When getting acquainted with a new class of students, I mention that I was a manufacturing engineer before I was a professor and I get comments that their grandparents used to work in manufacturing too and still know how things work. We exported more than just manufacturing … a lot of the ancillary knowledge and troubleshooting skills went as well. We know how to replace, but not how to repair. We are slowly, very slowly rebuilding our knowledge base.
When getting acquainted with a new class of students, I mention that I was a manufacturing engineer before I was a professor and I get comments that their grandparents used to work in manufacturing too and still know how things work. We exported more than just manufacturing … a lot of the ancillary knowledge and troubleshooting skills went as well. We know how to replace, but not how to repair. We are slowly, very slowly rebuilding our knowledge base.