"Engineers rule the world!" This phrase, popular among engineering students, holds a lot of truth, but what exactly is engineering? Since it affects all aspects of everyday life, it ought to be common knowledge. In reality, very few people could actually explain what it is.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as
"1.a. The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, processes, and systems. b. The profession of or the work performed by an engineer. 2. Skillful maneuvering or direction: geopolitical engineering; social engineering."

It is an applied science infused with creativity. An engineer's job is to have the innovation to improve the quality of life by creating "a world that never was (discoverengineering.org)." Engineers design and build bridges, roads, electronic devices, and environmental solutions to name a few.

What most people fail to see, however, is that engineering is not just a profession, but also a way of life. It is seeing a problem and wanting to solve it, whether it is coming up with a brand new solution or merely modifying the existing one. The world is seen from a completely different perspective. Everything can always be made better if people choose to make it so.

As a profession, it should give the engineer a sense of purposea reason to get up every morning, and a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day that he or she made a difference. By creating superior alternatives to a current situation, engineers improve the lifestyle of the public. It could be as frivolous as working out technical difficulties in a cell phone and coming out with a new model, or as crucial as a water filtration system. The impact is dependent on the project and location. Having said this, engineering can transform into whatever the engineer wills it to be.

For how much engineering alters human existence, it really is rather underappreciated. Everything is affected by the phantom profession in one way or another. Engineers' imaginations determine the advancement of technology, which, in turn, changes how people live. So what is engineering? Engineering is the future.

Learn more about this author, Ariele Chow.
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