ACEC News / Engineers Week
February 20, 2019
U.S. Engineers Share Why They Became Engineers

Intellectual curiosity (34 percent) followed by the thrill of finding creative solutions to society’s problems (24 percent) are the most popular reasons many U.S.
engineering firm leaders say they became engineers, according to the latest ACEC Engineering Business Index (EBI).
The fourth quarter 2018 EBI survey of more than 200 U.S. engineering firm leaders was conducted January 3—18. Other top reasons include family influence (17 percent);
and the satisfaction of advancing society’s quality of life (12 percent). High Salary/Abundant Job Opportunities was selected by only 5 percent of respondents, while
Prestige garnered just 3 percent of the responses.
One respondent said, “I have many family members who are engineers, but I was always curious about how things worked, dammed up creeks, built wooden bridges, treehouses,
worked on phone and electrical sockets in the house, worked on my cars and dirt bikes to keep them running. Many things kids don’t get to do today.”
“Growing up, I constantly saw the need to improve dilapidated infrastructure,” added another. “Thought I could be part of the solution.”
Another said, “Engineering is an honorable profession and we need to have more self-esteem and recognize the value we bring to the quality of life we all enjoy.”
To view the EBI survey, click here.
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