He also noted the impact of political, economic and ethical issues and globalization of the marketplace on engineering successes. They must adapt to the changing requirements of the marketplace. This has profound implications for engineering education, especially continuing education. He said they will have to be able to overcome the engineer's desire to gather and analyze all the facts before making a decision with the manager's need to move quickly in the marketplace. Noting Lockheed's own history as an amalgam of 17 companies brought together through buyouts, mergers and acquisition, Meyer said competition is becoming fiercer and fiercer.
Markets work fast.
Markets are impatient. In addition to their technical training, he said engineers must have strong written and verbal communication skills, be effective team players and able to move across disciplinary lines. We need inspired managers who can see both the forest and the trees at the same time and then decide on the best course. Meyer urged the prospective engineers to pursue areas of study they love. You have to find that niche in industry that gives you an intellectual investment, where you are happy.