In this blog post, we will examine the difficulties faced by engineering majors and their causes, and consider institutional support and environmental improvements to address them.
Every year in South Korea, there is a rush to enroll in medical school during the college entrance exam season. It is sad to see articles about the resulting trend of students avoiding engineering majors. I felt that it would be meaningful to write about the frustrations felt by engineering majors. I am also someone who has difficulty adapting to the given system. I am always dissatisfied and obsessed with the idea that there must be a better way. I am the type of person who must understand why something should or should not be done before I can follow it.
I would like to share some of the things I felt while briefly attending an engineering university. Of course, it was a very short period, and after much deliberation, I decided to change my major because it did not suit me. However, even during that short time, I had many thoughts. In particular, I began to think about the difficulties engineering majors face and their potential for growth. In this article, I would like to share my thoughts on nurturing talented engineering students and creating an environment where they can demonstrate their abilities.
I believe that three conditions are necessary for students to develop a sense of attachment and confidence in their major and for engineering schools to grow healthily. First, institutional support is needed. Second, engineering students need interesting experiences during their university education. Finally, I believe that it is necessary to accumulate cases of successful social integration of engineering students.
First, institutional privileges that are truly beneficial to current engineering students are necessary. Systems such as scholarships and military service exemptions are important mechanisms that enable engineering students to focus on their studies. While scholarships are gradually expanding and being well managed, the military service exemption system leaves room for improvement. Most outstanding engineering students hope to obtain a master’s degree and build their careers at large corporations through military service exemptions. In this process, they aim to develop practical skills and pursue doctoral studies abroad to compete with global talent. However, since the abolition of military service exemptions for large corporations in 2013, engineering students have no choice but to fulfill their military service, which can lead to career interruptions and hinder engineering talent from fully realizing their potential.
Second, the experience gained at university is also an important issue. A significant proportion of engineering students postpone military service to continue their studies and only address the military issue after entering graduate school. However, unlike in other countries, the internship system in Korea often utilizes interns as cheap labor rather than providing them with practical experience. Especially in a situation where internships prefer those who have completed military service, engineering students often give up internships and face an uncertain future.
This is one of the main factors preventing engineering majors from making the most of their undergraduate years. Third, there needs to be more examples of engineering graduates successfully establishing themselves in society. In addition to the traditional path of graduating from an engineering program, pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree, and becoming a professor, there need to be examples of successful engineers who have taken different paths. Such examples will give hope to engineering students.
For example, we need to show engineering students that there are various paths to realizing their dreams, such as becoming a programming expert and working in Silicon Valley with a high salary.
It is also important to expand competitions and project-based classes that engineering majors can participate in within the university. This will enable undergraduate students to create real value and have opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. It would be very helpful if schools considered how to motivate students and nurture talent, and created programs with appropriate levels of difficulty.
In conclusion, engineering has great value, and with a little more support, it can create a much better life and industrial model. I hope that these considerations will contribute, even in a small way, to Korea’s growth as an engineering powerhouse.
