Engineering - the Need for American Innovation

 Off-shoring. Down-sizing. Out-sourcing. All words tossed around when talking about the job outlook for engineers. What is fact? What is fiction?

Since World War II, approximately half of the U.S. economic growth is the result of technological innovation. Developed countries, like the U.S., enjoy many luxuries from simple amenities often taken for granted such as clean, running water available indoors and electricity to more advanced luxuries like automobiles, laptop computers, Ipods, and cell phones.

Engineering knowledge doubles every ten years. Think back to the year 1996 – some of the hottest Christmas gifts included Tickle Me Elmo and Nintendo 64. Fast forward to 2006 –

Counselors – Need Continuing Education Units? SMU Engineering’s Educators’ Day coming in the Summer of 2007. You will learn how to identify a future engineer, what engineering schools look for in students, and about opportunities in engineering. Watch for information at engr.smu.edu.

Women in Engineering at SMU – SMU Engineering’s Gender Parity Initiative, an effort to reach 50% female enrollment in engineering, is on track. In the Fall of 2006, 37% of incoming students were female! Overall, 30% of SMU Engineering students (freshman through graduating senior) are female, well above the national average of 19%.

SMU Engineering Camp for Girls – applications will be available on-line beginning in January. Students must be female rising juniors and seniors interested in exploring engineering for a week in the Summer of 2007. Watch engr.smu.edu for more information.

SMU Engineering Camp for Seniors  - applications will be available on-line beginning in January. Students must be rising seniors (who will graduate in 2008) interested in exploring engineering during the Summer of 2007. This camp is co-ed and open to both male and female students. Watch engr.smu.edu for more information.

 Elmo is now “Elmo T.M.X.” who laughs, slaps his knee, and falls to a sitting position. Video gamers now choose from Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, among many more. While Elmo and video gaming systems will not insure national security or cure cancer, their evolution does represent the rapid rate of technological advances. 

Currently, the U.S. is a net importer of high-tech products, which affects our families, society, and schools. While some routine jobs, such as manufacturing, are being off-shored, INNOVATION IS STAYING (and must stay) IN THE U.S. Some of the hottest careers for engineers are growing quickly and must stay here at home. Fields such as Security Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering are key to the safety and security of Americans…and we need more American citizens to fill the jobs in these fields.

For 2005-2006 graduates, all the top five paying Bachelors degrees were engineering or computer science, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). These top salaries ranged from just over $50,000 to $56,000. For students earning a Masters or Doctorate in engineering or computer science, the starting salaries are even higher!

At SMU, more than 90% of our engineering undergraduate students are gainfully employed within three months of graduation.  Students will often receive multiple offers as a result of our internship and Co-op programs. These programs enable students to start their careers early ensuring job security after graduation.

Myth: engineering jobs are going off-shore.
Reality: engineering INNOVATION is here to stay!
Bottomline: a degree in engineering provides students with an excellent foundation to pursue an exciting career in nearly any industry, or even future studies in medical or law school.

Betsy Willis, Ph.D

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