Engineers and their competitive edge for the 90s

Summary form only given. An analysis of the most commonly found barriers to advancement in an engineer´s career was performed. As practitioners of technology in its full context, engineers are facing the reality of being global professionals in this decade. Interchange of ideas with industry representatives, as well as previous related research work, has made it possible for the authors to identify the major obstacles. These are stereotypes, traditional college and corporate training programs, and corporate culture. The research indicates that engineers want to interact in depth with the social aspects of pure technology-people. An integrated approach to help engineers utilize their technical skills in management has been developed. Several players can make this possible: engineers through their own desires, universities through modification of programs and instructional methods, and corporations through enhanced training programs. An example validates the fact that engineers have an advantage when promoted to managerial levels. Their training, which stresses discipline and methodology, is indispensable in management