Eternal value of education

One of my core beliefs is the eternal nature of the soul. When we die, we’ll take with us the knowledge gained in this life. The question, then, is what things are most important to learn in a short human life. Cecil O. Samuelson, a retired physician and current president of Brigham Young University, remarked once that he doubted there would be a need for rheumatologists in the next life. Will there be a need for computer programmers? I highly doubt it. But there will be a need for scientists of all disciplines to understand and teach principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics. While specifics of the engineering disciplines may not be necessary there, the general scientific knowledge they apply will be invaluable. Beside that, if nothing else, engineers help improve our world while we’re still here.