Engineering

There are many misconceptions about occupation of engineers. When people imagine an engineer they often think about a dirty male in a helmet. He is boring and hard-working. It is hard job, but not boring. It is interesting and challenging. Engineers are the people who make our everyday lives easier.

Engineers find solutions to problems that are important to society. They control and prevent pollution, develop new medicines, create advanced technologies and help explore new worlds. They make the world a cleaner, safer, healthier place by inventing, building and improving all sorts of things from microchips to household appliances, from skyscrapers to spacecraft.

Interestingly, the word engineer does not come. In fact it comes from the Latin word meaning skilled. An engineer is really a clever, practical problem solver. Although the fields of engineering and science are connected, there are also differences. As one writer once said: scientists build in order to learn, whereas engineers learn in order to build. So science is more about theory, and engineering is more about practice.

There are all sorts of opportunities in a variety of engineering fields such as aerospace, biomedical, civil, mechanical and computer engineering. Mechanical engineers make new engines, machines. Computer engineers make new software. Household applianes. Engineers work alone or in teams, and in all sorts of locations such as offices, factories, research labs, outdoors, and even outer space.

Engineering has often been seen as a male profession. For example, only 9 percent of US engineers are women, while in the UK it is just over 8 percent. However, there is no reason for this: engineers are simply talented people. In fact research shows that women make the best solvers. So now is the time for women to brake the stereotype and engineer the future.

Trends

A trend is a general direction in which something is developing or changing. It can be a general change in social behavior or fashion. For example, current trends are reality TV shows, being concerned about diet and health, using recycling materials, 3D films.

Trends, like medical epidemics and diseases, start in a very small way, maybe from a single person with a virus, then spread very quickly until they take over population and appear to be everywhere. Eventually, they will slow down gradually or die out suddenly. This theory is described in book of Malcolm Gladwell, “Tipping points”. Gladwell also indentifies three types of people who are influential in the development of these kinds of social epidemics.

Connectors know a lot of people and like to introduce people to each other. The people they know also come from a variety of social, cultural, professional and economic circles. Mavens are people with a lot of knowledge or experts in particular field. Mavens collect and gather information so are the first to pick up on new trends. Salesmen are people with charisma and powerful negotiation skills. They are influential because people want to imitate them.

Another strong influence on trends is fashion. Fashion and films have gone hand in hand for a long time. For example, women still repeat looks of famous actress Audrey Hepburn, maybe the most stylish woman. Classical black leather motorcycle jacket and cuffed jeans came from film The Wild One and were worn by Marlon Brando.

Influencing fashion trends can often be about timing. For example, the movie Memoirs of Geisha came just at the right time to start a trend in Japanese fashion. Wearing kimonos daily and Geisha mascara became parts of this trend.