Confessions

In the conversation Angela, Lorie, and I had last week regarding suggested changes/improvements in engineering education, I made an attempt to describe a relationship between ENE and academia. I said that if we wanted to change ENE, there might be a need for a change in academia as a prerequisite. If we want to change the shape of ENE (say circle peg), and want it to fit into academia (say square hole), then we have to make the square hole large enough to encapsulate the circle or we lose some of the circle as it gets trimmed into the square hole. Essentially that is what I believe happens now whether we intend to or not. I suggested, though ambitious, that it might be necessary to create an alternative to the academy but recognized that it would require the equivalent respect/resources/status or we would be duplicate some behaviors that got us to where we are now. I don't have disdain for the academy per se, but I think trying to mold ourselves as engineers and ENE into something means we generated an identity from pictures of others. I know we need a guide when we don't know what we look like and want to project an image, but I felt like the need to be recognized by academia kind of distracted us because we wanted status and prestige and respect. Personally, I am willing to forgo that status and attached respect because I'm not so concerned about image (or so I think). Because of that I'm okay with challenging the shape of the square hole or creating a completely new shape for ENE to coexist with academia so it does not have to fit into it. Have we done enough and grown enough to be big enough to walk on our own as a field and can we educate in a responsible novel fashion freely? Then I was politely reminded by my YouTube partner that I could afford to do that because I already have the stamp of approval as I graduated from the top ACADEMY in my field, so I carry credibility and respect and need to defend less than some others. I hadn't considered it really because I don't want around with it stamped on my face, but it is very much true. I'm in reflective mode a week later and still don't know what to do with it. So I give it to you.