In the past, we have provided engineers with a first-rate technical education. But it was an education mostly about pieces and not their interconnections. History is important. History offers us a window on the constancy of human nature over centuries, a description of social change, and examples of mistakes that altered the course of events. Lastly, it tells us how the environment or culture of a time or place can make it ripe for dramatic change.
Innovation is both the root and the goal of engineering.
Sometimes we comprehend these paths better from examples outside our own discipline or experience. As one example, creativity and risk-taking drive art and artists. Art is in the business of always breaking the rules. For an engineering career, innovation is the 21 st Century focus, rather than productivity only. And importantly, engineers need to be communicators.