This 4 March, we mark World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, a UNESCO international celebration that highlights the achievements of engineers and the importance they have to play in building a liveable future.
But despite helping shape our lives, not everyone knows about the important work of engineers — not even their children.
We sat down with seven Engineers Australia members and their kids to find out what the children of engineers think they do. Hint: sending emails and talking to people came up a lot.
Find the rest of our World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development celebrations here.
If engineers are so vital to the world and build everything, then why are they paid so poorly? It is merely impossible to reach the pay level of the doctors and the executives. What is the taboo behind this?
A wonderful feature – challenging but important to explain our calling. ps; Anant, I’d be an engineer irrespective of remuneration as I just love what I do. Rewards follow passion … and the compelling value proposition.
I agree with Anant. Chris, yes we enter the profession because we like to resolve problems but when you see that not only the pay is low but there is the issue of “who’s takes the accolades” and is very rare that an engineer would be recognized.
Perhaps the pay gap can be explained by the low public interactions by engineers.
Doctors and lawyers work more directly with the public and therefore have a higher public profile.
Not to say some engineers don’t work directly for the public but in general do not.
Therefore the ‘market’ for engineers is more limited.