Engineer Parents Can’t Explain Engineering to their Child
Can you explain engineering to your own kid?
Engineering is exciting and filled with fantastic opportunities. If you are lucky like Howard Wolowitz from the Big Bang Theory, you can even get to work on space missions. Okay, not everybody can do that but you can’t deny that engineers can make some seriously cool things.
Explain engineering to a kid (Source: Engineering For Kids)
On the other hand, a seven-year old kid may not share the same view of the world of engineering. In fact, they might not even have a proper idea about it. Being kids, they can think up of weird professions they want to join when they grow up. One moment, they can scream about being an astronomer and as soon as you buy them a spaceship toy, they decide that they are better off being a rock star. Kids!
Of course, they may want to know about being an engineer. Now, you may think that it’s a tough thing to do. But if you can’t explain questions on engineering, what will you do when they begin to ask the real hard ones such as those about life?
Explain engineering to a kid (Source: UON FEBE)
Don’t fret. It’s not too hard. You can start by showing them how cool engineering can be. Trust us. Kids love the cool stuff. So show that engineers are not necessarily nerds with specs and plaids. Tell them about the awesome things that engineers made such as voice controls and life support systems.
Kids need to know that engineering is not about equations. Instead, it’s about solving problems. For example, there can be challenges in making a spaceship and it is the engineers’ job to solve them. Even better is the fact that engineers are the ones who design and bring that solution to life. How cool is it to know that your equipment helped improve somebody’s life?
Explain engineering to a kid (Source: Giphy)
Last of all; tell them how important engineers have become. Technology is advancing rapidly throwing up all sorts of problems that only engineers can solve.
So sit down and have a chat with your kid, but do not force him to it. But if he reciprocates with interest, convincing the kid to pursue engineering later on will be easy as pie
