Is Electrical Engineering the Most Impactful Career Choice?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the impact of various engineering careers, particularly Electrical Engineering (EE), on society. Participants explore the significance of different engineering fields in improving lives and contributing to civilization, while expressing personal preferences and opinions about what constitutes a meaningful career.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that Electrical Engineering is crucial for societal functions, particularly in areas like electricity usage in factories.
  • Others argue that the impact of a career is determined more by the people in those roles rather than the careers themselves.
  • Several participants highlight the importance of sanitation engineering, claiming that society would collapse without it.
  • There are claims that HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) engineering is essential for comfort and functionality in modern buildings.
  • Some participants emphasize that all engineering professions are indispensable in their own ways, contributing to various aspects of daily life.
  • One participant raises a question about the necessity of electricity, prompting further exploration of its role in society.
  • There is a mention of the significance of mundane technologies, such as sanitation and refrigeration, in enhancing life expectancy and societal development.
  • Some express that passion for a field is more important than the field itself, suggesting that all disciplines hold equal importance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views on the significance of different engineering careers, with no clear consensus on which is the most impactful. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the relative importance of Electrical Engineering compared to other fields.

Contextual Notes

Participants' claims are based on personal opinions and experiences, and the discussion reflects a variety of perspectives without definitive conclusions. The importance of different engineering roles may depend on context and individual values.

AlexES16
Messages
113
Reaction score
1
Engineering that is indispensable for society or improving peoples life?? maybe EE?

Well I enjoy physics and math, but not to much chemistry becouse i suck at it. I want a career that really make an impact in peoples life, but not in a superficial way. I was thinking in Electrical Engineering, we use electricity to cook, ligth, and maybe other very usefuel things, but we also used for not necessary things like video games or dumb things. Medicine is not an option. Economics is to superficial and humanities most of the time is just thinking. So an engineering in which you really do something usefuel? my first option at the moment is EE. How much electricity is used in factories, like pharmaceutical industrie?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org


It's not the careers but people who benefit society.
 


I give people air conditioning.

How much electricity is used in factories, like pharmaceutical industrie?
A bunch.
 


russ_watters said:
I give people air conditioning.

In my book, that is the greatest and noblest profession of all.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: erisedk


rootX said:
It's not the careers but people who benefit society.
Well, there you obviously have it, genetic engineering.
 


I vote sanitation engineer. Civilization, as we know it, would collapse within a week or so without functional sewer systems.
 
Last edited:


russ_watters said:
I give people air conditioning.

A bunch.

Wow nice...
 


Chronos said:
I vote sanitation engineer. Civilization, as we know it, would collapse within a week or so without functional sewer systems.

Does sanitatione engineering really exist?
 


rootX said:
It's not the careers but people who benefit society.

Yeah but career are defintly important
 
  • #10


AlexES16 said:
Does sanitatione engineering really exist?
Civil Engineer
 
  • #11


I tell people what's best for them and how to live their lives.
 
  • #12


Evo said:
Civil Engineer

yeah but maybe electricity is more essential?
 
  • #13


How really is electricity neccesary?
 
  • #14


Evo said:
Civil Engineer

Agree. Infrastructure is destiny.
 
  • #15


AlexES16 said:
yeah but maybe electricity is more essential?

I believe passion is more important than careers. All disciplines are equally important.
 
  • #16


You want to be a hero? Be a pipefitter, or work in HVAC. No society would exist without proper sanitation and ventilation. Everything else is just a luxury.
 
  • #17


KalamMekhar said:
You want to be a hero? Be a pipefitter, or work in HVAC. No society would exist without proper sanitation and ventilation. Everything else is just a luxury.

Looks like HVAC uses a lot of electricity =)
 
  • #18


All engineering professions are indispensable in some way. You can't take a dump without civil engineers, you can't post on PF without electrical or computer engineers, you can't drive a car without aerospace or mechanical engineers, you can't get any fuel for said car without petroleum engineers, you can't get the metals in your phone without mining engineers, no commercial products would exist without industrial engineers, you couldn't get an x-ray or radiation treatment (and a sizable amount of your electricity) without nuclear engineers, your bank account would get hacked without software engineers... I could go on.
 
  • #19


Eh hem - you forgot HVAC engineers: You won't be comfortable in your own house without them...and no office building with computers could function without them.

What KM said really is true: There are some very simple things that we take for granted in modern society that modern society simply wouldn't exist without. Sanitation (your toilet/plumbing) is the biggest reason for the doubling of our lifespans in the past 100 years. Refrigeration (your refrigerator) is probably second, but certainly beyond that, it is a technology that enables much of modern society.

Often, it is the mundane/basic things that are the most essential. Electricity falls into that category as well.
 
Last edited:
  • #20


oxygen engineer!
 
  • #21


russ_watters said:
Eh hem - you forgot HVAC engineers: You won't be comfortable in your own house without them...and no office building with computers could function without them.

What KM said really is true: There are some very simple things that we take for granted in modern society that modern society simply wouldn't exist without. Sanitation (your toilet/plumbing) is the biggest reason for the doubling of our lifespans in the past 100 years. Refrigeration (your refrigerator) is probably second, but certainly beyond that, it is a technology that enables much of modern society.

Often, it is the mundane/basic things that are the most essential. Electricity falls into that category as well.

Yeah, is a shame we only see that when we lose them.
 
  • #22


Pythagorean said:
oxygen engineer!

Wow that really is one xD
 
  • #23


russ_watters said:
Eh hem - you forgot HVAC engineers: You won't be comfortable in your own house without them...and no office building with computers could function without them.

What KM said really is true: There are some very simple things that we take for granted in modern society that modern society simply wouldn't exist without. Sanitation (your toilet/plumbing) is the biggest reason for the doubling of our lifespans in the past 100 years. Refrigeration (your refrigerator) is probably second, but certainly beyond that, it is a technology that enables much of modern society.

Often, it is the mundane/basic things that are the most essential. Electricity falls into that category as well.

Thats great HVAC uses electricity =)
 
  • #24


Angry Citizen said:
All engineering professions are indispensable in some way. You can't take a dump without civil engineers, you can't post on PF without electrical or computer engineers, you can't drive a car without aerospace or mechanical engineers, you can't get any fuel for said car without petroleum engineers, you can't get the metals in your phone without mining engineers, no commercial products would exist without industrial engineers, you couldn't get an x-ray or radiation treatment (and a sizable amount of your electricity) without nuclear engineers, your bank account would get hacked without software engineers... I could go on.

Engineering FTW, and agricultors =)
 
  • #25


Nothing goes higher than a teacher or maybe a doctor.
 

Similar threads

Double majoring in electrical engineering and physics
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
5K
Choosing Physics or Electrical Engineering
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Best Engineering in the Past 100 years
  • · Replies 75 ·
3
Replies
75
Views
16K
Deciding between Physics or Engineering after a very turbulent year
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
3K
Engineering What is the best EE route for someone living in North Texas (DFW)?
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
4K
Enquiries on a potential career in Engineering
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
What Engineering Path Should I Choose for My Career?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Physics Looking to pivot to physics at 31, could use some guidance
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
4K
Admissions How Can I Improve My Chances of Getting into a PhD Program in Engineering?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering Combination
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
14K