Another reader concurred:
"Companies have an unrealistic
expectation of what benefits outsourcing
will bring them. They see
dollar signs, but don't recognize
the significant overhead involved
in managing outsourced R&D, the inefficiencies, and the risks that the contracting
organization has high turnover and
won't get the job done on time. Although I
am not concerned in the near future about
my job, in the long run - 10 years or so -
global competition for engineering design
will make U.S. engineering careers less
attractive, unfortunately."
Not everyone agrees: "I think it is a necessary
business strategy," said one engineering
manager. "The bottom line in any
business comes down to making a healthy
enough profit to stay in business and hopefully
grow. I think there are times when outsourcing
is healthy and efficient for the business
and there are some circumstances
where it is less efficient. I think one must
consider whether or not the outsourcing
really helps or hurts the bottom line of the
company or hinders it."
One reader summed up the thoughts
and concerns of many survey respondents
when he said, "From a global economy
view, it seems that it would be a good thing
to increase the welfare of struggling nations
that have qualified people to do the work.
From a more local view, it looks more like
companies are undercutting the American
workforce to save money."
Accepting the Challenges
Issues of job security and compensation
aside, engineers continue to eagerly
embrace the opportunities their jobs give
them to take on the challenges associated
with the design of new products and
the ephemeral rewards that come with
the exploration and discovery of new
solutions.
"I have a different perspective because
I worked directly on the testing of devices
that were selected to be part of an instrument
system that would be launched on a
mission to collect data from another planet
of our solar system," beamed one engineer.
"There is a special satisfaction in
realizing that the products I produced during
the mid-nineties have only recently
arrived on orbit at the designated planet
(Saturn) and are working and sending
back useful data."
And beyond the joy of testing one's individual
mettle, engineering provides a strong
sense of doing something concrete and
positive for the greater good.
"The opportunity exists to effectively
change the world," stated one engineer.
"Where else can you come to work every
day with the potential to drastically change
the way people live? The work has the
potential to be very challenging as well as
mundane. Opportunities are here for
advancement in the pure technical arena or
growth into management of both personnel
and project. What you learn in an engineering
position in terms of problem-solving
skills and management skills are skills that
you can take with you to other fields if you
decide you need a change."
Another engineer put it this way: "A number
of challenges will be facing the world's
population in the coming years, such as
energy shortages, climate change, environmental
concerns, and food production shortages.
Engineers are needed to bring about
the technological advances required to
address those challenges. That means that
there will be many opportunities for young
engineers to solve important problemsâ?¦
and the importance to society of solving
those problems means that the engineers'
contributions will be highly valued."
It is, of course, too soon to tell whether
any of the trends detected in this year's survey
will continue to play out in the future.
Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons to
be hopeful about the engineering profession.
Momentum for outsourcing has
peaked for many companies, and few still
see it as a panacea. Upper management
has learned that a risk-averse approach to
R&D investment can itself be risky. And, the
global marketplace's appetite for technology
of all kinds shows no signs of abating.
Given these conditions, and the new
challenges the world faces as it deals with
issues such as rising energy costs and climate
change, engineering probably isn't the
worst profession a person could choose. In
fact, under the right conditions, it may be
one of the most rewarding, both materially
and personally.