin Engineer said Being the only female in a group of men is a
challenge, but its important to realize that people who dont respect you because you
are a female are the exception and not the rule.

2.2.5 Job transitions

From what Phil Cheng, Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin said, Transition means
having to adapt to new people, learning new skills and possibly a change in work
location. Adjusting can be a challenge, but it gives the engineer a chance to learn
about an area they might never have known about and to develop new mentors.[3]

Hence, engineers have to distribute more times to adapt new working environment
and cultures which are quite challenging towards the engineers.

2.2.6 Profound Responsibility

Engineers contribute most of the time and energy in doing Research and Development
(R&D), leading to imbalance of lifestyle. According to Jatin Mehta, Senior Electrical
Engineer, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, You quickly find yourself
working long hours and working on weekends, and it becomes a challenge to achieve
a good work-life balance. [3]

2.3 Rewards of being an engineer

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2.3.1 Job satisfaction

The working environment as an engineer would be challenging and interesting

because engineers always have to come out with new, creative ideas and make good
deeds to other people with the new technologies created.

2.3.2 Variety of career opportunities

With the increasing demands towards different fields of engineers not only in
Malaysia as well as other countries, job vacancies are available anytime and anywhere.
Thus, the problem of unemployment of fresh graduates can be avoided. The job
prospects of an engineer is secured in the future.

2.3.3 Benefit society

Engineers benefit the society by developing clean and efficient transportation

systems, finding new sources of energy, alleviating the worlds hunger problems, and
increasing the standard of living through the application of engineering
technology.[2]

2.3.4 Financial Security

Financial security should not be the only reason for choosing a career in engineering,
however, engineering graduates receive the most highest starting salary in any
discipline. Refer to the pay scale research retrieved from
https://www.payscale.com/research/MY/Job=Chemical_Engineer/Salary, the average
salary for a chemical engineer is RM 44,708 per year which can surely ensure the
quality of engineers lifestyle.

2.4 Summary

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The definition of engineering in common is the applications of science knowledge
into contributing innovative and creative ideas about new models and problem solving.
Although engineers have to face many challenges to become a profession, at the same
time, they gain rewards as well. To the engineers, the greatest challenges would be the
need for continuous education as the engineers need to be updated to the latest info
along their life. However, they are rewarded with great job prospects and financial
security.

3.0 CONCLUSION

After completing this assignment, we can conclude that engineering is the application
of science and mathematics by which the natural resources are explored to be made
useful to people. By searching credible literature and interviewing practicing engineer,
we are able to identify the challenges and rewards of being an engineer. The needs of
continuous education, coping with rejection, being a female, profound responsibilities
and job transitions are the challenges that most of the engineers will encounter.
According to the 2 interviewees, the ways to overcome the challenges is by asking
advises from seniors and working in a team. Despite the challenges, being an
engineers is rewarded with job satisfaction, benefit society, variety of career
opportunities and financial security. Hence, in order to become a professional
engineer, we should equip ourselves with creative and innovative minds as well as
strong problem-solving skills.

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 REFERENCE

1. UNESCO Report(2010).Engineering: Issues,Challenges and Opportunities for

Development.Paris, France:UNESCO.

2. Ab Saman Abd Kader,PHD.Professional Engineers Roles and Responsibility,

Faculty of Chemical Engineering, UTM, Skudai, Johor. Retrieved from

http://eprints.utm.my/598/1/A_saman_prof_eng.pdf

3. Nicolette Emmino(2014, Oct 2).You want to be an engineer? Here are 10

challenges youll face. Retrieved from

https://www.electronicproducts.com/Computer_Peripherals/Communication_Peripherals/You
_want_to_be_an_engineer_Here_are_10_challenges_you_ll_face.aspx?id=201

4. https://www.myiem.org.my/content/technical_division-12.aspx

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 APPENDIX A GANTT CHART

19 Sept- 26 Sept 2017

DATE 14/9 15/9-18/9 19/9 20/9 21/9 22/9-25/9 26/9

TASK
Introducting and Understanding Topics

Finding Information

Preparing Interview Question

Progress Check of Engineering Overview Task

Distributing task and group discussion

Interviewing engineers

Preparing Power Point and Report

Presentation and Submitting Report

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 APPENDIX B INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW QUESTION

Name:

Age:

University:

Course:

Company:

Field Of Engineering:

Working Experience (yrs):

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1. In your opinion, what is the definition of engineering?

2. What are the differences between studying as an engineering student and work as
an engineer?

3. As an engineer, what are the challenges that you have been going through and how
do u overcome it?

4. Does being an engineer a reward to you? How does it affect your life?

5. What criteria do you think a professional engineer should have?

6. From your perspective, what are the qualities that employers expect from the
practicing engineer nowadays?

7. What advise could you give to the future engineers as you have been working in
this field for years?

8. How does your company cope with the rapid advancement of technology?

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW SESSION

FIRST INTERVIEW

Name: Lau Wei Theng

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Age: 24

University: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Course:

Company: Vitrox Technologies Berhad

Field Of Engineering: Software Engineering

Working Experience (yrs): 10 months

1. In your opinion, what is the definition of engineering?

Engineering consists of a wide range of disciplines, from the field of computer

science to healthcare and even entertainment. To me, engineering is what drives
innovation and development for the betterment of human welfare and lifestyle. The
core of engineering is problem-solving, how we put together the puzzle pieces in
order to create the big picture that brings a brighter future.

2. What are the differences between studying as an engineering student and

work as an engineer?

In fact, I was not from an engineering background. I was taking cognitive science for
my bachelor degree before this. My major is on computer science. From what I see in
the workplace, one of the main differences would be on the application in the field.
Like the analogy of puzzle pieces, what we acquired from school are the puzzle piece,
the fundamentals/building blocks of engineering. While workplace requires a
synthesis or integration of different building blocks to become a product. From there,
youll get a bigger and better picture of what your field is about.

3. As an engineer, what are the challenges that you have been going through and
how do u overcome it?

There are one or two challenges which Id like to highlight here. One of them is
completing a task or project with minimal resources and restrictions and the other one
would be lack of technical knowledge as a new join. To tackle these issues, my

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countermeasures would be seeking advices from seniors and equip yourselves by
learning more effectively. Make explicit your targets and action plans to keep your
direction in check. You may always refer to seniors who have more experience and
knowledge in the related field and observe how they tackle the problems. That will
give you a better and clearer idea on how you can solve the similar issues next time.

4. Does being an engineer a reward to you? How does it affect your life?

One thing I love about being in the field of engineering is that when you get to work
with different people and you can observe how different the thinking processes and
perspectives are from each person. What fascinates me the most, is that how you
narrow down a variety of potential solutions to a cost-effective solution through
brainstorming with the inputs of different people. It always gives me insights when I
get to learn from their thinking processes and opportunity to sharpen my logical
thinking at the same time.

5. What criteria do you think a professional engineer should have?

In my humble opinion, there are a few criteria that makes a good engineer. First of all,
determination is an essential quality to have as youll be facing a lot of challenges
along the journey. There are times, when things dont work out the way you want it to
be and you feel like youre at the end of the road. Thats the time for you to take a
step back, and re-evaluate your direction towards the goal to see if there is any other
optional route to get you there. This brings us to the next point, positive mindset can
keep you a long way. It is unavoidable when you feel down and disappointed,
however, there are always channels to rewire your brain and release your stress. Talk
it out to your colleague or take a break from the mess. Sometimes, youll be able to
see a different perspective after restarting your engine. Last but not least, be
ever-ready to learn and receptive to others opinions. This is because as a human, we
tend to have a certain degree of bias in our thinking processes. We have to learn to
listen and analyse others points of views in order to deliver a more comprehensive
and satisfying solution.

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6. From your perspective, what are the qualities that employers expect from the
practicing engineer nowadays?

Apart from my answers for the previous question, keeping up with the current
state-of-art of technology is just as crucial. Engineers have to equip themselves with
the latest knowledge and skills to avoid being eliminated. Continuous learning is a
must if you wish to be a part of the game as this is the world for the survival of the
fittest.

7. What advise could you give to the future engineers as you have been working
in this field for years?

Id like to share a quote that I read somewhere on the internet. If plan A fails,
remember that you have 25 letters left.

8. How does your company cope with the rapid advancement of technology?

Well be provided extensive trainings (be it soft skills or technical skills) from time to
time to ensure that we are keeping up with the current state-of-arts. The company
welcomes any feedbacks or ideas from the employees and is always seeking to
outgrow itself in terms of its operations and managements.

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SECOND INTERVIEW

Name: Teoh Chun Keat

Age: 31

University: INTI International College Penang

Course: Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Company: Knowles Electronics (M) Sdn. Bhd.

Field Of Engineering: Manufacturing

Working Experience (yrs): <1 year

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1. In your opinion, what is the definition of engineering?

In my opinion, engineering definition would creating items to ease people daily life or
improve the way of living.

2. What are the differences between studying as an engineering student and

work as an engineer?

The difference between engineering student and engineer is the knowledge gained as
engineering student may not able to apply fully during working as an engineer.

3. As an engineer, what are the challenges that you have been going through and
how do u overcome it?

The challenges faced as an engineer is delivering the result while learning within the
time frame. The way to overcome this challenge is to plan and assign small task to
colleague in order to complete within the time frame.

4. Does being an engineer a reward to you? How does it affect your life?

Yes, I did received several benefits or rewards for being an engineer such as been part
of the team of creating items that able to improve people daily life where the company
that I am working is related to hearing aid devices. In terms of affect my life, I doesnt
affect much in my life.

5. What criteria do you think a professional engineer should have?

The criteria of becoming a professional engineer are to have a good management skill
and practical skill depending on job scopes.

6. From your perspective, what are the qualities that employers expect from the
practicing engineer nowadays?

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Employers would like the practicing engineer to have soft skill such as software skill
that able to shorten the work time and hands on skill.

7. What advice could you give to the future engineers as you have been working
in this field for years?

To gain as much working experience as possible during the internship as it will give
knowledge and practical skill what need to have as an engineer in the future. This will
help to give an exposure of working life in a short period of time before start the
career as an engineer.

8. How does your company cope with the rapid advancement of technology?

In my company, there will be research and development department to find out the
latest technology and business research department to investigate customer needs to
improve the products or services.

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