what would it take to be a good engineer at 11 years old

There are more options today than there have ever been for getting into engineering due to the recent maker revolution. One of the best options is Lego Mindstorm, combining programming, mechanical, and electrical. These kits are excellent, but they can be quite expensive, so here are a few other options.

If you are interested in software engineering, I would suggest looking into programming tutorials. There are many specialized languages aimed to teach fundamentals. If you are more ambitious you can get age appropriate tutorials or books on Python which is a very popular language for learning and heavily used in industry. This only requires a free download and you can be off an running. I would suggests the python(x,y) download. It should have everything you need to get started and costs nothing.

If you are into electrical, you can find all sorts of small projects using cheap electronics and programming. You can order premade kits or you can find some basic plans and tutorials online. This can be fairly inexpensive if you want to work with lights, buttons, and other small components.

Mechanical can be a bit more challenging due to the cost of parts. If your parents do any of their own maintenance on their car or home, try to be involved and learn how things work. Other than that Lego mindstorm or maker kits from sites like Sparkfun and Adafruit are great. Some projects are quite advanced and typically have an electrical and programming aspect so you will want to read through the information on a kit to try to pick one that matches your ability.

If your parents have any background in engineering that will be a huge help if you get stuck, but is not necessary. Neither of my parents are engineers and that never stopped me from successfully following my interests. I would suggest starting with a bit of programming. Even as a mechanical engineer I spend a good amount of my time programming to control devices and process information. At this point every engineering field requires computer skills and the ability to program is always helpful.

Brother engineer! Great attitude!

Make stuff. Make stuff you're interested in. Push the limits.

I used to goof around with model rockets; the kind you make out of balsawood and paper tubes and glue and paint and fireworks engines. Some of them worked, and some, umm, didn't (duck!). The Estes company had some leaflets about using differential equations to predict performance. I used to pester my teachers to help me understand that stuff.

I worked on bicycles (still do). I tried my hand at repacking bearings, repairing wheels, and suchlike. Yes, repairing wheels is engineering. A great way to get bikes to work with is by asking your local police; people abandon them a lot.

You could do those things. Or you can get one of those Arduino computers, or a 3d-printer. Or anything. But make things..

I agree with Colleen's response, and I would also encourage you to challenge yourself in math and science in school. This will give you a good foundation to study engineering at the college level.

Since you really love engineering, you may want to look into whether your area offers summer camps or extracurricular activities related to engineering. You may be able to find a club or camp that helps you develop your skills, which sounds like it would be quite fun for you.

I think that engineering requires a creative mind. At your age, I would do lots of science experiments and building. Try to solve problems by creating machines or solutions! There are many kits for building-- Legos, circuits, inventor kits! You can build things with recyclable material or items from the hardware store!

It is exciting to find something you are interested in at such a young age! Keep working hard in school and you will succeed! College and work are not easy, so you have to be tough and persistent.