• Question: What do you think is the most valuable skills needed to become an engineer?

    Asked by Amar to Philippa, Paula, Matthew, Neil, Pete on 8 Mar 2015. This question was also asked by maisycrazy, Dat Ting Doe, 228sftb43, siobhan <3.
    • Photo: Philippa Jefferis

      Philippa Jefferis answered on 8 Mar 2015:

      I think being able to solve a problem within the limits you cannot control. Often I hear “If only this didn’t exist then we could do it this way”. Yet much of the time you cannot change something so you have to be creative and work round it.

      For example, I was once designing drainage for a road and yet because the area around was a site of special scientific interest we had to be very careful about what water drained into the soil. This was at the bottom of a valley and initially we thought we would have to put in expensive pumps to take the water away from the area. Yet after some clever thinking we designed a system to filter the water before it went into the soil.

    • Photo: Pete Symons

      Pete Symons answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      Problem Solving, no doubt, but enthusiasm and a logical and analytically approach are key skills for an engineer. Depending on your particular brand of engineering will drive some of the more specific skill you would require for your chosen field (systems, aerodynamics, electrical, mechanical etc) but overall engineering is about ‘Making things Happen’.

    • Photo: Neil Taylor

      Neil Taylor answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      Hi Amar!

      I think to be a successful engineer it’s useful to have a combination of interest in the subject, communication skills, and the ability to solve problems.

      I think the great thing is that there is likely to be at least one area of engineering that interests someone, and the other two can be worked on!

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