Everyday skills that are essential to an Engineering Career

It’s no secret that the engineering sector is always looking for new talent and qualified engineers. Engineering and technology can sometimes be a tricky career, but the possibilities are endless and very rewarding. If you already have an engineering degree or apprenticeship, start acknowledging the everyday skills that you probably already have and start seeing how they can help you throughout your engineering career. Some skills you may naturally have and some just take a bit of practise. 

Problem-Solving

In an engineering career, you are bound to come across some technical or miscommunication issues at some point, it’s almost unpreventable in this industry. However, it should be a priority to fix these problems quickly. If a team of engineers are incapable of thinking up possible solutions to these problems, then they will get worse and can increase significant risk on the business. As an engineer, you must be able to assess the problem, work as a team to think of a solution and put your solution to the test. It’s not possible for this to have a 100% success rate but being able to come up with creative resolutions and test them can be a large part of your job. Problem-solving skills have an endless supply of benefits in this industry.

Teamwork

Most engineers will be a part of a team at some point in their careers. In any major project there may be large teams of people working on one idea. You must be comfortable working with groups of other people, you must respect that new people will come and go, but always be willing to hear everyone’s input, they may just have the break-through that you need. It can be very easy to look past other people when there is such a big group, but good teamwork is essential for fixing any problems that may arise. Being able to share and receive ideas is crucial in engineering. Listening is key. Your team will be there for a long period of time, it’s best to try to get along and make an effort with the team. The positive attitude can have noticeable effects on your work.

Communication

Effective communication is a significant part of engineering. It’s a skill that is vital in and out of work. Being able to communicate effectively with the people around you will increase your chances of a successful team environment. Engineers must be good at communicating appropriately in a variety of ways, which can include; over email, telephone or in person. We’re currently in a position where digital communication is slowly overtaking face-to-face contact in some cases, so it’s important to find out whether or not you may feel comfortable talking to someone via skype. The idea of using tools like skype may seem daunting at first, but it can potentially help you save a lot of time. Think about all the options and make sure you are able to communicate effectively and at the convenience of all parties involved.  

Creativity

Having a strong sense of creativity helps engineers come up with new and inventive ideas and ways of doing things. Imagination can help you think outside the box and allow you to come up with viable solutions that may not yet exist. Engineers are always helping shape the way our society works, they are coming up with ways to fix current problems, without creativity and a good imagination, this may prove difficult. Not every sector of engineering will allow you to express your ideas all the time, but it’s important to be able to use your creativity when it’s needed. It’s an amazing skill to have both inside and out of work, it allows you to be more open to ideas.

Great Attention to Detail

Where it is good to have great creativity, this can potentially mean nothing if you are not willing to think about every little thing that may go wrong with your plan. By thinking about all the little details, you are able to think of solutions before they even arise. By cutting out the middle man, you are able to get work done more efficiently, depending on the project, this may be more helpful in some instances. Nothing worth remembering gets done overnight, so it’s worth taking the time to look into your project and focus on the small things that you may have missed before. The slightest error can cause an entire structure to fall, so make sure you aren’t allowing this to happen with your work.

Motivation

Motivation can sometimes be hard to find, especially when you may have been focusing on one thing for a little too long. It’s okay to have small slip-ups (If they are small), you’re only human. What is not okay is settling for defeat and allowing it to control you or your work flow. All work can sometimes be challenging and if you’re constantly feeling defeat, it can be hard to keep your work-drive up. Motivation is an incredibly treasured skill to have, you may slip up and make mistakes, but the key to this one is to get back up, try again and not let it get in the way of your goals.

Leadership

Leadership are essential when you may get the opportunity to maybe run a future project or decide to lead a good team. It can be easy to let being a leader take control and maybe you forget to include everyone. This can potentially happen when you are new to leading a team, however, it is essential that you remain fair and diplomatic. Make sure everyone’s voices are heard during the length of the project and make sure you aren’t being too demanding. It’s always better to be seen as fair and honest so people can confidently come to you with problems, rather than scaring them away. This skill can be tricky but is important in all aspects of life.

Engineering can be a tricky career to begin with, but by being able to back up your technical skills with these life skills, you should have a smooth path already set out for you. The engineering and technology sector can ask for specific skills from their workers, however it is just as important to have good communication, creativity and motivation to do your job. Not everyone may have these skills and they are always worth developing. If you are someone that shows value in your work, there will always be room for you in this sector and engineering teams will truly welcome you with open arms.

If you think engineering is for you, we have a huge amount of jobs available on our site right now!