Engineering is comprehensive profession where a person needs more than just technical acumen to be successful. However, in today’s world the role of an engineer has changed significantly and they are required to learn and develop several non-academic skills to be successful.
The importance of methodical and technical expertise is imperative for an engineer, but they are also required to manage teams and even interact with customers and clients. The importance of soft skills that fall under the non-academic category are important for all professionals. The professionals of the future are the students of today. They must adapt to the ever-changing world and develop skills that will aid them in all walks of life. Presently, a lot of students who prepare for engineering entrance exams like JEE often overlook the soft skills to begin with. There’s no doubt that studying physics, remembering the periodic table, applying calculus, and appearing in the test series for JEE is important. Digital platforms like Aakash iTutor has over 1000+ practice tests that will aid your JEE preparation. However, grooming the non-academic skills are equally important in this day and age.
Here are some non-academic skills that an engineer must learn!
Communication
Communication skills are highly regarded in all professional fields, and engineering is not different. Developing strong writing skills and communicating verbally with confidence in a range of situations – both online and in-person – is critical for an engineer. Any breakdown in communication in the engineering field could be heavy disaster. However, communication does not just mean the ability to thread a few sentences together. It also includes the intangible dexterity of being able to adapt communication style depending on the situation, while still articulating oneself professionally.
Adaptability – Flexibility
If you are an aspiring engineer chances are that you are aware of that the engineering industry is being re-shaped extensively by new technology at every step. Working in such an environment requires one to be flexible and be adaptable to change. There must be alternate ways of solving a problem, and one must also readily adapt to the changing dynamics in the industry. Engineering field is full of challenges and solving them is what makes an engineer worth their salt.
Creativity – Innovation
Creativity drives innovation and without innovation we would not have all the latest gadgets and gizmos based on the every changing technology. The ambition to deliver better and more inituitive products and services is often driven by a pinch of creativity. Innovation flourishes through out-of-the-box thinking and nimbleness. There is no organization that is not thriving on big ideas to develop innovative products. In the engineering field, creativity is as useful as technical acumen in solving problems and offering better solutions.
Leadership – Emotional Intelligence
Leadership comes from blending and integrating several skill including emotional intelligence. Leading people refers to succesfully interacting with them and then convincing them to follow your vision. For an engineer, leadership is absolutely necessary because in order to function at a professional level one must know when and how to take a call. By understanding your own emotions one allows themselves to read and react to the emotions of other people. Better leaders will make better teams and will eventually ensure better output for their organization.
Collaboration – Connectivity
This is the digital age and Internet has changed the way organizations and professionals work. Connectivity is more than just being able to communicate digitally, but it has also opened doors for engineers to collaborate on projects with others on a global scale. The ability of an engineer to work across on a global platform is essential. It is normal to see engineers from diverse backgrounds and countries working together to solve a problem.
Aspiring engineers must develop these non-academic soft skills to stay ahead and add more value to their work. These skills are as important as technical skills and students must work on them to become a global professional.
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