>>11968894Maybe the future isn't bright, but here's the advice I'd give:
1. If you're a young engineer, get a Master's degree and learn how to program. Today's companies have nearly limitless access to problem-solvers, whether human or computerized, for easy problems, but difficult problems remain difficult. Being able to program will show that you can do deep, creative thinking, and will make you much more efficient than your peers. Plus, FEM and programming go hand-in-hand; you don't need to be able to program if you're running a single load condition, but if you're applying 1000 load conditions to a model, you need to be able to program.
2. If you're a manager, consider the cost of not developing your workforce. If you outsource, what contractual obligations does your outsourcing company have? Are they required to provide "correct" analyses, or only to correct errors found by your engineers? Are they immune from the effects of natural disasters or national politics? What certainty do you have that they'll be able and willing to provide services to you in the future? On top of that, computational power isn't growing as fast as it used to, and there hasn't been a "quantum leap" in the efficiency of the FEM method itself in decades. Most potential improvements in the design of structures seem to be in new manufacturing methods and in architected materials, which means new kinds of geometry and material properties. Is your engineering team ready to tackle these new challenges?
Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
