Go to play, not to work

Do it faster! Do it cheaper! Makeit better! Oh, and by the way, here are three more projects we need youto work on right away!

How many times have you heard those words or something like them? Chances are, you've heard them plenty of times. The fact is, stiff global competition has made industry a pressure cooker, and most of the pressure is on those who produce the products that companies need to get a competitive edge over their rivals.

So why would anyone want to work under those conditions? We asked a few Design News readers. Here is what they said:

"I like the problem-solving, and the harder the problem, the more the challenge," says Marty Dropik, of Fisher-Price.

"For me, it's the opportunity to be creative," says Larry McAuliffe, Holly Automotive. "I like finding new ways to solve problems."

"I enjoy figuring out how things work--or why they don't work," asserts Olle Lundvall, of Scania.

"Meeting customer expectations and learning new technologies is what I like best," says Black & Decker's Yingfa Chen.

"It's definitely the creativity--systematic creativity where you can find new solutions to old problems," says John Keene, of Westvaco.

Adds his fellow Westvaco engineer Richard Wronski, "It's the opportunity for innovation, to be the first to solve a problem. I never get up and not want to go to work."

It was certainly not a scientific sampling, but one concept comes up enough that you have to believe it is widely shared in the profession: Engineering offers a great opportunity to be creative, and that opportunity compensates for the sometimes brutal pressure to perform.

So, next time the "cheaper, faster, better" demands hit you, remember this: Engineering is the one profession outside of sports where you can get up in the morning and go to play, not to work.