Dream Jobs - 2012 [Special Report]

Engineers design things and solve problems. No surprise there—that's the textbook definition of an engineer. But there's nothing textbook about the careers these 10 engineers have forged for themselves. They're educators, explorers, and entertainers, as well as builders and problem solvers. Nicole Richard, for example, is using Lego kits to fire up young minds all over the world with the possibilities of technology. Chieko Asakawa is making the Web accessible to the blind. Kevin Hardy is part of a team attempting to send a man to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot in the world's oceans. And Brent Bushnell is creating complicated machines with a simple purpose: to delight and enthrall. Trying to visualize an engrossing career in technology? Problem solved.