PCB007 Magazine

PCB007-Oct2022

Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1481876

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 51 of 103

52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2022 role will entail. is also helps students understand the value of their work. A professional can be an engineer in the field, or it can be one of the students' professors—individuals they see daily and who will guide them toward feeling passionate about their future careers. Most professors see the talents their students possess and mentor them into successful careers. • "Sensemaking" is a way for students to combine their personal identity with their professional engineering identity. Most students enter engineering and quickly become overwhelmed by the depth of technical knowledge they lack, which leads to feelings that their personal and profes- sional identities can never be conjoined. But when students become part of some- thing other than education within their campus communities, they quickly learn that engineering isn't just technical exper- tise but a way to work with and lead others. Joining a student organization provides opportunities to realize the importance of a diverse working environ- ment and it creates more inclusivity within colleges. Students develop their so skills oen not learned in an engineering course. Education that incorporates the "doing," "interacting," and "sensemaking" are vital to building the next generation of engineering leaders. e field of engineering needs greater diver- sity, but with employee morale and reten- tion rates dropping each day, it feels like this diverse culture is on the decline. Innovative R&D has led to exponential growth in the elec- tronics industry, but as companies implement new roles, they aren't able to keep up with employee demand. is is where integrating "sensemaking" into work cultures may lead to tremendous growth in retention rates. When incorporating "sensemaking," it is important this isn't established during college, many stu- dents will leave school feeling unsatisfied or unfulfilled by their career choice. As students enter college, they leave behind their known and comfortable environment and enter quite a challenging environment. Negative surroundings can leave many stu- dents feeling like outcasts or that their degree program leaders don't want them, so they end up changing majors or dropping out of school. One experimental study 3 has shown that stu- dents do not have to feel uncomfortable within their environment; they can start identifying themselves within engineering. is is done by "doing," "interacting," and "sensemaking." • "Doing" asks a student to start developing the skills and technical knowledge needed to excel within their career. ey are asked to work intentionally and become present in activities that engage with the engineering design process. Students start to feel more comfortable with discovery and building problem-solving capabilities. • When "interacting" is present, students are asked to network with individuals within the engineering profession and engage with their work. When students interact with professionals in their field, they quickly get a sense of what a future IPC President and CEO John Mitchell visited Valparaiso University's IPC student chapter. For Hannah, this was an exercise in "sensemaking."

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of PCB007 Magazine - PCB007-Oct2022