Perhaps, A. is right when he argued yesterday that there is not any trace of evidence at the hands of the public that help understand how the job of engineers is like or what the role of engineering is in our societies. Everyone knows what a doctor does -he said-; everyone knows what a lawyer does. But the job of the engineer is much more diffuse. In fact, it is even so for the same "engineers" that do not work as engineers -i.e. graduates in Engineering who decide to remain in Academia.
There is always room for stupidity where ignorance lies. Universities are not any exception. Sometimes, they provide great examples. During these days, the College of Engineering at UCL has opened its doors to A level students (i.e. would-be under-graduates next year) with a wonderful inducement: "E - Engineering: Change the World". The advertisement is one more example of the megalomania that affect the British and, mainly, that species half man, half god, rude and mute, called the Londoner. Such gimmick -'Change the World"- is a vulgar decoy, of quite naff taste, as much false as immoral. The most surprising thing to me is the naif ignorance of the deceived believers of it on one side, and the apathetic complicity of the inattentive, on the other. I mean, the message is preposterous. Just put two seconds of thought and try to solve the following questions: do I necessarily have to change the world? If I don't want to, can I still be an Engineer? What does "Change" mean? Is that necessarily good? For sure, Abdulmutallab was unhappy with the world around him during his studies of Mechanical Engineering, and tried to change the world on his own particular style. Imagine that all the graduate students of Engineering in UCL decide to change the world. What a mess!! We will have a different world every year! Or even more often, if they decide to do that in different dates.
I must insist: I can hardly believe that such stupidity is so widely uphold. London crap. You can always say that it is only a way of speaking. However, it is really naff and misleading and, I am sure, people believe it. There are ways of conveying the message in a much more positive manner. It comes to my mind a poster hold in the door of some PhD Students of Aerospace Engineering in Huntsville, AL, years ago. It showed the precious planet Earth and a powerful and beautiful rocket in the middle of the Universe, and a message: "Without limits", or something like it... I feel it works better, don't you?
Along with this, there is a tendency to deceive the tender A-level students with two vigorous lies based on ignorance. First: although you study Engineering, you do not have to pursue a career as an Engineer. Engineering is an door-opener, you can do whatever (and be very rich,perhaps)... I do not understand: if you want to work in a bank, why do you need to study Engineering? My opinion is quite the opposite: boy, find out what the hell you want to do with your life (at least, find the big strokes) and do not end up like me! Pick a choice and work hard. If you do not start looking up to this question now, you will be unhappy very soon, I guarantee you. Second: Engineering will give you a specific set of skills that will act like a Diplomatic Passport or a Green Job Card: you can work everywhere. This is another stupidity. My experience is the opposite again. Once you find the first job, you cling to it. Changing lanes is sooo hard to achieve.
The bottom line is that teenagers, in most cases, as everybody else, would want to be happy. That is all. Some would want to change the world, most would not even think about it. Most of them are not geniuses. I am quite normal, myself. It does not matter. Often, the great heroes are not very smart and their actions are valuable but inconspicuous. People in general like to do things they enjoy, that they feel good at it and love getting satisfactions but, after all, their purpose is to carry on with their lives. And that is all...
Bullshit should fly back.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
There is always room for stupidity where ignorance lies. Universities are not any exception. Sometimes, they provide great examples. During these days, the College of Engineering at UCL has opened its doors to A level students (i.e. would-be under-graduates next year) with a wonderful inducement: "E - Engineering: Change the World". The advertisement is one more example of the megalomania that affect the British and, mainly, that species half man, half god, rude and mute, called the Londoner. Such gimmick -'Change the World"- is a vulgar decoy, of quite naff taste, as much false as immoral. The most surprising thing to me is the naif ignorance of the deceived believers of it on one side, and the apathetic complicity of the inattentive, on the other. I mean, the message is preposterous. Just put two seconds of thought and try to solve the following questions: do I necessarily have to change the world? If I don't want to, can I still be an Engineer? What does "Change" mean? Is that necessarily good? For sure, Abdulmutallab was unhappy with the world around him during his studies of Mechanical Engineering, and tried to change the world on his own particular style. Imagine that all the graduate students of Engineering in UCL decide to change the world. What a mess!! We will have a different world every year! Or even more often, if they decide to do that in different dates.
I must insist: I can hardly believe that such stupidity is so widely uphold. London crap. You can always say that it is only a way of speaking. However, it is really naff and misleading and, I am sure, people believe it. There are ways of conveying the message in a much more positive manner. It comes to my mind a poster hold in the door of some PhD Students of Aerospace Engineering in Huntsville, AL, years ago. It showed the precious planet Earth and a powerful and beautiful rocket in the middle of the Universe, and a message: "Without limits", or something like it... I feel it works better, don't you?
Along with this, there is a tendency to deceive the tender A-level students with two vigorous lies based on ignorance. First: although you study Engineering, you do not have to pursue a career as an Engineer. Engineering is an door-opener, you can do whatever (and be very rich,perhaps)... I do not understand: if you want to work in a bank, why do you need to study Engineering? My opinion is quite the opposite: boy, find out what the hell you want to do with your life (at least, find the big strokes) and do not end up like me! Pick a choice and work hard. If you do not start looking up to this question now, you will be unhappy very soon, I guarantee you. Second: Engineering will give you a specific set of skills that will act like a Diplomatic Passport or a Green Job Card: you can work everywhere. This is another stupidity. My experience is the opposite again. Once you find the first job, you cling to it. Changing lanes is sooo hard to achieve.
The bottom line is that teenagers, in most cases, as everybody else, would want to be happy. That is all. Some would want to change the world, most would not even think about it. Most of them are not geniuses. I am quite normal, myself. It does not matter. Often, the great heroes are not very smart and their actions are valuable but inconspicuous. People in general like to do things they enjoy, that they feel good at it and love getting satisfactions but, after all, their purpose is to carry on with their lives. And that is all...
Bullshit should fly back.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
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