How to Be a Successful Engineer
There are lots of career pathways you can take to become a successful engineer, and there are multiple fields you can work in. Those pathways don’t have to be linear, making it possible to direct your career in the direction you want it to go. Whatever path you take, the following 14 tips will help.
Successful engineering projects don’t happen by chance – successful engineering careers don’t happen by chance either. Therefore, define where you would like to be as an engineer in the medium and long-term. You’re not making an unbreakable commitment when you do this, but it will help to keep you focused and moving forward. In addition, regularly review your progress to achieving your goals.
To keep up in a rapidly changing world and enhance your value to employers, you should engage in continuous professional development. In other words, you should acquire new skills with enthusiasm while being on a constant lookout for new professional development opportunities.
Problem-solving is an essential skill in just about every field of engineering. It is also a skill that can be continuously improved. So, work on developing your problem-solving skills at each stage in your career.
Many engineers focus their professional development efforts on improving their technical skills – learning SQL, for example. Don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills, however, such as organisational, teamwork, and presentation skills. You should also take time to acquire and improve essential skills like these.
One of the most important skills that fall into this category has already been mentioned – problem-solving skills. While all soft skills have their place, there are two more that deserve special attention by engineers:
- Communication skills – you will need to communicate with others at various levels throughout your career. This includes peers on your team, junior engineers as you become more senior, those in senior positions to you, clients who are not engineers, engineers who work for your company’s customers, and more. Therefore, it’s important to develop your communication skills.
- Collaboration skills – when everyone on the team works together, problems are solved faster, solutions are more effective, and quality is maintained. So, having good collaboration skills is important.
Details matter in engineering, so be meticulous in your attention to detail, whatever the task and whatever the project.
6. Learn from Mistakes