ABSTRACT
In part, this book is intended to fill some of the holes I observed in my personal education. By the time I became a full-time member of the workforce, I had 22 years of schooling at various respected institutions. Despite the long years of study and learning, I found I was missing some fundamental skills. I could solve differential equations, but I had no idea how the loan company determined my monthly mortgage payment. I had no concept of escrow, mortgage insurance, or title searches. I was taught electromagnetic wave theory, but nobody ever told me how corporations worked, how executives were compensated, or where stock came from. I had π memorized to many decimal places, but I had no idea which silverware should be used for what purpose at an elegant dinner and, worse, had no idea why that might be important. As they say, the first step to being cured is to realize you have a problem. If you are a young engineer, chances are good that you have this kind of problem. You may be smart and you may be able to solve problems most people wouldn’t even understand, but there are many things about the world you were never taught. Some of these involve the image you create. Others involve understanding the financial and social interactions that drive the world around you. Such understanding can have a direct effect on how successful you become. Once you graduate from engineering school, you must become a student of the world and continue learning.
