So, you’re an engineer, right? Can you fix this? If you are an engineer, engineering student, or just somebody with an interest in engineering, I would hazard a guess that someone has asked you this at some point in the not so distant past.

Whilst it is true that many of us do enjoy the task of fixing things, or just solving a problem, this perception towards engineering is one that has always slightly annoyed me. And if I am to be completely honest, yes, there have been times when I have even referred to myself as an ‘engineering scientist’, or even just a ‘scientist’, in an attempt to distance myself from any preconceptions attached to the profession.

Apparently, I am not alone. Last week marked the introduction of This Is Engineering Day, a public campaign run by the Royal Academy of Engineering with the aim of challenging the public stereotypical view of engineer - one that they found is of men in hard hats. Of course, the perception of engineering being targeted may not be exactly the same as my own gripe, but it all feeds into the same underlying idea.

Engineering is about so much more than men in hard hats or men in overalls tinkering with machinery.

Truthfully, I am proud to call myself an engineer and to be involved in trying to tackle one of our greatest challenges – climate change. Any yet I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have worn a hard hat or the days spent in overalls. So, if that isn’t what engineering is all about, what is it about?

Well, ask yourself, without engineering where would we be? We wouldn’t have all the things that we take for granted, including electricity, transportation, the internet, computers and smartphones. And that is not to mention developments in artificial intelligence, and fields such as bioengineering, or chemical engineering without which we wouldn’t have prosthetic limbs or a wide range of synthetic materials. These are just a few contributions of engineers to society, but the list goes on and on.

Thus, engineering is an extremely diverse profession, and there is truthfully something for everyone. Just turn up with enthusiasm, passion, and a desire to make things better. Alongside that, being logical, analytical, and, most importantly, being creative will all go a long way.

So, although This Is Engineering Day has passed, let’s join together, celebrate engineers, and change the public perception of this great profession.

As for me, you will probably find me in my clean, warm office with a metaphorical pen in one hand (OK, probably a computer) and a cup of coffee in the other.