Engineer

From ArticleWorld

An engineer is a professional trained in a certain branch of engineering, in order to apply scientific and mathematical knowledge to solve practical problems. Using existing technology, in the form of instruments, tools or software, reliable solutions can be arrived at with the help of an engineer’s skill.

Although the term ‘engineer’ is used to denote a person who is educated in a certain discipline, it can also be used to describe the operator or maintainer of a certain vehicle, for instance, a locomotive engineer, a marine engineer or a flight engineer.

Rolle played by engineers

Engineers play specialised roles at different hierarchical levels. For instance, engineers may be part of a team (headed by a manager) engaged in the design of hi-tech software in order to automate a car manufacturing plant. There may be a different team of engineers engaged in coding the software. A yet another team would be involved in testing the software before it is delivered. Maintenance and troubleshooting tasks also require engineering skill, no matter what field it is. For example, only licensed electrical engineers may be authorised to enter a power substation in order to supervise repairs.

History

Before the 18th century, the engineer’s role consisted mainly of construction for military purposes. Later, as machinery began to be invented, mechanical engineering was recognised as a new branch of engineering. Technical advances led to more fields of engineering being taught, both in the late 19th and the 20th centuries. Some of the newest branches of engineering are genetic engineering and software development engineering.