Engineering is fast becoming one of the most popular options for university students across the United States. The draw of engineering is easy to see, this is a job which is financially rewarding, gives you a great sense of achievement, gives you the opportunity to work with some of the smartest minds on the planet and also allows you to take projects from their inception right the way through to their delivery.
I was chatting to a friend of mine recently, the successful engineer Reddy Kancharla, who was talking me through what skills are required in order to not only be an engineer, but a great one. For anyone out there looking at this as a possible career, here are the skills that you’ll need to set you apart.
Team Working Skills
Aside from the basic, core skills that are required to be an engineer, you will need to be able to play a number of roles within the team dynamic. No engineering project can be completed by anyone working on their own and a strong team is required. Many think that in order to be a great engineer, you must be able to head up a team, whilst this is true to a point, you will also need to be able to work well in any aspect of the team, whether you are leading, or being lead.
Perfectionist
There can be no margin for error in engineering and regardless of whether you are designing a piece of software, a new drug or a bridge, the devil truly is in the detail. Each project will go through rigorous checking and testing so any minor mistakes will always be fixed, with that being said, if you want to be the very best then you ought to be obsessed with perfection when it comes to your work within engineering.
Forever a Student
According to Reddy, the very best engineers are the ones who do not less the moss grow beneath their feet and constantly seek to change and evolve with the times. Engineering is about helping to make the lives of the people easier and as the World changes, so too does engineering and if you want to be one of the very best engineers then you will need to be consistently seeking to learn new things and ways of working.
Hard Working
It may sound simple to achieve but one of the best traits that any engineer can have is their ability to put in the hours and work harder than everyone else in order to successfully deliver a product. Being a great engineer is not just about working hard in your first few years as you look to make a name for yourself. The best engineers are the ones who sustain this hard working approach throughout their careers and who are never scared about putting the hours in until a job has been completed.
So there you have it, aside from the basic skills that you will need, here are the characteristics which you should have if you want to be the very best engineer that you can be.
