Engineers satisfied with career, survey finds

An ASQ survey found that most engineers are satisfied with their career choice, though many agree their career is also quite challenging, particularly while pursuing their degree in college.

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More than half of the engineers polled in a recent ASQ survey said the amount of studying needed to succeed and maintaining high grades in science and math were the primary challenges they faced while pursuing an engineering degree.

While engineers said the amount of time needed to study was a challenge, 43% said the amount of time spent studying played the biggest role in their success as an engineer, a career with which they’re satisfied, according to the survey. Twenty-seven percent said instruction from high school teachers and college professors played the biggest role in their success.

The electronic survey ran Jan. 30-Feb. 8 and polled 509 engineers who are members of ASQ.

According to the latest ASQ survey of engineers, 44% of engineers said the amount of work and study needed to succeed was the primary challenge faced while pursuing an engineering degree, while 14% said maintaining high grades in related subjects, like math and science, was their main challenge. Other challenges provided by engineers include:

• Lack of mentorship
• Poor quality of teachers
• Selection of available engineering degrees at nearby university
• Lack of prep courses in high school.

Despite the challenges faced by engineers in college, most engineers polled are satisfied with their career — only 3% said they are dissatisfied with their career choice.

- Edited by Chris Vavra, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, www.csemag.com