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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.'"