Professional Engineer In The Nigerian Society

The practice of engineering is within the domain of social-economic interests of the people, this implies that engineering practice has an inherent impact on the society at large. An engineer’s conduct toward other engineering family members, his employers, toward clients, and toward the public is an essential part of the life of a professional engineer.

Engineering practice is guided by professional codes of conducts put together by professional bodies e.g COREN, NIEEE and NSE in Nigeria. An engineer’s conduct, as captured in professional codes of conduct lay out a roadmap for professional relationships between a professional engineer and the society.

* WHO IS AN ENGINEER?

From hindustantimes.com “Engineers are people who solve problems and focus on making things work more efficiently and effectively. They apply the theories and principles of science and mathematics to research and develop economical solutions to technical problems”
Also from dictionary.com “Engineer is a person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of engineering: e.g a mechanical engineer, a civil engineer, an electrical engineer
Bringing it closer to us electrical engineers..” An electrical engineer is someone who designs and develops new electrical equipment, tests equipment and solves electrical problems. They work with all kinds of electronic devices, from the smallest pocket devices to large supercomputers. Electrical engineering deals with electricity, electromagnetism and electronics”.
By manipulating basic theories in mathematics and science, engineers apply their technical knowledge to conceive, design and implement new processes, products and systems that make our everyday lives easy…
Through innovation, creativity and change Engineers provide cutting edge technology for our safety, health, security, comfort and entertainment.

 As an engineer you might be on the team that develops the next generation communication gadget, or a medical device that will help doctors treat an illness, or a spacecraft that will carry humans to Mars, a satellite monitoring system to stop Boko Haram insurgency and traffic robbery, or a system that can bring clean water to an underdeveloped region in Nigeria, or a new power source that is sustainable and provides clean energy for remote villages, or a device that can detect toxic agents and chemicals, an energy efficient building or an earthquake safe world, or an electrical system for a multi-million rice processing plant. etc.

Some traits of Engineer are:-
•Desire to Figure Things out. …
•Applied Creativity. …
•Maths Skills. …
•Electro-mechanical Skills. …
•Listening and Problem-Solving Skills. …
•Interpersonal and Leadership Skills

* QUALITIES OF A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

Some of the characteristics and qualities of great professional engineers are enumerated below:-

1. Strong Analytical skillset: A professional engineer has excellent analytical skillsets, he’s not jumping into conclusions without dissecting the problems into parts, analysing and putting it back together to help things work better. They are naturally inquisitive, want to know whys..and whats..

2. Very Detailed: Paying attention to details is one of the chief characters of a professional engineer. A simple error can cause an entire electrical system to fail or cause injury to persons, so every detail of working of the systems must be reviewed thoroughly.

3. Great Communication Skills: Effective communication is significantly important during projects and working with diverse teams. A professional engineer should be a good communicator. Engineers are saddled with the translation of complex technical jargons into plain English or other agreed formats of communication. He’s also responsible for communicating verbally with clients, other engineers, technicians and stakeholders working together on a project.

4. Continuing Professional development: Every practising engineer must keep tabs of the latest trends shaping the engineering sector. The engineering field is dynamic and Changes in technology happen rapidly. We are in the era of IoT, 5G, Blockchain, data analytics, cloud computing and other emerging technological solutions, successful engineers need to keep abreast of new research and ideas. Continuous professional development programmes must be encouraged by NIEEE, NSE and COREN. This may even form part of requirements for recertification of membership.

5. Creativity: Being creative is fundamental to a great professional engineer. Engineers are trained to be creative problem-solvers, we always think of new and innovative ways of developing new systems and making existing one work more efficiently. Finding alternative economical solutions to existing problems is a germane quality of engineers.

6. Model Problems Mathematically: Most scientific and engineering problems can be model mathematically. A professional engineer must possess excellent mathematical knowledge, identify and separate all variables, apply physical laws and principles to formulate the problem mathematically. Engineering involves complex calculations of varying difficulties, these problems have to be modelled mathematically and knowledge of Algebra, Calculus, complex functions can be readily applied to solve for needed parameters.

7. Team Player: A professional engineer would understand that he is a part of a larger team working together towards successfully delivery of projects, therefore he must maintain a good working relationship with other stakeholders.

8. Excellent Technical Knowledge: Professional engineers must be a reservoir of technical know-how. They understand computer programs and other system tools that are commonly used during an engineering project. Knowledge of working tools like AutoCAD, Solidworks, Matlab is highly essential.