The engineer's present and future responsibilities

Abstract

EVERY professional man has hurdles to get over if he is to succeed. To start with, he must be a mechanic. The danger is that he will never be anything else. The medical man must be skilled in observations and diagnoses which can be purely mechanical. The surgeon must be an adept in dissection and tying knots. The lawyer must have a somewhat mechanical ability in stating definitely an idea, or meeting of minds, in words. Any honest so-called professional man strives to do the job at hand to the best of his ability. He wants to earn his pay. In this, however, he is no different from the honest toolmaker working to a thousandth of an inch. If their several abilities go no further, why should they be called professional men? What is the difference between the most highly trained mechanic and the professional man? I have no doubt many men would give many different answers. To me the answer is that the professional man never forgets human relations and the progress of human development. The true professional man sees more in his job at hand than a repair, a victory, or material achievement. Each such job at hand by which he earns his daily bread is part of a fundamental personal purpose to aid humanity in general. He means by his whole work and life to make the world better. He is willing also to give time and thought, for which he is not paid, in the hope of making human relations closer and more sympathetic. In short, he adds to his devotion to his client or customer a devotion to humanity.