Within 5 yrs, 90% of world's scientists and engineers will live in Asia?

Question

Part of the reason our rivals are catching up is their lower costs. A high-tech company in the United States, says the national commission, can now find and employ eight young engineers in India for the cost of just one in America. But another reason is that China and India are aggressively preparing for the future through education. Within five years, observers believe, 90 percent of all of the world's scientists and engineers will live in Asia.

So my question is... What fields should young American students be encouraged to go into and should we kind of steer them away from math and science related careers?

Answer 1

The answer is political.americans study politics to control them.you don't worry

Answer 2

That 90% figure will happen if current trends continue... which I for one doubt will happen. Nevertheless, it appears a large proportion of the world's scientists and engineers may end up in Asia. Asia does contain a sizeable chunk of the world's population, but they will still have more than their share of scientists/engineers.

"Should we kind of steer them away from math and science related careers?"
I say hell no. On the contrary, we should aggressively promote students to study science and engineering. People with these skills start new businesses and discover new scientific principles. America is the birthplace of three phase electric power, the light bulb, the airplane, the integrated circuit, the mass-produced automobile and the only manned moon landing program. We cannot just give up on science and engineering now.

Answer 3

Well, I'm not moving to Asia any time soon and neither are my nuclear phycisist, mathemetician, or chemical engineering buddies (at least one of whom is gainfully employed in the US). Outsourcing is a depressing fact in life, but it doesn't negate the need for research on our own soil. The evolution of science is dependent on the training of young minds to pick up the torch and carry on (how dramatic) to continue answering questions posed by the universe. You are proposing we allow scientific forays to stagnate based purely on economic concerns. If nothing else, the new American scientists can move to Asia.

Besides, science is fun! I think I would have stabbed myself with a fork had I studied politics or business.

Answer 4

Doesn't 90% of the population already live in Asia? As someone already said, what is called an engineer in some Asian countries, does not necessarily qualify as an engineer here.

Answer 5

That is not necesarily a true statement. Asia can only be competitive in high volume low end products that can be easily shipped to the US in high volume containers, otherwise the cost of transportarion and lead times to reach the market are no financially benefitial to the US - NAFTA or European markets.

High end low volume products are more likely to be produced either in neighbor countries like Mexico and Canada or locally in the US. Same goes for Europe.

Answer 6

I can see some people who are refering Indian & Chinese engineers as mere technicians , this shows how impatient they are becoming from now onwards & this is just the beginning . Even your President Bush has demanded attention from american kids towards maths & science subjects .

The asian engineers want to work in U.S.A. just because
1) they have better technology (derived from asian conterpart through patent system )
2) give better pay (thanks to wars on all over the world & controlling the oil reserves )

Who says U.S.A. was first nation to land man on moon ?
There were suspicion on the tapes which NASA provided to the world . Infact NASA now released a news through press conference that they have lost those tapes .

If you people call this as intelligence ; Then correct it as "political measures" to control world .

I agree that there should not be any division of world on yhe basis of knowledge origin , infact we all should come together to make our EARTH equivalent to HEAVEN .

Answer 7

I did my MBA with alot of engineers from Asia and India. They all wanted to work in the US and Europe. It was my experience that the level of knowlege they brought was inferior to the engineers that were educated in the US. I all goes back to you get what you pay for. I know my sample size is not large enough to judge all of the engineers world wide but it was my experience.

Answer 8

Civil engineering. One of the only hot engineering fields that cannot be outsourced because the engineer needs a good knowledge of the area to be designed and quick access to it if need be. Being a business major never hurts either.

Answer 9

COWBOYS, SINGERS, GANGSTERS and ACTORS

Americans seem to be very good at these career areas.

To tell you the truth the American military rules and it will for the time to come so its a great choice. If you don't like it then the next best choice is anything to do with science and technology because this is the way of the future.

Answer 10

Well sort of. Maybe:

For example, what China classifies as an "engineer" is considerably different than here in the US. They would not be considered engineers in the US - more like technicians.