[From many - one.]

Well, if there's really not much future, the students could be right in staying away. Which branch of engineering are you referring to?

[chimera]

It may be a question of perception more than reality. But a lot of people in various areas of engineering are either losing their jobs or seem to think they may. In either case, it's tough to convince bright students to take on what is already a challenging field of study if they think they might be outsourced to Bangalore or just plain thrown overboard when the next round of downsizing hits. Better security in being a lawyer to sue the pants off of businesses or individuals, or be a corporate officer in charge of outsourcing/offshoring. So, fill out the ranks in the law and business schools and forget engineering and science as a profession.