Engineering is a career choice of millions of students every year. Sometimes, it is in fact a choice imposed on some by their parents. Each one of us has a dream, something that makes our eyes twinkle and our hearts swell. This instinctive intellect is usually said to be creative. Some of us want to be actors, some prefer dancing, a few might desire to be artistes, and a few turn to writing.
Regardless sometimes of our true longing, we tend to squander our youth chasing professions not best suited for us. Even as we wish to follow our passions, we often don’t appreciate the fact that minds can be riveted by anything. When did physics, chemistry, mathematics or biology become subjects to be pursued under force? Where did the passion of creation go? Did we lose it over time, or were the discoveries of Newton, Einstein or Edison a consequence of parental burden, too?
Fortunately, I come from a place and family where passions are celebrated rather than quelled. I was never a poet or a singer at heart, but I was a creator regardless. The discoveries of the most significant types captivated my mind and engrossed me in a way that I become a lover of science. When my parents asked me about my future pursuits and I told them I wanted to be an engineer, they looked perplexed and asked whether I was doing it just for society or did I really like it. It was strange that I had to spend some time convincing them that I really wanted to become an engineer. I was always and will forever be an engineer at heart. And, today, rather than standing in a corner when others discuss their creative outlets, I gallantly stand up and speak proudly of mine – the marvellous world of creation that we call ‘Engineering’!
