Courage is the ability to do something that frightens someone. When we think of courage we may think about extreme courage, such as a firefighter going into a burning building to save a family. The firefighter will put his/her body on the line to save them. Once the firefighter succeeds, he/she will say “I was just doing my job”. Courage is needed in every job, from doctor, to firefighter, to accountant and engineers. To succeed in a job everyone must show some courage. Engineers need to show courage to come up with creative ideas, and most importantly, not being afraid to fail
Susan Flanagan, an engineer who graduated from Columbia in 1984, sums up courage in the engineering workplace in one quote. She says “Careers are long. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes”. An engineer needs to show courage to cross boundaries that no one else would. A good example of this is the Wright Brothers. Everyone thought it was a crazy idea to have humans flying, but the Wright brothers had the courage to go against what others believed to accomplish their goal. They had many failed attempts, but they never gave up. They had the courage to keep going. Engineers need to have the courage to show the same persistence as the Wright Brothers to be successful.
To conclude, an engineer must be courageous enough to take risks to accomplish goals. The most important trait for an engineer is persistence, they must be able to get back up and try again, and again until they get it right. The courage an engineer shows might not be as extreme as a firefighter or soldier , but it is equally important.
-Stephen J Randazzo
