The Fear of Becoming Obsolete (FOBO) – Restoring engineering’s purpose with the polymath mindset

By Rob Vatter, Executive President at Quest Global

Something has been bothering me for a while. I have been asking myself: Are your engineers happy?  Is the field of engineering delivering the value it has to offer the world? We have brilliant people solving complex problems every day, yet many of humanity’s biggest challenges remain unsolved. Something is wrong with this picture, and it’s time to explore what it is and how we can address it.

I propose that there is a disconnect between engineering potential and real-world impact, driven by silo thinking and a lack of creativity facing the profession.

Are We Focused on the Right Problems?

The world is not short on crises that engineering can help solve. Consider the data: 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation, over 80% of the world’s wastewater is dumped untreated and every year, 1.4 ...