Boredom is my enemy, an enemy I banished to the outer kingdom years ago. But I find vigilance is required; otherwise, that adversary will sneak up on me and steal my drive and kill my joy.

One tool in my antiboredom arsenal is the moderated dinner discussion. When traveling, I like to find an evening where up to a dozen “characters” can convene to engage in a robust discussion on a topic that arouses passion. This enables me to avoid the “business dinner blues.”

I'm sure you recognize the symptoms. After early introductions, you order your meal then strike up conversations with those seated by you. After a few pleasantries, you realize there is no chemistry; you just don't feel the love. A sense of dread envelops you as you realize you are trapped for the duration.

MIXING BUSINESS AND PLEASURE

That was not the case on a recent trip to the West Coast, where I found myself moderating a dinner discussion that was clearly a mix of business and pleasure. The setting was a cozy Italian restaurant in Pullman, Washington, U.S. Ed Schweitzer, the founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), brought his lovely wife, Beatriz, and his enchanting daughter, Stephanie. I brought my son Lee, soon to graduate with a BSEE degree from Purdue. Filling out the Schweitzer contingent were Ron Schwartz, Jackie Peer and Tammy Baldwin. Academics joining us were Behrooz Shirazi, with Washington State University, and my old fishing buddy Dick Wall, with the University of Idaho.

Our dinner conversation started out with this question, “What will the engineer of the future look like?” The responses were quite diverse, with some quite personal and others more global. Here are a few quotes pulled from my notes to show the give and take:

Ron Schwartz: “My son visited Teledyne as a senior in college and realized he wasn't even sure of the environment he wanted to work in.”

Tammy Baldwin: “I am struck by how far bright students can go. At the same time, without guidance, even the brightest flounder.”

Stephanie Schweitzer (in her 20s): “I realized I didn't want to be a student forever, becoming narrower and narrower in my focus.”

Ed Schweitzer: “Utilities quit hiring on campuses due to deregulation. Now, 20 years later, they are bewildered by the lack of students available who studied power. Don't expect the next generation of workers to fall off a tree into your lap.”

Beatriz Schweitzer: “I moved here from Mexico two years ago. In Mexico, there are engineers out of work. It typically takes graduates a year to find a job. In Mexico, we have the opposite problem. It is a challenge to attract companies that want to pay engineers.”

Dick Wall: “Engineers are people who want to be creative. The challenge is to provide an environment in which people can be creative.”

Behrooz Shirazi: “Some engineers want to change the world. Others may seek a stable, consistent profession. Both are successful.”

Lee Bush: “I am looking to work in a place where I can tackle something big and make a difference, but I also want to have fun.”

Jackie Peer: “We need to start working with our youth in grade school and high school. We need outreach programs to reach these kids and to get them excited about science.”

As we went around the table, we learned how much our universities want our industries involved. Both Washington State and the University of Idaho offer power courses and both universities work quite closely with SEL, even having installed donated SEL relaying equipment in their facilities. Similarly, SEL works closely with those universities whose demands for intellectual property rights are not too onerous.

TAKE AWAY

As we wound up our conversations, we realized that a lot of work remains to be done to bring needed talent into our industry. We cannot afford to ignore the situation and leave the next generation to chance. But, even more importantly, we came to understand that the individuals entering our industry want to be passionate about what they do. They want to know that they are making a difference. So in the end, it really comes down to this: We must create an environment where individuals can engage their passion to fuel our future.