... that while few projects really require a brilliant "superman") to do the engineering, one never knows what the next project will require. My own observation has been that the ones who (1) like to work, (2) enjoy the work that they do, and (3) know that they're good at what they do, are the ones who will rise to nearly any challenge, whether they're specifically trained to be expert in the field or not. There is, of course, a difference between the truly expert and the ones diligent enough to become so. The key ingredient is the love of their work. You can easily recognize the difference between the ones who work for the paycheck and the ones who work for the love of it.

It's true that everyone needs a job with which they can feed themselves and their family but they also have to meet their employer's demand for competence, diligence, and work ethic. Not everyone is cut out to be an engineer, despite any formal training. If they can't compete with the ones who love the work, perhaps they should find employment in a field that does motivate them to have the needed diligence and work ethic. An engineering education is, at least in the technical sense, superior to most, and equal to any. Aside from the language skills shortcomings to which I've referred from time to time, a person who's graduated engineering school should be able to function well in nearly any field of endeavor, though engineers often have shown themselves to be remarkably poor managers.

RE