General Education Reflection

Throughout my time at Iowa State, the classes I have taken as part of my general education
were extremely helpful in many different areas. Not only did they teach me important aspects
of society, but they also allowed me to understand how engineering applications fit into
society.
My current short-term goal is to enter industry, and begin making a contribution in the field of
human-computer interaction (HCI). Once I am established, I want to work toward utilizing the
full potential of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Even though these technologies
are still in their infancy, their potential is limitless, and it is my hope to develop meaningful
solutions that would benefit from VR or AR.
The general education classes I took were: Economics, Energy and the Environment, American
Indian Studies, and Music Listening. My reason for taking these classes was to expand my
knowledge in subject areas outside of engineering. Not only did these classes help in my ability
to solve engineering problems, but they also provided insight about communication techniques
and big-picture thinking. The economics classes I took were extremely insightful in
understanding how engineers work within an economy, as well as balancing many different
factors and coming to an ultimate conclusion.
The Energy and the Environment class helped me bridge my knowledge of physics, electronics,
and renewable power generation such as wind or solar. By combining these three areas, the
power/environmental concerns that have been circulating in the media for years finally began
to fit into my role as a computer engineer. This class helped me to consider different
possibilities for the future of energy, and some of the ramifications that would result.
As engineers, we are often told that we think differently than others, which is an assumption I
would agree with. However, since we do think differently, this means we have to work even
harder to understand and sympathize with another persons point of view. The American Indian
Studies course I took gave me the opportunity to learn about and sympathize with a group of
people that thought very differently from me. The opportunity to truly understand another
culture plays well into the ability to effectively communicate as an engineer.
Growing up, I always enjoyed music. When I took Music Listening at Iowa State, I wasnt sure
what to expect other than some musical enjoyment. As the semester went on, the class gave
me a look into numerous different cultures and time periods very different from our own.
While the American Indian Studies class I took was more focused around facts and rituals, the
music was able to express precisely the opposite. The music of each culture we studied helped

me understand the creative atmosphere of different people. In many ways, this reflects the
different ways programmers write code, or architects create.
In some way or another, each of these classes can relate to solving engineering problems. Just
as engineers must look at many variables and weigh the outcome of a potential decision,
economists must do the same thing when they implement financial changes or laws. In
addition, environmentalists must look across a broad spectrum and see the entire flow of
energy, and how it could benefit or harm the environment. As an engineer, it is an absolute
necessity to fully understand all parts of a system, and how a small design change could affect
the entire outcome.
As an engineer, we are wired to think how to build something before we think why. The
general education classes have provided a positive relief from the heavy technical problem
solving present in the engineering curriculum that teach you how. Learning the full context
and history of an engineering problem is often just as important as attempting to develop a
solution. In this regard, my general education courses have inspired me to ask more questions
about why something is done the way it is.