2 answers
Neil’s Answer
Hi Jesse,
All engineers are not the same. There are over forty different types of engineers. Here is just a brief listing of various types of engineers:
Aerospace, agriculture, automotive, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, design, environmental, geological, marine, mechanical, petroleum, and software.
Engineers vary greatly in their background, working conditions and the types of education required. You can find more about engineering opportunities here: http://educatingengineers.com/career-specialties
Nicole’s Answer
Usually all engineers are not the same and that is a good thing. Even people who have the same engineering degrees (mechanical, electrical, computer science)...aren't the same. Part of the strength of getting an engineering degree is the rigor around critical thinking...that is, how can I solve a problem in a way that I consider as many inputs as possible and in a way that ensures this problem does not come up again. Depending on how big the problem is and how many people it affects, these types of problem solving exercises can be super tough...but when you get a room full of such critical thinkers, it is very unlikely that they will all come up with the same answers. There may even be some overlap on tactics.
The beauty of both differing answers and overlapping tactics is that by the end of the problem solving process, the team is likely to reap the benefit of a rich discussion that considers different elements and, in general, is a better way to get to a good result than if all team members/engineers were "the same".
Hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck to you!