It seems to me that, by and large, their career choice has been driven more by the intrinsic satisfaction of doing engineering than by seeing it as a means to an end. In final analysis, they delight from the pursuit of the greater good rather than the greater fool, unlike our finance industry. They share a joy from making things more efficient.
It’s been my observation that engineers are people who revel in the process of creating things of lasting value and improving them. So what does all this have to do with engineering? Without a doubt the easy access to wealth, power, and prestige was an important attraction for this career choice.įine. This investment banking industry, awash with money, has attracted many of the brightest graduates of the top universities in the US for some time. The recent asset bubble involved financial instruments promoted by firms with some of the most hallowed names on Wall Street and were assured to be of high quality by the credit rating agencies, that were supposed to represent the pinnacle of financial prudence. This editor cannot but notice the stark contrast between the motivations of the folks in the investment banking industry, whose machinations have contributed mightily to the situation we are now in, and that of most of the engineers I have met in my career.Īt their best, the investment bankers of the world have moved capital across borders to fund worthy enterprises that have competent managers, a good business plan, and a market for their goods or services.Īt their worst, and we have had many examples of that in recent months, they have fueled a speculative bubble that has led to the mass destruction of wealth. Even after the world economy picks up again, the world will certainly face an era of greater scarcity. Unfortunately, it is now clear that, no matter how the credit markets fare, there will be a recession. While the synonyms temerity and audacity are close in meaning, temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger.At the time of this writing (mid-November), it appears that significant progress has been made toward avoiding a global financial collapse and that we now have a good chance of avoiding that fate. The chutzpah needed for a career in show business When is temerity a more appropriate choice than audacity? Nerve, cheek, gall, and chutzpah are informal equivalents for effrontery. Specifically, hardihood suggests firmness in daring and defiance.Īdmired for her hardihood How is nerve related to other words for audacity? The words hardihood and audacity are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Outraged at his effrontery When might hardihood be a better fit than audacity? The synonyms effrontery and audacity are sometimes interchangeable, but effrontery implies shameless, insolent disregard of propriety or courtesy. While all these words mean "conspicuous or flagrant boldness," audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence.Īn entrepreneur with audacity and vision When can effrontery be used instead of audacity? Some common synonyms of audacity are cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, nerve, and temerity. Frequently Asked Questions About audacity How is the word audacity different from other nouns like it?