Helping Engineering and Computer Science Students Find Joy in Their Work

As educators, the foremost goal is to graduate students technically prepared to fulfil their degree requirements. While they may be technically competent, certified by a diploma, have we as educators prepared our students to meet the challenges in the workplace, whatever they may be? There are some non-traditional topical areas that should be addressed before these students enter the workforce. We often do not connect work with character qualities such as integrity, loyalty, dependability, or even a religious faith. These qualities, when actively developed in our students, result in a “value added” that will make our students more desirable as employees. Developing a “passion” for the workplace or a strong desire to work for a particular company or sector of the market is also something that can be developed. The challenge is first, to model these qualities in our own work and second, to infuse this mindset into our students so they see the world and their work in a different way. Only then can our students truly be prepared to face the challenges of the workplace. Only then will they experience the joy of work. The hope is for our students to discover what they were gifted to do, something to which they are innately drawn or called. In doing what one is designed to do, the implication is that one will find greater meaning and fulfillment in the work they do, and in so doing, be of greater value to the company or industry for which they work. This paper will explore these “value added” character qualities of a Baylor engineer or computer scientist.