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What skills/abilities and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
#engineering
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11 answers
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Julia’s Answer
I'll echo Maria's answer - social skills really shine in the engineering field. The work is often collaborative and having the skills to problem solve and work as a team is essential.
If you're interested in management or as your career develops you are likely to be asked to present or 'sell' what you have made. Being a confident public speaker - especially one who is capable of reading and tailoring their presentation to the audience - will help you to stand out.
If you're interested in management or as your career develops you are likely to be asked to present or 'sell' what you have made. Being a confident public speaker - especially one who is capable of reading and tailoring their presentation to the audience - will help you to stand out.
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Tobias’s Answer
I'm currently a Senior Software Engineer and there are several skills that I use daily that are essential to my success, and I like to think the success of my team.
My field is technical in nature but not everyone I encounter has the same level of experience, understanding, or technical knowledge. So, good communication, and the things that go with it (listening, understanding, and responding), is actually the most essential skill that I have. Upper management generally isn't interested in the actual code that I write so much as the feature that code produces for our customers. So, being able to articulate what value this feature brings, why I made the decisions I did during development, and what next steps to take is extremely valuable.
Being able to communicate well sets me up to be a better mentor on the team for more junior members and it enables me to communicate effectively throughout the day with my team in both technical and non-technical members. Listening to understand rather than just waiting for my turn to talk has been extremely helpful in my day-to-day.
My field is technical in nature but not everyone I encounter has the same level of experience, understanding, or technical knowledge. So, good communication, and the things that go with it (listening, understanding, and responding), is actually the most essential skill that I have. Upper management generally isn't interested in the actual code that I write so much as the feature that code produces for our customers. So, being able to articulate what value this feature brings, why I made the decisions I did during development, and what next steps to take is extremely valuable.
Being able to communicate well sets me up to be a better mentor on the team for more junior members and it enables me to communicate effectively throughout the day with my team in both technical and non-technical members. Listening to understand rather than just waiting for my turn to talk has been extremely helpful in my day-to-day.
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Jo Ann’s Answer
To be successful in a technical field such as solutions architecture which is my current field, I'd say that having analytical skills is important. You need to be able to see the "big picture" of the problem you're solving for and know the implications of design decisions that you make. As far as personal attributes are concerned, I think being able to find your passion and what you truly enjoy doing is key. You'll be spending most of your time at your job so enjoying it and learning from it at the same time is key.
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Zach’s Answer
First of all, great question. I would say that it definitely depends on what exactly your role is as it may vary. I don't want to sound "cheesy" but it took me a long time to realize 'being yourself' is the best thing that you can do. Don't be afraid to embrace your best qualities and use them to your advantage. The things that has shocked me the most about growing up is that what you were most self conscious about growing up become your biggest strengths as an adult.
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Maria’s Answer
Never underestimate the importance of communication. No matter what the field, you will have to communicate with your manager and your coworkers. Being able to communicate to others what you've accomplished on the job, how and when to ask for help, when to escalate issues, etc. It's really hard to nail down this skill. I would just encourage you to be mindful of how important communicating is and always ask others for feedback. Being nice and open to suggestions will go a long way.
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Angela’s Answer
Awesome question. I want to set the stage that I am not an engineer but that I work for a technology company that makes a product that engineers use on a daily basis. In terms of technology, I can speak to the attributes that I've seen successful employees have. I believe communication is critical in almost any role. Being able to keep your cool in difficult situations and appropriately convey your feelings is very important. I would say that work ethic is also something that everyone has control over. It doesn't matter if you are not the smartest in the room, you are in control of your mind and you can push yourself to constantly strive to be the best. Stay positive and support your teammates as well. Do things that aren't asked of you to overachieve, get involved in the organization, and get to know people outside of your department to foster relationships!
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Colin’s Answer
Organization and Communication skills are invaluable for any position. Computer skills are important these days as well but it is a real advantage to have the skills to use the computer to organize and communicate. Be personable, it goes a long way. Be a good listener as well. Whether you are an engineer or a manager, you need to be able to understand what is being required of you...if you feel it helps, summarize the requirements back to the person to confirm understanding.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
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Waseem’s Answer
Great attitude, positive approach, good communication skills, all these will help you.
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Alecia’s Answer
I have an Industrial Engr degree and I would say that hard work ethic, good discipline, being a quick study, and radiating a positive attitude are all keys to success.
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Amos’s Answer
Great analysis should be applied in all aspects.
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David’s Answer
I agree with all above which say communication is key. My daily communications are putting words on paper or on a screen like now. The most important skill to me is touch typing, kinda simplistic I know but essential.