Here are 12 Tips for Becoming a Successful Engineer:
1. Define Your Goals. Define where you would like to be as an engineer in the medium and long-term.
2. Identify Role Models and Mentors. You can seek inspiration from role models in the comapny you work for or outside your company, including industry leaders. When doing this, don’t just look at the great engineering work they do, but also how they became successful.
3. Commit Yourself to Continuous Professional Development. You should acquire new skills with enthusiasm while being on a constant lookout for new professional development opportunities.
4. Constantly Work on Improving Your Problem-Solving Skills. Problem-solving is an essential skill in just about every field of engineering.
5. Work on Improving Soft Skills. Don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills, however, such as organisational, teamwork, and presentation skills.
6. Focus on the Details. Details matter in engineering, so be meticulous in your attention to detail, whatever the task and whatever the project.
7. Learn from Mistakes. As an engineer, you will make mistakes, and you will fail. Mistakes are part of the process, particularly if you work with cutting edge technologies, processes, or systems.
8. Understand Business. It will help you better understand the different requirements and perspectives of the business.
9. Embrace Change. You should never get stuck in an attitude of “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. Instead, always be flexible, so you’re ready to change.
10. Work Hard. This applies to every industry and job type, including engineering.
11. Be Optimistic. Remaining optimistic when facing challenges will take you a long way.
12. Stay Flexible. Engineering is a very broad field with lots of opportunities. You should remain open-minded, therefore, about where your career will take you.
- World of Engineering