The common engineering stereotype is that of a solitary person; one who isn’t all that good in social situations and feels more comfortable working with numbers than people. I find this at odds with the other common stereotype of engineering students as beer drinking party-goers. How is it that engineers can carry the stigma of excessive drinking and socializing while at the same time being socially awkward?
I spent my first week of January, as I have every year of my undergraduate degree, at the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students annual Congress. This event attracts around 200 of the country’s finest engineering students from coast to coast. The first thing you’ll notice at these events is that we don’t look like engineers: we look like every other student you know. Our jokes however do contain more triple integrals than the arts students. This past year’s congress was held on the east coast, in St. John’s, NL. If you are free next year and want to meet some of the most amazing people you will ever meet, come by Whitehorse in 2012.
I have been very lucky to be a part of the CFES as it’s rare to be in a place with so much talent and inspiring people. When you put so many intelligent people in close proximity to each other you truly understand what it means to be a free thinker. You have to open your mind when chances are that the person next to you knows more than you do (Editor’s note: This is statistically impossible, but I appreciate the sentiment) . At these engineering meetings, everyone is there to learn, everyone is on the same playing field, everyone wants to be there, and everyone contributes in some form.
It has been suggested in the past that engineering students should try and clean up their act and start acting more professional. The idea that we are somehow degrading the profession by hosting over-the-top social events is a constant hum whispered to us from faculty members. The idea that being human and being allowed to find our own way somehow makes us less of an engineer has made its way into the academic consciousness. Even some students have voiced their opinion that engineering students and student groups should focus on only what’s presented in the course outline. This is absolutely absurd. The environment that CFES and groups like it provide to its members is incredibly valuable. An environment where ideas are free and you can learn from your peers and spread your wings. Groups like this provide a feeling of belonging, fellowship and the reassurance that you are not alone. With the world fast becoming totally dependent on technology, students in engineering, science and technology are becoming the gatekeepers of civilization. The luxuries we enjoy are impossible without technology and those who understand it, maintain it and imagine new ways to use it. These people are fast becoming society’s most valuable citizens. The modern engineer needs to have a voice in the public discourse. The issues at the forefront of political debate are entangled in years of scientific research and require technical expertise to solve. If we never let our engineers live, how can we expect them to lead?
Professionals, by definition, are guardians of a body of knowledge. Professionals hold higher knowledge, and we look to them for advice, for they know more than the unprofessional about their area of professional interest. Priests were the first professionals, made so by their vows and sacred knowledge. As engineers, we are tasked with maintaining our civilization, as priests are tasked with maintaining the soul. It takes people with specialized knowledge to do the things we do. We are tasked with doing what the previous generation thought impossible. We are charged with the safetyof society, because we are the ones who understand the dangers. We need to be able to talk honestly about issues and problems. We need to expose our students to environments where they won’t be punished for trying new things. We need to foster creativity. When you are creative in academia you get a failing grade so student groups have taken the task unto themselves.
Next time you see a group of engineers with beers in hand or scheming some elaborate prank, please reserve your judgment. These activities are run so we can blow off some steam. We need to make mistakes; we need to learn firsthand. We need to do things our way and learn our own methods. We need ways to foster our imaginations. The world can’t afford mistakes at this stage in the game and we understand this. As the youth inheriting new ecological, financial, energy and humanitarian emergencies daily, we must understand better than previous generations. We understand that we can no longer sit in front of a computer and ignore the world. We need to go out and experience the world and that’s exactly what we are doing.
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