When I Started to Pursue Engineering

I first looked seriously at a career in engineering during the Peace Corps.  At that time, I saw many problems in my village and host country that could only be addressed through engineering:  irrigation problems, energy problems, employment problems vis-à-vis a hollowed-out manufacturing base.  These concerns aren’t by any means restricted to the less-industrialized world but if I was ever going to address these problems at home or abroad, at both the individual- and society-level scale, I would need a different skill set.  Pursuing physics and engineering has given me tools and language with which to tackle these problems (among other less tangible benefits such as the pleasure of problem solving, appreciation for learning, and the thrill of facing a challenge).