In class the other day we talked about The Missing Basics of engineering students. These are essentially non-technical skills that are not typically covered by a standard engineering course yet still part of an engineer's daily work. Some examples are the ability to effectively communicate your ideas to others, the ability to ask good questions, or the ability to visualize solutions to problems. I feel these skill are absolutely essential for an engineer to be able to work well in their workplace.
These missing basics are truly essential topics that need to work with our technical skills. Being an engineer means so much more than just solving technical problems day to day. Most if not all of these problems will require us to at the very least work in a team which requires that we find ways to work with and communicate with our teammates even if we don't necessarily get along well with them. The success of the project relies on the ability to work with others. I don't know about anyone else but I know that I don't just to work on other people's ideas but on my own as well. This means that I will have to be able to first ask good questions of others and of myself such as what will make people like my idea, why should they choose this product over others, and how can I make it easier to use of more cost effective. I also have to be able to sell my idea to whoever it is that will be funding the project, whether it is my boss, investors, or leaders of a company. This requires me to be able to powerfully communicate my vision to them so that they may see it as I do. Without these missing basics I might have a great idea, but be unable to show anyone else how great it is. Even after my project gets picked the missing basics are still helpful. To improve the project I would need to bring in people to test it out on and get feedback from them. Then this data must be used to better the project. It requires both the ability to ask good questions of my testers and the ability to gather and use the data received. So much more goes into creating something than just solving the technical problems and for this reason I am very glad that we are working on these missing basics.
We were asked to come up with three skills we wanted to develop this semester and to come up with ways to work on them. The three skills I want to develop most are networking, communicating ideas, and asking good questions. To improve my networking skills I need to work on easily meeting new people and creating good connections with them fairly quickly. My first step in improving my networking ability is to try to meet one new person everyday whether it is in class, in the cafeteria, or just around campus. As for improving my communication ability I need to work on speaking clearly and becoming less nervous about speaking in public. To improve this ability I plan to answer more questions during classes especially if it is one that requires me to state my opinion. This will help me become more comfortable speaking in front of others. To improve my question asking ability I will plan begin writing down any questions I have during a lecture so I can remember them and will bring them with me to either the discussion section or I will ask my professor about them after class.
Until next time,
Ben Menke
Very thorough in your response. You make a good point of how important communicating your ideas and being cooperative with your co-workers is. you display the importance of the missing basics through a great example as well. Your improvements were well chosen and are going to help you be successful in the future. Especially networking I had not thought of the importance of networking untill you brought it up.
ReplyDeleteGreat, detailed response to The Missing Basics. You touched on inter-team communication and its importance, which is very true. Without proper communication, a few great engineers can only make a mangled mess. In contrast, with great communication a good product can come from even decent engineers.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the three skills you hope to develop further, I can sympathize with wanting to improve networking and communicating better. Engineers need these two skills in particular as tradition education merely focuses on the math and science. In terms of job advancement and security, networking is essential.
I think your post does a great job breaking down the missing basics and how they are applied to the career of a person today. In order to get a job or move up in a corporation, communication skills are needed. Networking was what jumped out at me from your list of goals. Getting to know people and making connections is key and it is good that you are focusing on meeting new people everyday and building that strength. Business skills and communication are needed in any career and I believe that engineering is a profession that these skills are needed in more than most. An engineer needs to work with a team to get a project done and then be able to convey the operation and importance of the result in a efficient and understandable way. Great job breaking down the missing basics and finding a way to work towards applying them in your everyday life.
ReplyDeleteI think that the three skill that you wish to develop are very good skills to have in a classroom and work environment. Meeting people is a great way to build friendships and sometimes business relations. As an engineer, both are extremely important. Concerning asking questions in class, I totally understand your point of view. I too hesitate to answer questions in class because I'm unsure about my opinion. Hopefully both of us are able to improve on that.
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