What are the qualities that an engineer should have in order to be successful?
Engineering department sounds complicated but interesting to me. I want to study to be an engineer. I want to work on my skills so I can be prepared for my future. #engineering
17 answers
Christopher’s Answer
Hi Mariana (from Katy, Tx...I'm from Texas as well),
To put it simply, you have to like solving problems. And you have to be curious to ask questions (as you did in this forum). Of course, in our toolbox as engineers is a whole heap of Math so there's no getting around that. Finally, over the years and across many projects, it becomes more and more apparent that you have to have awesome honesty and character as the solutions you put in place will affect others. So study hard, ask questions and take advantage of every STEM opportunity that you can.
I hope this helps you along your journey....thx for you question :)
Ian’s Answer
In terms of formal education, you usually have to have an engineering degree to get a job in an engineering role (this isn't really true with software engineering if you can show your skills in other ways). Engineering school certainly isn't easy, but if you truly love this field and are willing to work hard, I believe anyone can graduate engineering school! One thing I wish I knew when I started college is how important side projects and engineering extracurriculars are. Good grades are important, but I've heard of many people who have landed great jobs from being a major contributor to the Formula SAE club, building their own app, etc. School is important, but showing you have practical experience is just as important!
Good Luck!
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Hector’s Answer
To be successful I think is different and requires a whole slew of skills that many do not consider.
First and foremost you have to know what type of engineering you would like to do. In order to find this, have hobbies, join engineering clubs in high school and college, and also join competitions! Not only will you make friends and memories but you will find what questions you want to spend time answering as well as develop the skills you need to address those questions.
Second, I always tell students to aim for at least 3 internships before they graduate. This means you will be applying to places since freshman year. Do not think you are not enough, or need more classes to be useful. By being there, asking questions, and helping in tasks, you will be worth your weight in gold. Join internships that expose you to more than one department if you can! This part of the answer is an extension from the first. Get experience!
Lastly, is something most engineers do not enjoy. That is networking! Make friends at school especially with your professor. Keep up your relationships with professors. Keep up with friends at school, eventually they will be colleagues at work and other companies. Professors are professionals with ties to the industry and can help you get into places you would normally think you could not reach. How do I practice networking? Join a club, run for an executive position, run the club, become a leader on a group project.
Carolyn’s Answer
Your question highly depends on what field you want to go into after college -- do you want to pursue academia (i.e. be a professor or researcher at an institution), industry, non-profit, consulting, etc?
If you want to be successful in college, a good skill to have is teamwork. There will be times when you can save much more time and understand better if you get along with your classmates. Social skills are also valuable if you end up at a large company, and honestly if you become a teacher, although most Engineering teachers are not necessary the most social people. Technically, you should be active in pursuing internships to hone your hands-on skills: nowadays, it is almost a must to have some work experience before you graduate college. Good critical thinking and problem-solving skills are also essential. In engineering, there is fewer memorization in comparison to on-your-toes thinking skills. Your exams are not about knowing equations as much as knowing how to apply examples you have learned in class in a different and more complicated way.
College engineering is heavy in math and physics. If you do computer and electrical engineering, then it'll be heavy on coding.
So it really depends on what you mean, and what timeline you are asking about.
Ezekiel’s Answer
Secondly, choose what you want to do after you finish, this will require you to make research and find about about the different career path, in the field of engineering you choose.
Third reason is passion is not enough to justify why you choose a career, also consider If the career path is currently in need and for how long, so career path will fade with time or might be merge with other or split to smaller unit, ensure you know all this before starting. Because this will determine how long your field or career will be relevant
Lastly, be ready for the gring, engineering is demanding be ready for the worst, like large volume of text book to read, many assignment, impromptu test and regular study, make sure you are prepared.
You can do what your mind determine to do, YES, but make sure your mind is away of all it cost to do WHAT IT DETERMINE TO DO
Manuel’s Answer
Hi Mariana,
When you study to be an engineer, you develop certain skills like problem solving and math. What we normally don't get taught in engineering school are soft skills like communication. So I would definitely work on improving communication skills, organization, team work, and all other soft skills you feel you need improving on. This will set you apart from most engineers and will set you on the right path to become successful in any field you chose to go in. Another quality of a successful engineer is passion for learning, never stop learning. I have a PhD in Science and Engineering and I work designing rocket ships, but I still take online courses to improve in areas such as electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer programming, law, anything that I'm curious about and want to learn more.
Richard’s Answer
Dean’s Answer
sarah’s Answer
helpful
Problem solving
Analytical ability
Communication skills
Logical thinking
Attention to detail
Teamwork. Teamwork drives the successful completion of a project
Continuous learning. Technology and methodologies are constantly changing, and nowhere is this truer than in engineering. ...
Creativity
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Soniya’s Answer
I would say one of the best skills you can learn is how to learn and apply it.
Find a hobby you are interested in and try to become better at it by watching videos, reading books, or just practicing.
This will help you learn, be creative, and how to apply what you know to solve a problem.
Job’s Answer
Do not go to college to study engineering unless you are ready to work hard at school and have a diminished social live. The upside is that once you have graduated you will have a skill that can keep yuo employed and you can then have a social life. My advice is to wrok very hard in engineering school or do not bother
Jessica’s Answer
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Courtney’s Answer
Calvin’s Answer
Mayte’s Answer
Be good in math and physics in order to be successful in school. To be successful in the real life you need to be proactive, good listener, trainable, leader., analytical, attention to detail. The most important is that you need to will to learn new things.
Abhishek Kaurav
Abhishek’s Answer
- Logical/analytical reasoning ability
- Enthusiasm for experiments and continual learning
- Data driven mindset
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Steve’s Answer
1. Listening - understand the whole problem or entire challenge. It's important to know how things will be used and what success is in the eyes of those that will use your work. Many engineers create great solutions to the wrong problem or can't be used because of some limitation the user has. This goes double for software. Develop your listening skills.
2. Questioning - asking the right questions is crucial and is often the inspiration for new ideas. Don't be shy about asking questions until you really understand how things work, what the problem is, what a great solution would look like. Don't necessarily do what is asked for or what you are told, ask enough questions and you often realize you can solve a much more fundamental or useful problem. Don't put all your trust in a single source, question others and make sure you have a consistent picture of the problem you want to solve.
3. Know your assumptions - we always make assumptions about the problem, the solution or challenge. List out all the assumptions you are making, ask the person posing the problem to list out their assumptions. This helps you think differently about problems and helps you communicate with others when you work with a team (as is typical in a workplace). The process of listing assumptions often gives you a clue or idea for a new way to tackle the challenge.
4. Act like a leader - take responsibility, give credit to others. Taking responsibility (individually or as a team) is easy when things go well, but the real measure is when things don't. Giving credit to others for their contribution pays off in the long run as does taking responsibility. People want to work with you when they know you give credit for their work, and don't shift blame them when there are problems. You create a positive working culture and that leads to you taking on more responsibility and bigger challenges.
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