So, you are going

to be an engineer!
Raymond E. Floyd and Richard H. Spencer

BOY—CAN STOCK PHOTO/GEOTRAC; GIRL—CAN STOCK PHOTO/PHOTOEUPHORIA; WOMAN—CAN STOCK PHOTO/4774344SEAN; NAVY—U.S. NAVY

ver many years, we have known people who had the expectation that the new choice would have greater

O enrolled in an engineering curriculum and then

decided that was not what they really wanted to do.
There were also those who switched their engineer-
ing major when they decided there were conditions they
preferred to work with that may not be available in their cur-
rent planned field. For instance, one decided he would like
to work outside, not in a laboratory or office, so he switched
from a chemical to petroleum engineering curriculum, with
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2010.936927
opportunity for outside work. Such changes are not uncom-
mon, but the student must realize that the change may be
costly, both in time and money. Depending on when the
change is made, the degree completion may be pushed
beyond the expected four years by two or more years—and
suffer considerable additional costs.
It is interesting to talk to young people, high school
seniors and college freshmen and discuss with them the
course of study they plan to follow in college and for their
career. Frequently, an individual will simply say, “I’m going

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into engineering.” That is somewhat
akin to saying trees are green—there is
such a variation in what an engineer is,
what courses need to be studied, the
interests of the student, and the jobs
that are available to the graduate,
among others. If the individual can nar-
row the choice, even slightly, to say,
“I’m going to be an electrical engineer,”
a large number of choices still remain
as one embarks on the studies needed
for the new career.
While it would take a fairly large
book to discuss all of the variations of
engineering studies, this article will pro-
vide some insight will be provided into
the types of studies required for general
engineering and some specifics for a
few more clearly defined engineering
occupations (and even those few will
have enough variation to cause confu-
sion). It is also important to note that
engineering in the United States may be
significantly different when considering
other nations and the curriculum imple-
mented within their schools.
Basic engineering skill needs
To begin, the student should have a
high interest in science and mathemat-
ics. High school courses should have
included basic math, algebra, trigonom-
etry, and geometry. In addition, one or
two classes in chemistry and physics
would be helpful. In general, a college
curriculum in the engineering path will
require the student to include such
courses as college algebra, trigonome-
try, calculus (integral and differential),
physics, and strength of materials, with
most of these classes coming during
the first two years and specialization
coming in the final two years. Added to
these are other science, humanities,
and communication courses required
for accreditation, and the list of
required courses is quite extensive.
The Technology Accreditation Com-
mission (TAC)/ABET has very specific
requirements for accreditation of school
programs, both in technical and hu-
manities content. In the latest criteria,
one-third of the total required hours
must be in the technical specialization,
but no more than two-thirds, with the
remaining hours reserved for the sci-
ence, humanities, and communication
course requirements. For those readers
who may not be aware of the TAC/
ABET role in education, it provides ac-
creditation reviews for school pro-
grams in engineering and engineering
technology, both in the United States
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and other countries that may request
its review.
The student may also be able to exer-
cise an option to take either an engineer-
ing degree program or an engineering
technology degree program. In most
cases, the engineering degree will have
greater emphasis on mathematics and
design courses, while the engineering
technology will have greater emphasis on
labs and general technical studies. While
both degrees are in engineering, the first
would be more inclined to work in
design or research, while the latter would
more often be found in field support,
manufacturing, and product testing.
As noted earlier, the list of “engineer-
ing degrees” is quite large, ranging from
microbiology, to computers, to mechani-
cal, civil, electrical, aeronautical, and the
list goes on. We will examine some of
the more typical engineering career
fields and some of the choices offered
will be discussed.
Frequently, an individual
will simply say, “I’m
going into engineering.”
That is somewhat akin to
saying trees are green.
Electrical engineering
When one hears that someone is
an electrical engineer, the first thought
may be that the person is designing
computers (i.e., a digital design engi-
neer). Just as easily, the thought may
encompass the work of a power engi-
neer or radio frequency engineer,
across many different fields—all asso-
ciated with electrical engineering.
These thoughts just scratch the sur-
face of what an electrical engineer
may be trained to do. While the com-
puter industry does use a large num-
ber of electrical engineers, not all are
involved in digital design. Many will
be involved in power supply design,
analog equipment design, and periph-
eral equipment design (such as disks,
memories, tape units, and printers).
Some may also be found in the design
of wide area network equipment,
converters, modems, and other asso-
ciated equipment.
Beyond the computer industry, electri-
cal engineers may be found in the com-
munications industry, designing line
amplifiers, transmitters, receivers,
modems, and wide area network com-
ponents. (Note the crossover in engi-
neering applications from the computer
industry into communications.) In addi-
tion, communication industry electrical
engineers may specialize in radio fre-
quency technology, thus being employed
in radio and radar applications, or even
satellite communications.
Another area that employs many
electrical engineers is the power indus-
try. Here, the emphasis is on the gen-
eration and distribution of electrical
power—power used by industry and
the private sectors. The engineers in
this case are trained in ac power gen-
eration and distribution and frequently
have more training in the design and
use of electric motors and generators.
One industry that uses motor
designers is the petroleum industry,
where motors are designed as sub-
mersible units to provide the power
needed to lift the crude oil from the
well to the surface. Of course, sub-
mersible motors are not the only
motors used in the petroleum industry,
nor are they the only application found
in motors across many industries. As
part of the power industry sector, the
engineer may also have additional
training in the development of solar
cell technology and wind turbines.
The electrical engineer may also pick
up programming experience along the
way, experience used to support the
mechanical engineer in the design of
automated manufacturing tools. The pro-
gramming may be on devices used to
control machine automation, like a pro-
grammable logic controller, where the
programming language may be a special
application language like LabView for
control of the device, or it may be assem-
bler, BASIC, or C11 in the event a PC is
used as the controlling device.
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is as diverse
as electrical engineering. In this case,
the mechanical engineer may be con-
cerned with structural engineering (i.e.,
buildings, bridges and roads, where the
concern is in loading and structural
integrity). The courses of interest will
be strength of materials and physics of
forces acting on structures.
As noted in the electrical engineer-
ing section, mechanical engineers are
also heavily involved in the petroleum
industry, designing the pumps that
provide the lift needed to bring the
IEEE POTENTIALS
crude oil from the well to the surface
(powered by the electric motors men-
tioned previously). Not only do the
pumps have to provide lift, the materi-
als and surface treatments must be
selected by the engineer to survive in
a very hostile environment—heat, pres-
sure, and corrosive liquids. From that,
the mechanical engineer must be
trained in the reaction of metals to cor-
rosive liquids, a crossover into the
chemical industry.
Factory automation depends heavily
on the mechanical engineer, where the
machines to build components, subas-
semblies, and final assembly are typical-
ly designed by the mechanical engineer
(with help from the electrical engineer
and programmer). One class, or classes,
most typically found in the mechanical
engineering curriculum will be computer
aided drawing, or CAD, offered in either
two-dimensional programs or the newer
three-dimensional modeling techniques
such as SolidWorks.
The power industry also calls heavily
on the mechanical engineer, where the
towers for transmission lines must be
designed to support the power lines in
all types of weather and other adverse
conditions such as ice, high winds, and
large temperature ranges. In addition,
the physical structures such as dams,
spillways, and generator housings are all
within the pervue of the mechanical
engineer.
Chemical engineering
Besides the mathematics and phys-
ics, chemical engineers should enjoy
both organic and inorganic chemistry
studies. If they enjoy organic chemistry
the most, typical jobs will be found in
the oil industry as a petroleum engineer,
applications engineer, corrosive engi-
neer, and similar job titles. They may
also find themselves employed within
the chemical industry, involved in the
development and manufacturing of such
products as rubber, tires, carbon black,
and fuel oils and gases.
If the student’s interests and studies
lean more to the inorganic side, the job
opportunities can overlap the organic
side, with employment in the chemical
industry involved in the development of
new materials, additives, exotic chemi-
cal mixtures, and so forth. The inorgan-
ic chemical engineer may also find
interesting work in the development of
new metal mixtures, where the new
mix may provide better life in corrosive
environments, have higher temperature
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characteristics, or be more malleable
under certain stress conditions. Many
new materials found in use in the vari-
ous space programs are the result of
chemical engineering discoveries.
Manufacturing engineering
The manufacturing engineer, some-
times called an industrial engineer, is
primarily concerned with the movement
of products through the manufacturing
floor, from raw parts to finished prod-
uct. These concerns cover the move-
ment of parts from inventory to the
proper point on the manufacturing
floor, the generation of operator assem-
bly procedures, the proper functioning
of manufacturing tools, and the routing
of the product as it progresses through
the entire manufacturing process (prod-
uct routing). Specific tools needed by
The point is that
engineering, whatever
the chosen field, will
probably require effort in
many different environments,
and involve certain
subspecialties within a
given engineering field.
the operator will also be identified and/
or designed by the manufacturing engi-
neer. Assembly procedures will be stud-
ied and time-in-motion studies carried
out to ensure the procedures embody
the most efficient manner of assembly
possible. To quote the old adage, “Time
is money.”
Computer engineering
The field of computer engineering is
another one of those careers that may
take one of two very divergent paths.
The first path is directed toward the
design of new computer systems, where
the design is more involved with new
application-specific integrated circuits,
new methods of using multiple proces-
sors for increased throughput, ever
decreasing circuit spacing within the
chip designs, and similar activities aimed
at new computer designs.
The second path is more along the
lines of designing new operating sys-
tems that provide real-time process sup-
port, multiprocessor support, and new
applications for the average user. In the
first path, the program will more than
likely be referred to as computer engi-
neering, while the second path may be
called computer science. The first path
will be more oriented to digital and ana-
log circuit design, with courses and labs
designed to support the needs for circuit
awareness. The second path will be
more involved with the programming of
computer systems, from basic assembler,
to compilers, to the operating systems
needed to support new computers in the
most efficient manner possible. In some
cases, the two paths may be offered in
two different departments within the
university, the engineer through the
Department of Engineering and a degree
in computer engineering or computer
engineering technology, while the sec-
ond may be offered through the
Department of Engineering or Math, with
a degree in computer science.
Test engineering
Now, some might say, you almost
always field-test products. Yes, very true,
often where the field can be a fabric mill,
car rental counter, hotel lobby, or deep
water oil rig. Of course, testing is not lim-
ited to the field but may also be under-
taken within a test facility within the plant.
In this latter case, there will often be spe-
cialized equipment not easily transported
to the field. For example, temperature-
humidity-altitude chambers, anechoic
chambers, and radio field measurement
chambers are all large physical units not
generally portable. The point is that engi-
neering, whatever the chosen field, will
probably require effort in many different
environments and involve certain subspe-
cialties within a given engineering field,
be it civil, electrical, or mechanical.
One problem with test engineering is
that few universities offer such a special-
ized degree. Test engineers generally
develop through assignments in Product
Test, or similar organization, where a
team will perform testing on a new prod-
uct to include mechanical tests, electrical
tests, and software tests. In many instanc-
es, usability testing may be included to
ensure the product is useable by the
intended user group.
One of the authors, as an experi-
enced cameraman, investigated a job in
television, during its infancy, and was
told to get an electrical engineering
degree first. So, no matter what your
intent is for a career, investigate the
(continued on page 21)
11
producing a single result, MC provides a
number of expected outcomes and the
probability of each one occurring. The
basic goal of MC analysis is to quantita-
tively characterize the uncertainty and
variability in estimates of exposure to
risk. A secondary goal is to identify key
sources of variability and uncertainty and
to quantify the relative contribution of
these sources to the overall variance and
range of NPV results.
The sensitivity analysis can clearly
point out the factors that could put the
planned cash flow at largest risk and
we now have to plan how these risks
can be mitigated. For example, addi-
tional marketing research and competi-
tor analysis could be undertaken to
provide more accurate estimates of
unit selling price and sales volumes.
So, you are going to be an engineer!
(continued from page 11)
requirements and understand the off-
shoots relative to what you feel you
really want to do, and in what environ-
ment, then make your decision as to
any engineering field associated, if any.
In author Spencer’s case, he elected not
to take a television cameraman’s job, for
reasons having nothing to do with the
technical side, and had a very satisfying
career with IBM.
Conclusion
From this discussion, it should be
evident that the term “engineer” may
encompass a variety of studies and
career paths for the engineering stu-
dent. It is somewhat like an onion, it
appears simple on the surface, but as
you peel back the layers, there are
many more layers to explore. There is a
growing demand in industry for trained,
skilled engineers. No matter what field
of engineering, engineering support, or
other technical field you may choose,
you must be able to communicate your
findings, suggestions, or results to oth-
ers. Those “others” will in many cases
be other technical or scientific persons,
and such communication may be easy.
On the other hand, those others
will often be nontechnical persons
such as business oriented manage-
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Also, the development program could
be refined by splitting it in more
stages, hence a more accurate estimate
of its duration and the manpower
required could be obtained. Further-
more, product bill of materials and
labor costs should be generated and at
least budgetary quotations from sub-
contractors obtained.
Conclusion
Net present value analysis has been
described as a simple analytical tech-
nique to evaluate financial return of an
investment into an engineering project.
NPV is based on a detailed forecast of
all the project’s income and expendi-
tures as well as an easy way of translat-
ing the value of money across time. The
method is suitable for assessment of
ment, sales people, product or service
users, people who are not technically
trained. It is your responsibility to
make yourself understood, whether it
be in writing reports and proposals or
speaking at conferences. This is one
aspect of scientific and engineering
fields that we found absolutely essen-
tial in our work as engineers, instruc-
tors, and managers.
Engineering is like an onion,
it appears simple on the
surface, but, as you peel back
the layers, there are many
more layers to explore.
One other aspect of engineering
that must be remembered is that over
time, the field will change as new
materials, technologies, and applica-
tions are brought to the marketplace,
regardless of the engineering degree
obtained. As a result, you will need to
maintain your skill set by continuing
education and training. Find the partic-
ular subjects you best enjoy and pur-
sue the necessary courses to fulfill your
dream—and be an engineer.
assumptions and concerns through sen-
sitivity analysis. The variables which put
the cash flow at most risk can be identi-
fied and ways of reducing risks may
then be introduced. Finally, IRR can be
used to compare a number of projects
in terms of their earning potential.
About the author
Vladimir Stoiljkovic (vladimirs@ieee.
org) is head of antenna systems with
Cobham Technical Services (www.
cobham.com). He holds a Dipl. Ing. degree
in electronic engineering and an M.Sc. in
microwave engineering from the University
of Belgrade and a Ph.D. in microwave
engineering from the University of Leeds,
UK. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE
and a chartered engineer of the Institution
of Engineering and Technology.
Read more about it
• ABET Inc. (2010). Criteria for ac-
crediting computing programs [Online].
Available: www.abet.org.
About the authors
Raymond E. Floyd (icubed@tritel.net)
earned a B.S.E.E. from Florida Institute
of Technology in 1970, an M.S.E.E. from
Florida Atlantic University in 1977, and
a Ph.D. in industrial management from
California Coast University in 2009. He
served in the U.S. Air Force as a missile
systems technician, spent six years with
Philco-Ford as a senior training instruc-
tor, and worked 26 years with IBM as a
senior engineer, retiring in 1992.
Richard H. Spencer (rhs385@juno.
com) holds a B.S.E.E. from the University
of Southern California. He was awarded
a scholarship to study cinematography,
and, in 1942, joined the Army as a com-
bat photographer in Burma, filming the
war effort there. He spent 38 years with
IBM as a senior engineer, retiring in
1992. He formed his own company,
Author’s Service Group, with an empha-
sis on documentation, system design,
integration, and usability testing. He has
taught courses in usability, technical
writing, and product testing, both in
industry and as an adjunct professor.
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