Spectral lines: Shortage or underutilization?

In this column last month we touched upon the problem of underutilization of engineering personnel, suggesting, among other things, that it is at least partly the responsibility of the engineer to help design his or her own job. Specifically, we said that many engineers feel they are being used as technicians, and we suggested there´s no better place to begin shifting the interface than at the interface itself. Shouldn´t the engineer, and the engineering supervisor, take the initiative to upgrade the functions of both technician and engineer, we asked.