Analysis of Chile

As my final blog post, I will write the required essay.

1.)   Ethical Issues in Engineering

In the engineering profession, it is vitally important to evaluate the ethicality of work and decisions. Engineers are responsible for ensure that their work will not put public or the environment in unnecessary harm. In Chile, this responsibility should be equally emphasized. As we visited the companies, I learned that often more workers are hired to do the job that machines could do. This is because labor is cheaper than buying and maintaining machinery. If companies were to invest in these machines, would they improve the workers' condition? Would workers lose jobs because of them? If I were to do engineering work in the country, I would enjoy investigating these questions. It would be the responsibility of such an engineer to examine the industrial affects it would have on the company’s business, and the affect that it would have on the workers of the company. Another notable engineering issue is the construction of hyrdoelectric dams for power in Chile. Would the addition of these dams damage the precious natural environment of Chile? Does the new, cheaper power give a better resource to the Chilean people? These are some of the engineering issues that are being discussed in Chile.

2.)   Educational Breadth as Professional Development

Because of the new experience I have gained through the study abroad experience in Chile, I have gained advantageous knowledge about my field of engineering generally and on a global scale. The differences between Chilean and American industries are notable, especially with the emphasis on human labor over machinery. Chile is a typical of a Latin American country with a strong economy. For an engineer to be open to have success, it is necessary to be able to expand and work in other countries, like in South America. Learning that engineering is slightly different worldwide inspires investigation of foreign engineers’ practices. Because of all these things, it is critical for engineering students to study engineering abroad as part of their higher education. To expand knowledge of world engineering while at the university, it is also vital to learn about countries cultures and develop an understanding of how and why engineering differs abroad. For example, in underdeveloped countries, engineering might be utilizing environmental knowledge to maximize service and resource distribution where transportation may be more difficult. It is important to understand the cultures of foreign countries to be successful as an engineer globally.

3.)   Lifelong Learning, Continuing Education as Professional Development

As an engineer, education often determines one's success in a career. An engineer may study to recieve a bachelor's or master's degree before seeking employment. However, to advance positions to levels of management, often a PhD is required. In Chile, we learned from the students that they must study for 6 years or more to graduate. That is quite extended from the 4 year standard in the United States. Often on the company visits we discussed with owners who seemed to be educated. At Bosques del Mauco, our guide was educated in mushroom growing at school. At Vina Indomita, an agricultural engineer heads the team in charge of grape growing and wine production. It is clear that engineers must go through a level of education before employment in their position. However, like all jobs, one cannot be fully prepared for the job they are employed for without some field experience. The more experience one has in a field, the more versitility they have in that field. Also, as industries grow, technologies are focused on suppling the demands of these industries. Companies like LAN must update their fleets as newer commercial planes are introduced to the market. With the purchasing of these new planes, new mechanics, staff and pilots are needed to implement these technological advancements. From a combination of a formal education and on-the-job experience, an employee can best contribute to a company.

4.)   The Social Environment of Professional Life

 Who people are affects what they do as a career. Those who are able to connect with people, maintain others focus and attempt to bring others up can make good educators. A business owner who is able to charismatically attract costumers will have more success that a owner who cannot. Personalities and social interactions play a large role in the career path of indiviuals. Also, a persons involvment in aspects of social culture affect their career paths as well. A person who is rooted in focusing on political events will learn from social climate of their local and global governments and act accordingly in their profession. If legislation is made affecting an industry, an informed business owner will take advantage of this or act so their business is not affected negatively. Factors like this could allow professionals to succeed or fail in a foreign country. By staying informed on the policies and what is socially favorable in a country, a professional would have more success than competing foreign professionals. Likewise, it is important to monitor such activity in home countries to know how to interact with home people and know how foreigners will perceive one's country.