JOB OF THE FUTURE: GENETIC DESIGN ENGINEERING

  

AIM & INTRODUCTION

The technology brings new horizons to our lives… Especially the old have difficulty with coping with new developments. You just push a button and have a video conference with your cousin in Japan instantly.
When such things happen, sweet grandmothers begin to tell about train journeys from Istanbul to somewhere to Anatolia which take a couple of weeks.
Things change… Each change brings new conditions, new rules and certainly new professions. For instance: Have you ever heard about mechatronics engineering? “Mechatronics” is a combination of the words “mechanics” and “electronics”. Mechatronics engineering is a branch of engineering which combines mechanical, electrical, electronics and control engineering, and designs robots.
	It has been derived because designing robots is a multi-disciplinary task requiring the knowledge of all these professions together. By combining all these professions, the present technological systems work efficiently.  Mechatronics engineers work in areas as automotive industry, aviation and space, rail and sea transportation. Who would have thought of this profession ten years ago?
The technology is developing faster than ever. You cannot even imagine how our lives will be in 20 or 30 years from now. Cars without drivers, airplanes without pilots are already a fact. Robotic surgery is progressing every second. Nowadays, real surgeons control the machines which perform robotic surgery, but in near future just robots will perform surgery all alone, probably more accurately and efficiently than humans.
	Another example is agricultural engineering. It is a very old profession, present for many years. Traditionally, agricultural engineers were interested in getting more products, pest control and developing better seeds. However, nowadays what they do is more the area of genetic engineering. By using the methods of genetic engineering, they alter the genetics of the seeds to obtain better and more products.

If we can get better fruit and vegetables by altering these genetically, is it possible to create   “super-creatures” by just playing with the genetic codes?
A bee which can produce big amounts of honey of good quality in a quite short time.  A special kind of tree which grows very fast and used in wood industry.  A coral reef which is able to survive every temperature and can endure pollution.

GENETIC DESIGN ENGINEERING

 JOB DESCRIPTION

Genetic design engineer is a person with an education on medicine, genetics and engineering, all at the same time. He/she designs a human being, an animal or a plant for a special purpose. Then he/she determines the specific features for that special purpose, and he/she makes a genetic plan.
	As the last step he/she provides that the designed person, animal or plant comes to the world through an 8D-printer. The engineer will write the necessary codes himself/herself.

Another example could be special trees for an orchard in the North Pole. Imagine that people want to build cities even in the North Pole which have all the facilities such as restaurants, hotels, schools etc. When a lot of people live there, there will be a need for lots of food including fresh fruit and vegetables. The cheapest way to get them is to harvest in the North Pole. Would a fruit tree grow in the North Pole? Of course not! In that case we will consult a genetic design engineer who will design a special fruit tree which can grow in the North Pole. Is there a problem with space? No problem. He/she can design a special fruit tree with different kinds of fruit on each branch. After planning, designing and coding, this marvelous tree will just come out of the printer.
	The last but not the least, imagine that you need a translator in all available languages who can translate fast, correctly and accurately. A normal person can talk several languages and is possible that he/she can make mistakes. This super-translator can only be designed by a genetic design engineer. He/she will calculate which parts of the brain are especially involved in learning and processing languages. He/she will design the super-translator accordingly. He/she will then code the person and “the product” will come out of the printer.
I think this kind of work and the products will be subject to several legal, social and ethical issues.  However, I will not go into that subject because it is out of scoop of this work.

 

Candidates

The person for this job should have a university degree on medicine, genetics and engineering, all together. He/she has to be hardworking, open-minded, precise, careful and creative. He/she has to be able to come up with new ideas. He/she also should have the ability to understand the wishes of the client, and to develop useful models.

 Job Commitments

The person who will have this job should be open-minded and should have prejudice about how things should be. For instance, he/she should not allow the religious principles draw a boundary to his work. Otherwise he/she will not be able to try really extravagant ideas and the progress of his/her work will be affected negatively.

Working Hours

This job should have flexible working hours. Sometimes one may have to go on site to make his/her plans or designs more accurately. When it is required the job must be done on short notice.

The Working Environment

The working environment of a genetic design engineer will be variable. He/she will be in the nature when it is necessary for observation, research or testing. Sometimes, he/she will be in the laboratory. He/she will have meetings with the companies or customers.

 Difficulties

	Every job has difficulties, so does genetic design engineering. No matter how open-minded is someone, he/she certainly have his/her own ideas and a philosophy of life. If a client asks for something which is really in contradiction with the genetic design engineer’s   point of view, what will he/she do?
For example, a bird with a camera in its eyes will be designed, but this bird will be used for illegal   work. Will the genetic design engineer accept this? Will his conscience accept this? And will he be guilty because of taking part in the crime? What will be the legal and the moral limit to accept the orders?
Probably, a variety of such problems will arise, once genetic design engineering starts. I think a whole new jurisdiction will have to come both in the national and the international law systems. A lot of ethical discussions will take place as well.

Benefits

The genetic design engineering is a challenging and exciting job which has no apparent boundaries. One can develop himself/herself and his/her profession depending on his/her flair, capacity and talent.

How it will help the world

By altering the genetics in a good way for a good purpose, lots of things can be done more efficiently, quickly and easily. This can lower the costs, as a result of which more people can get access to certain products and services. On long term the world will be a better place.

Would I like to be a genetic design engineer?

 I would like to be a genetic design engineer because I like helping people, designing new things, creating something and coding. If I become a genetic design engineer, I would like to produce trees, which can do photosynthesis without breathing. So the carbon content will be decrease, and the oxygen content will increase. By these trees the global warming will stop and everything will turn to normal.

CONCLUSION

The world is changing fast. With developing technology, the needs of the society and the individuals change as well. Nowadays, everybody wants to get everything instantly and completely as he/she needs it. As a result of this, everything should be produced as much as and as quick as possible with the lowest costs. Altering genetics is a method already used for fruit, vegetables and grain. Genetic design engineering which combines medicine, genetics and engineering, can offer a sophisticated solution to the increasing demands of the human being.

In conclusion, genetic design engineering can be a creative, satisfying job for people who would like to set their limits further.

REFERENCES

1.   http://www.businessinsider.com/the-21-best-jobs-of-the-future-2015-12 (access date: 01.02.2019)
2. https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/job-market/the-12-best-jobs-for-the-future (access date: 01.02.2019)
3.  https://www.trade-schools.net/articles/best-careers-for-the-future.asp (access date: 01.02.2019)
4. https://www.crimsoneducation.org/za/blog/jobs-of-the-future (access date: 01.02.2019)