Engineering and Lateral Thinking

I hope 2013 becomes the year in which engineers finally gets serious about redefining the engineering experience.  Knowledge today is profoundly interdisciplinary.  Engineers need to be preparing for work in a global marketplace.  Part of this preparation will require much greater lateral thinking on the part of many engineers.  A key foundation of lateral thinking must be a greater focus on writing, critical quantitative reasoning, information literacy, oral communication, community engagement, human diversity, global engagement, and proficiency in a second language.

Greater lateral thinking produces greater value.  Engineering in the not to distance future will place a premium on the ability to learn new skills in a changing workforce, as well as adapt to and manage multiple careers.