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June 1972 Popular Electronics
 Table of Contents
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from
Popular Electronics,
published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
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The origin of the saying
"Everything old is new again" is credited to sources ranging from the Bible to Shakespeare
to Mark Twain. It might be one of the most oft-repeated phrases about life. The topic of
this editorial from a 1972 issue of Popular Electronics magazine is a prime example
of why people like me invoke the aforementioned dictum. For as long as I have been
aware of the state of engineering and technology, opinion writers (aka "journalists")
have lamented the sorry condition of education in that it cannot motivate and produce
a qualified new crop of replacement engineers, scientists, technicians, doctors,
nurses, chemists, and other white collar workers (I can't recall ever hearing of
lawyer shortage, unfortunately). Looking back at how the "shortages" have been handled,
a large portion of the deficit was rectified by importing foreign talent rather
than taking measures to fill the academic pipeline with domestic prospects.
Editorial - Engineering Enrollments Down Sharply
 By Milton S. Snitzer. Editor
Engineering Enrollment Down Sharply
Because of a substantial drop-off in enrollments last fall, there are 26,000
fewer engineering students now than there were a year ago.
This figure is from a study just completed by the Engineering Manpower Commission
of the Engineers Joint Council. The survey covered almost 300 institutions offering
bachelor's or higher degrees in the various engineering fields.
The decline hit all levels from beginning freshmen to doctoral candidates. Half
the total drop occurred in the freshman class, which was 18 percent smaller in 1971
than in 1970, and 25 percent smaller than in 1967. The sophomore class was also
hit, with a decrease of 10 percent. Junior and senior enrollments were lower by
about 2 percent.
The reason far the drop-off is obvious. Primarily it is due to a fear of not
being able to get a job when the training is completed. There have been a large
number of layoffs in the engineering field so that it is no longer as glamorous
as it used to be.
With all the talk these days about conserving our natural resources, it seems
to us that the figures given above indicate a serious loss to all of us - a loss
in technical manpower. Same will say that the average effect is a good one since
now only those who are seriously interested in engineering will be the ones to choose
this as their profession. No longer will students go into engineering simply because
it is the thing to do.
Despite the reduced levels of engineering recruiting and hiring in 1970 and 1971,
new engineers generally fared better than graduates in most other disciplines, according
to Dr. Robert J. Raudebaugh, President of Engineers Joint Council. Also, long-range
projections by the U.S. Department of Labor continue to show a need for large numbers
of engineers in the next decade.
We seem to be perpetually an a swinging pendulum of supply and demand. In the
last year or two, the supply in certain areas has exceeded the demand, but now we
see signs of an equalization. Perhaps in the near future the demand will again exceed
the supply. The difference in the rates is what really hurts one side or the other.
In any case, it is safe to predict that the supply of engineers will start to
drop while the demand in new areas for them increases. We seem to be more and more
a country that is service-oriented as well as product-oriented. This bodes well
for technical people who will be required to serve these areas.
Posted May 23, 2024
(updated from original post
on 11/12/2019)
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