Geekdom Ain't So Bad
According to a 2003 survey by Spectrum
magazine, 79% of the 830 respondents were motivated to become engineers through
a desire to "Invent, build, or design things." 62% say activities that inspired
them to become engineers were "...courses, such as math, chemistry, or physics."
13% knew they wanted to become engineers by age 10. Half believe that math should
be more heavily emphasized (is most important) in high school, while a fourth said
physical sciences are most important. Said one, "To attract potential engineers,
we must overcome the handicap of students associating engineering with 'geekdom.'" |