Solution Seekers versus Problem Solvers

Designers and engineers have traditionally been solution seekers, not problem solvers. Some of this is because the client or end user may not be able to imagine what they could have - - the solution to the root cause of a particular problem. Many of our meta-problems engineers face today are so large and complex that each solution can present an answer to only part of the problem and often it's the solution that can create new problems. The majority of our most pressing environmental challenges, such as climate change and water supply shortages combined with increases in energy costs, fall into this category. You really need engineers with a transdisciplinary approach combined with knowledge, experience, intuition, intellect, and creative spark that want to go beyond being solution seekers and have a deep desire to fundamentally be seen as problem solvers.