An ethic is an underlying principle that we use to make difficult ethical decisions. Ethics can be adopted as children from important adults, and later we apply them more effectively in our lives as we grow up. Building ethical understanding throughout all phases of our lives will help us deal with the more complex issues that life has prepared for us in the future. Ethical understanding will help us in our personal and professional lives as we navigate a world of conflicting interests, rights, and values. Knowledge and application of ethical concepts play a huge role in our lives because every choice we make has consequences. As a student taking an ethics course and having engineering as a profession, I learned how to behave ethically by learning about ethical issues and relationships. Interact with others, discuss and share ideas, be considerate of others, because everyone has their own way of cooperating and making ethical decisions. I also learned to validate ethical positions and understand the skills and positions of others. Everyone has their own ethical system that they follow. My personal ethical system that I follow is a duty-oriented ethic. The ethics of duty, also called professional conduct, is about always doing the right thing, regardless of the consequences. This is not what is good for me; it is what is good in that particular situation, followed by the rules and regulations set by an external authority or government. I avoid actions that would be wrong on the part of our government, my school, my religion and my job. A professional is a person with a certified degree who has undergone extensive training and practice in their professional field. In addition, a professional is subject to commercial behavior according to...... middle of paper ......ons of vehicles this year. The company's decision to decline a safer change was driven by cost (www.nbcnews.com, 2014). From my point of view, every choice has consequences. The General Motors ignition switch problem has affected many families in the United States, cost lives, and injured many people. Replacing the part after a decade will help prevent future accidents; However, this will not replace the pain and voice of those who have lost loved ones. Poor decision-making, professional misconduct, and dishonesty cost GM millions of dollars. Choosing the company's financial budget over the lives of innocent people is wrong. No matter how much money GM spends replacing ignitions, compensating families, going through lawsuits, these lives cannot be restored. Following a duty-driven ethic would have prevented the catastrophe from occurring.