The Demand for Young Men in Electrical Engineering

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


ANY branch of engineering is an exacting mistress for the man who makes it his profession; and this is particularly true of electrical engineering, which demands from its followers an unusual breadth and variety of industrial knowledge because it enters into the processes of almost all of the great industries found in the nation. The scope of an electrical engineer's work may be indicated by many striking examples. Both of the world's means of quick intercommunication, the telegraph and telephone, use electrical processes, and those of the telephone are so complex that they demand in their management a high class of engineering skill. City, suburban and interurban traction systems have fallen ,:most entirely under the monopoly of the electrir motor, and railway freigh t traction over mountain divisions of steam railroads seems likely to soon come under the same influence. The electrical transmission and distribution of power have put artificial illumination of streets and houses on a plane never previously reached or imagined, and their processes are being constantly improved and extended ?5ven in the manufacturing industries, the use of electrical power has served to increase the output and decrease the cost of product in many different kinds of works, and the utilization of electric power is therefore greatly enlarging. It is obvious that adequate train ! ng for a profession that brings its followers into contact with so many of the activities and nearly all of the industries of the nation must consist essentially of those principles of science and humanity which are fundamental to all, and an electrical engineering course must therefore be made strong in chemistry, physics, mathematics and applied mechanics, and those subjects must be associated with the study of machinery, stationary structures, hydraulics and steam engi neer ing. Also along with these, extended study is required of the fundamental nature of the fow of electric current, the phenomena of electromagnetism, and the ways in which these may be usefully applied in the world's activities and particularly in industrial affairs. Very little time can be given to those features of engineering pract'ce which are of a nature which can be mastered wil1h comparative readiness by observation after graduation. An ap-propri ate electrical engineering course sufficiently occupies the time available for undergraduate study if it is confined to cultivating a knowledge of scientific and eco-(C()ntinued on V(W° /()

Scientific American Magazine Vol 105 Issue 22This article was published with the title “The Demand for Young Men in Electrical Engineering” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 105 No. 22 (), p. 479
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican11251911-479

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe