What Makes Engineering, Engineering?

Engineers often complain that non-engineers do not really understand what engineers do for a living. Some of this can be attributed to the persistent failure of engineers to reflect thoughtfully on the nature of their work so that they can recognize and articulate its truly unique aspects. The distinctiveness of engineering is often sought in the specific knowledge that it requires, but a frequent mistake is to focus on propositional knowledge-that, rather than practical knowledge-how. Engineering routinely requires the use of fallible heuristics and non-deterministic design procedures to formulate technical problems in a way that is manageable and then develop creative solutions to them. It involves skill and judgment that can only be acquired through experience.