Specialist or generalist - what kind of Systems Engineers do we need?
Is a good systems engineer a specialist or a generalist? This question is not so easy to answer. Here is my opinion - you can discuss other opinions in the comments.
A Systems Engineer is of course a generalist!
... because they have to have at least a rudimentary understanding of many very different disciplines. This is nicely illustrated in the case study of the Öresund Bridge in the SE Manual where the individual disciplines are even listed:
Geotechnics, aerodynamics, foundation engineering, wind tunnel testing, design of piers and pylons, design of composite beams, design of cables and anchorages, design of structural monitoring systems, ship impact analysis, seismic analysis, analysis of shrinkage, age and creep of concrete, ice load analysis, durability analysis, road pavement, mechanical systems, electrical systems, comfort analysis for rail passengers, traffic forecasting, operation and maintenance, analysis of construction stages, risk analysis for construction and operation, quality management, environmental studies and monitoring.
This list is certainly helpful to better understand the tasks of a systems engineer. Of course, experts are often familiar with related disciplines, but no one would expect the expert for asphalting the bridge to also be familiar with the comfort of rail passengers.
In projects without a systems engineer, the project manager often takes on the task of coordinating across disciplines. But without at least rudimentary knowledge, this is difficult and will only become more difficult in the future. Therefore, at least for large, complex projects, the role of the systems engineer makes a lot of sense. This does not eliminate the role of the project manager, on the contrary: systems engineers and project managers must work closely together.
Nonsense, a systems engineer is a specialist!
... and the title already says what a specialist is: one for systems. This is certainly also correct and important: after all, there is a training course to become a systems engineer. Although the other disciplines are also dealt with in passing, it is certainly not possible to become a generalist as part of a Bachelor's or Master's degree course, and these systems engineers still work successfully in projects.
You can even make a second argument here: With too much detailed knowledge, there is a risk of getting bogged down in details that the systems engineer does not have to and should not have to worry about. After all, the detailed work can and must be delegated to the experts.
Specialist or generalist? Ideally both!
I have already said elsewhereA good systems engineer knows at least one discipline in depth, preferably several. A Systems Engineer needs a good rapport with the engineers, and having sat on the other side yourself helps enormously. You can't learn systems engineering at school either - practical experience is critical. And here, too, it helps to have already worked in a discipline. Because in practice you inevitably come into contact with other disciplines.
Finally, I would like to make a case for the Bachelor's degree, which admittedly is not a particularly popular degree in Germany. It would be perfectly conceivable to earn a B.S. in an engineering discipline and gain a few years of professional experience. This would be a good point to return to university for an M.Sc. in Systems Engineering. A longer path would be an M.Sc. in an engineering discipline, followed by practical experience. Depending on your inclination, you can then deepen your knowledge via a doctorate (preferably in industry), or more practically via an SE certification through INCOSE (resp. GfSE).
The best Systems Engineers have a concrete engineering discipline with practical experience as a basis, supplemented by further SE training.
Specialist or generalist? Ideally both! Systems engineering is very demanding, and that makes it a highly interesting profession with many prospects. I can highly recommend this path.
