I have worked with engineers for 30 years. I have worked with students for 12 years. Many engineers and students hesitate or back away from writing challenges, opportunities or assignments. There are a few who like to write, and a few who like to write well. My engineering opportunities have increased because of my willingness to write. How about you? Do you write as an engineer? Do you write as a hobby? Are engineers better because they write? Should the college curriculum include more writing? Is it correct for someone to say, “I don’t need to learn to write– I’m an engineer!”
In the book I am reading, Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Somerville state, “This single-minded focus in engineering is in part due to the emphasis on depth in engineering education. There’s a sense that because there’s so much technical stuff to learn, we can’t afford to spend time developing students’ other intelligences.” (David E. Goldberg and Mark Somerville, A Whole New Engineer, The Coming Revolution in Engineering Education, ThreeJoy Associates, Inc. Douglas, Michigan, 2014)