The mid-'80s was brutal for engineers.  The economy was bad, and worse, they were cutting back government spending, including the military.  I don't know if my college was typical, but until then, 40% of engineers from my school got jobs in defense-related programs.  Either directly to the military via ROTC, or with defense contractors.  When they suddenly stopped hiring, it was a real shock.  Even people who got jobs found themselves laid off after six months.  

I suspect engineering was never the quite same after that.  

Our "system" presents American college students with some tough tough choices:

A) Party, get drunk, and take basket weaving courses, or

B) Work your ass off day and night studying physics, chemistry, thermodynamics; miss all the parties and then when you graduate, you still won't get a job.

If you pick option A, you might become President of the USA or something like that. If you pick B, you probably will not be President of anything. Presidents need to know how to lie, smile, play golf, and manipulate other people into doing insane, unscientific things like believing "victory" is around the corner if only we pray harder and keep wishing upon that star, no matter who we are.

Doh !!!