OT Engineers / Scientists, How many are out there Options

[914nerd]

Well, how many of you are there lurking out here on the world?
If you are one, what field, what do you actually do, and how do you like what you do?

This is prompted by a conversation that I had earlier today questioning the future of technical fields in this country.
What do you people think about the fact that science (arguably one of the most important aspects of modern life) is being shunned and, in many ways, is beginning to fall apart?

[jhadler]

Physicist by education and by profession. Have worked in "Big Science" most of my nearly 20 year career. From high energy particle accelerators, to experimental space instrumentation, to high power laser radiometry. With a couple-year foray into the fiber optics telcom industry before the bubble (it was good while it lasted).

I have to agree that this country has lost its edge in the science and technical fields. And it's been that way for some time. When NASA projects attracted more attention than multi-felony entertainment personalities, who pull in more in a week than an engineer will make in a year, it was probably 20 years ago. And the media spends more time these days focusing on topics like Paris Hilton and her oh-so-traumatic-jail-time than they do the space program, or genetic research, or medical break throughs, or alternative energy developments, how do you expect a child to respond??? Where is their interest going to be drawn?? Sad...

It is my priority in this life to help my little girl understand the value of intelligent thinking, and to pursue it throughout her life. After that, maybe I'll spend a few minutes trying to get my 914 running...

-Josh2