Local engineer says his field a blend of math and science

HUNTINGTON -- Scott Boggs loves numbers. He credits that passion with helping him land a job as assistant plant engineer at Steel of West Virginia.

The 1989 graduate of Rock Hill High School in Lawrence County, Ohio, has held the engineering position since 1999. He loves the job.

"You can actually see the parts moving," he said.

Boggs' journey started with a college prep career path in high school. It involved a healthy supply of math and science classes, as did his class schedule at the University of Cincinnati. He said those classes are needed because engineering requires logical thinking.

"Engineering is mostly problem solving, which is what math really is," he said. "Sometimes there is not a definite answer for problems, but basically that is what you're trying to do. You're trying to figure out how much water you can shove through a pipe and how much torque you need on a motor to get things to move the way you want."

But it wasn't all class work at the University of Cincinnati. Boggs said his experience included a co-op program that puts the student in an actual engineering position.

"You get some field experience, and when you come out of Cincinnati you already have some actual engineering experience," he said.

After the University of Cincinnati, he returned to the Tri-State and accepted a job at Null's Machine Shop in 1994. He helped the company do product design. It made trailer brakes for U-Haul trailers, he said.

Boggs' initial salary was $20,000. He believes he could have made more money elsewhere, but he believed coming home was important. He said sometimes a worker will need to take a less lucrative job to satisfy his other desires.

Boggs chose the University of Cincinnati because of the quality of the program. He believes most schools will give you a quality education, but he said its reputation may help the student land a job later on.

"A quality engineering school will get you in a lot more doors," he said. "Even though you had the same education, the same degree, people are going to be more apt to pick an Ohio State guy than a cow poke guy."

Boggs eventually earned his master's degree at Ohio University. The degree was in engineering management.

Boggs said the basic fundamentals of engineering remain the same, but he said everyone must stay up to date with changes in technology.