Final Thoughts

ETHICAL ISSUES

I think that the United States has many different views on a lot of things than other countries do.  I saw, when I visited Chile, a lot of things that are different, industry wise, than in the States.  For example, minimum wage in Chile is less than a third of that in America, meaning that this would be a major change when taking an industry abroad.  The general public needs to be less wasteful, however, because basic necessities like clothing are significantly more expensive.  Also, Chilean businesses are less diverse, gender-wise than ones in the United States, mostly because they are not required to be.  This means that if a company were to move from the United States to Chile, they would have a hard time keeping up with the United States diversity requirements, if they still needed to.  Lastly, I noticed when we visited Centauros, that the hygienic standards for a food company are much more lax in Chile than they are in the US.  This was a bit worrisome, being as they are a global company, but also it means that any food company would probably have an easy time moving from the States down to Chile, but would have a hard time maintaining the standards set in the US.

EDUCATIONAL BREADTH

I think that learning about another culture and another country is an invaluable experience that any student should have, regardless of their major or future plans.  Learning about another culture expands your way of thinking and teaches you to see the world in a different way.  Without this ability, no one would ever learn to solve problems in a different way, and nothing would ever get done.  We as a society need to learn to embrace all of the knowledge we have access to, and that includes that provided by other cultures. 

As an engineer, this is particularly important to me.  People often describe engineers as problem solvers, and to properly solve a problem, I need to implement all of the information I have.  The more information I have access to, the better a solution I will be able to achieve.  Also, once I have all of the information I need, it is helpful to be able to think about the problem in many different ways.  Understanding other cultures can help with both providing another set of information about my problem, but may also give me a unique perspective on being able to solve it.

I think that abroad programs, and cultural experience in general, is an experience that every student should have, in every educational background.

LIFELONG LEARNING

A lot of the students I talked to over the course of my time in Chile expressed the need for on-the-job learning.  I think it is a common thing, in people of all schools in all countries, that everyone feels school only lays the barest of groundwork.  Most people feel that, once they enter the work force, school hasn’t really fully prepared them for the things they need to do.  A lot of people I have talked to say that once you start a job, you really learn the things you need to know to do that job well.  School helps, of course, to get you to the point where you are able to learn and understand those things, but true understanding comes with practice.

Technology changes a lot of jobs as well.  For example, companies like Hela will be dramatically changed as they become more automated.  I fear for those who work for them when their jobs become obsolete.  Still, even as technology advances, we will always need people who understand how to use the technology and can properly run each individual piece.

People have always said, “You learn something new every day.”  This seems cliché, but it is really true.  It is impossible to spend your life never learning anything.  In a field like this one, that is really good.  Being an engineer requires me to keep a limber and open mind, and constantly learning is a great and necessary part of that.

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

The Chilean students seemed to, almost without exception, know more about the social and political situation of their country and the world than I do.  Most of the students had visited other countries, and most spoke another language.  Several students even spoke three languages.  I realize that, not only do the people in Chile know more about Chile than I do about the United States, they know more about the United States than I do.  I was never one to be very informed about global or local news, but I never realized just how poorly informed I am. 

One thing that really surprised me about the social environment in Chile was the emphasis on American pop culture.  In every bar or club we visited, popular music from the States blared on the speakers, and every student preferred American music to Chilean bands.  Even restaurants and street art were often themed with pop culture from the US, especially the Simpsons. 

Everywhere we went, people seemed to look up to the culture in the States, which I found perplexing, to say the least.  Here, we make fun of and degrade our culture constantly, but there, they think it is something to aspire to.  I honestly am not sure how I feel about that.

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAMS

I have always had trouble communicating with people; it is part of why I became an engineer.  Engineers are often expected to be socially awkward and not particularly proper in society.  However, I think it is important for me to try.  The world is not full of engineers, and not all engineers think like I do.  In fact, any effective group needs people who think and see the world in different ways.  If a group is not diverse enough, they run the risk of not being able to come up with solutions, due to a lack of points of view.

Unfortunately, communication in these types of groups is difficult.  Different people from different backgrounds tend to communicate in different ways.  For example, I often have trouble deciphering the subtleties of others, especially when it comes to non-verbal communication.  I often accidentally offend people just because I didn’t know I was being offensive.  I know that this is something I have to work on, as it is an important part of working in a group with others who communicate differently than I am used to.  Problems like these make inter-disciplinary work uncomfortable and difficult, but it is extremely necessary nonetheless.  As time moves on, I know that I will need to work on these problems so that I am able to be more of an asset to a group like this in the future.