There’s a reason engineering is a highly respected career path. Engineers are responsible for solving many of the world’s problems ranging from better transportation to high-tech medical treatments.
If you’re interested in becoming an engineer, there are both hard and soft skills you need to learn in order to be successful. Take a look at this brief guide to becoming an engineer.
Hard Skills
There’s no getting around it. Engineers need a deep understanding of math and science in order to thrive.
The college courses you take can be tough if you don’t plan your courses well ahead. Start taking as many advanced math courses as early as possible.
If trigonometry is available in middle school, it wouldn’t be too soon to take as an engineering hopeful. Most aspiring engineers start their advanced math courses in high school though.
You’ll need a mix of calculus one and calculus two to prepare for college-level engineering courses. Also, make sure you sign up for chemistry, physics, biology, and geometry.
The information in these courses is at the heart of any engineering curriculum.
Soft Skills
There are soft skills you’ll need when becoming an engineer that can’t be gained directly from a textbook. Problem-solving and good communication are among the top two.
Communication is at the heart of doing business in the real world. You’ll need to clearly express your ideas to others in ways that are easy to understand.
You also need to know how to create reports that showcase your work or make a recommendation when solving a problem. An engineer’s job is all about solving problems to make the world a better place.
There are many ways to gain this soft skill. For starters, you can enter engineering competitions as a student.
These competitions give ample practice in solving pretend problems that might later occur in the real world. Though many students shy away from having their work judged critically, it can actually be very helpful feedback on how you approach engineering.
You’ll learn early where you can improve in your thinking process. Perhaps you are skipping steps because of a lack of patience.
Or you might be forgetting opportunities to collaborate. Put your engineering skills into practice often to build on your soft skills.
Becoming an Engineer
You’ll need a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in order to become an engineer. Engineering degrees are usually specific to the field you want to work in.
Make sure the college you choose is accredited so that you can get appropriate licenses later. Unaccredited programs aren’t recognized by every employer or graduate school.
You’ll need to meet continuing education requirements to keep your licensing current.
Post College Path
Becoming an engineer can be accomplished with the right hard and soft skills. Choose a solid engineering program at an affordable college.
Your college coursework is easier when you’ve been practicing all throughout high school. Take advantage of engineering summer programs to get exposure to the soft skills required to do the job.
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