• Question: What skills do you think an engineer needs?

    Asked by mykolabihun to Pauline, Michelle, Henry, Fidel, Chris on 5 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Chris Neale

      Chris Neale answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      I think this would be the same for any engineer. Even though in computing and cloud lots of things are being automated. The same is true for mechanical engineering or chemistry.
      If something is really simple and easy and can be written down in simple steps.
      1. do x
      2. do y
      3. do z
      Then it’s not a very skilled task, and a robot, or computer or script will be able to do it

      That link is to Google Phone calling your hairdresser and making an appointment for you!!!

      BUT!
      The skills needed to make that happen are
      1. Creativity. To have the idea in the first place
      2. Identifying problems that need solving. It’s easy to see after someone else does it. You need to look around or thing “what bugs me and how could I fix it?”
      3. Integration/Connecting skills. Being able to look at a bunch of things and figuring out which ones to use, which not to use, and how to connect one to the other (think about the google hair example, it needs speech recognition, translation, search engine, and lots of other parts connected and talking to get from pressing the button, to making the appointment)

      There will always be roles/jobs for people who can figure out how to connect the new amazing thing, to the old thing. Even if it is just so that eventually you turn off the old thing!

    • Photo: Henry Watts

      Henry Watts answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      Hi!
      That’s a difficult one to answer because there are so many different types of engineer. However, the one thing that joins them all is a curiosity to know more about how the world works and then turn that into something useful. Whether that’s developing new Dyson hoovers using the latest motor technology or using quantum computing to solve the energy crisis.
      So, you need to be curious and you need to be able to deal with setbacks – nothing ever works the first time round. You need to be logical and determined ot find out what the problem is and then creative enough to find a way round it. Most of all you’ve got to get a kick out of getting it working (eventually) that’s what drives all engineers.

    • Photo: Fidel Olaye

      Fidel Olaye answered on 6 Nov 2018: last edited 6 Nov 2018 3:58 pm

      There are quite a few skills I think every engineer needs:
      – Problem Solving
      – Decision making
      – Innovation
      – Researching
      – Presenting
      – Report Writing
      – Working in teams
      The list could go on and on but don’t worry too much about them as you’ll develop most (if not all) as you progress through school and/or work.

    • Photo: Michelle Hands

      Michelle Hands answered on 9 Nov 2018:

      To be socialable, a good communicator and be able to focus under pressure.

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