Response Journal 4 - Essay Example

Response Journal 4: Contemporary Issues and Life-long Learning The article en d Economy and Shortages Affect the European Job Outlook written bySchneiderman and published as a feature article in IEEE proffered issues that reveal a positive outlook for electrical and electronic engineers (EEs) in Europe. The author cited Workgateways UK, a Web site for people from abroad seeking jobs in the UK to indicate that “within the Mechanical and Electrical engineering discipline, jobs for building services design engineers are in high demand; in particular for commercial, office and institutional (Health, Education) projects in the UK” (Schnederman 1).

Several bigger high-tech companies were noted to be actively searching for EEs such as Intel Labs Europe, ARM Holdings, and other companies in Belgium like Agfa-Gevaert Belgium, Alcatel-Lucent, Belgacom, Cisco Systems, and Nuance Communications International are looking for very specialized skills (Schnederman 1). The shortage in engineers was identified to be the result of an ageing workforce and the limited number of students pursuing the degree. The report provided optimistic information that could encourage more students to go into the engineering field, especially to develop specialized skills in areas where high demand has been projected.

It identified potentially high growth opportunities for engineers in the field of space research and new technologies (solar energy), among others. The most relevant aspect deemed necessary to entice more students to pursue this endeavor is to make compensation and benefits highly competitive to other professions within the area. But like any other profession, more than the compensation, other factors need to be considered to make the career more attractive and encouraging. As Schneiderman quoted Bill Parsons, executive vice president and a member of the board at UK-based ARM Holdings, ”It’s not the salaries that are so important,” notes Parsons, ”it’s the quality of the work itself.

People want to work on the best projects.” (Schnederman 2). I agree to that. Work Cited Schnederman, Ron. "Economy and Shortages Affect the European Job Outlook." IEEE (2010): 1-2. Web. 28 June 2011.