Can I still make it as an engineer even if I'm bad at thinking outside the box?

Many engineers have an issue looking outside the box.  While some specialty will be harder for you because they require a little more creative thinking, there are s lot of fields that are very rigid and you do not need to be an "outside of the box" thinker.  I would recommend first to determine what field of engineering you want to go into and then find a specialty that speaks to you.  If the specialty is something you are interested in then the solutions will be easier to determine and you will more like to research solutions for something you like.

In general, you can still be a great engineer, and not be a great engineering student. Engineering classes are generally challenging. I thought that some of the courses in the earlier parts of engineering curriculum were tougher for two reasons: one, they were general classes not related directly to my major and secondly, they were more theoretical and less "hands on" classes (which I enjoyed more of the classes when I got to design or apply learning). If you have not done this yet, I would also at this point recommend getting internships to help you get the experience of applying engineering as a career.

“Before you can think out of the box, you have to start with a box”. That’s a famous quote by Twyla Tharp, a world famous dancer and choreographer from her book “The Creative Habit.” I interpret that as you have to understand and know the basic and fundamental rules of science and engineering. Once you know them, then you can question assumptions and stretch the limits of these rules and start thinking outside the box. In college, most engineering curriculum is designed to teach you about the box. Your extracurricular clubs and research lab experience will help you understand the box and some ways to think outside of it.

Strange as it seems, that intuitive or instinctive creativity you might see in others comes from experience – I know because I’ve felt the same way and as I’ve gained experience, I’ve been able to come up with new ideas faster. Thinking outside the box comes from doing things many times before, being comfortable with those methods, and then finding connections and patterns between different things you’ve done to find a new, “creative” solution.

Hope that helps!

I completely understand this perspective, I felt the same exact way until I started doing my own research project during my doctorate. Indeed, it is true that the more you are an expert in a subject, the better you can question dogma and push the boundaries for designing research within that subject. However, I don’t think anyone can be bad at thinking outside of the box. Thinking outside of the box can be as simple as questioning methods that are traditionally used in engineering. Asking “why” as much as you can will allow you to start questioning the answers, leading you to be an “out of the box” thinker. Everyone has a unique perspective, no matter your expertise, and it’s important to share your thoughts without fear. It’s more likely that someone will find your thoughts interesting, rather than being upset that you spoke up. As engineers, we need to question each other and listen in order to design the best solutions possible.

In my experience, I do not believe anyone is fully incapable of acquiring a given skillset. Background and innate ability may make some tasks easier than others, but do not completely eliminate a particular skillset from a person’s sphere of capability. I have found that emotions and perceptions about the level of difficulty of a task usually hinders a person’s ability to succeed in a given area. Once that mind-set obstacle is overcome, then opportunities are limitless. By dedication to achieving some level of competence in an area, and believing that you can succeed, I see no reason why engineering cannot be on the list of choices as a career. Re-training how one thinks may not be easy, but it is definitely possible, and anyone’s capability is augmented once that commitment to succeed persists.

Keep in mind that thinking outside the box is relative to who you are surrounded by – that’s really what defines the box. Just because you don’t think you can connect-the-dots well in math subjects does not mean you can’t become an engineer. Engineering is way more than just math – it is problem solving. You can be good at puzzles or riddles or crafts or art! I always loved art and yet, I ended up an engineer. I honestly never thought I was really stellar at thinking outside the box either. I had many classmates who were brighter than me and knew all the answers faster than me. You could just be slower at connecting-the-dots than your classmates and that is perfectly ok! Perhaps you are more thorough or detail oriented, which can be invaluable in the future too. Thinking outside the box also can come from experience, so each person has their own perspective that they are drawing upon to provide suggestions and answers. Depending on where they’ve been or what they’ve seen, you may perceive they are “thinking outside-the-box” when really they are just repeating something exactly as they’ve seen it before. Engineering is also about following a known process too. I do a lot of testing that employs the scientific method – so if you are good at following that, you can be a really good engineer too!

Absolutely, yes, without a doubt! There are various engineering disciplines and just because you are not able to “think outside the box” today does not mean you will not have a light bulb moment some time down the road and things could come to you easier then! However, in the meantime, don’t be discouraged. There are a number of great analytical engineers that are awesome at what they do…sorting through data, looking at trends, analyzing information to develop a solution, and they are just as important in the field as someone who quickly sees things in a more creative, innovative manner. Both have great roles in society and you should not fret. And the other thing to remember is practice makes perfect. If you continue to work through the information you’re given and start to listen and learn from those around you, you’ll soon find yourself coming up with innovative and creative solutions you never imagined before! The more you learn, the more you are able to creatively develop solutions – more information and skill within you helps you think of unique solutions to problems! Never stop learning and you will soon find yourself at the top of your game engineering all sorts of solutions and having fun in the process. Remember…those who know everything learn nothing. Don’t stop with what you know, seek out what you do not know and keep growing!

Wishing you great success in your career and remember…you have a whole legion of engineering women backing you up and cheering you on!

Absolutely! I personally consider creativity to be one of my biggest personal weaknesses. I have never been the one to think of the new idea or brilliant unique method. However, what I am great at is understanding other people ideas and thoughts, and then helping them to execute that vision. It takes a whole team in the engineering world to bring something to life. Everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses; we all do our part and that’s what being a team member is all about!

This is a great question! One of the things that engineering education teaches is problem solving, and like other skills it gets better with practice. This is really important – social scientists call it the "growth mindset" – understanding that we can learn new skills and increase our abilities through practice. Working together on teams also allows engineers to leverage the different perspectives that all members bring to a problem. You don't have to do it all by yourself, and solutions are generally better when developed by teams with different experiences and points of view. Sometimes it is very important to stay "inside the box,” when you need to follow codes and regulations for example. What I'm trying to say is that you can improve your ability to "think outside the box" and recognize that your skill in staying "inside the box" is also valuable.

Of course you can still become a great engineer! You are an engineer in training and part of that training is learning new things including ideas that were out of the box in their time. The more you see and learn, the more you will be able to come up with your own creative ideas to solve a problem. The important part is to stay curious and try to understand the motivation and thought process behind an approach. The more you are exposed to these ideas, the easier it will get to connect the dots.

Of course you can. Innovation isn't just something you are born with. The pure successful "out-of-the-box" thinker is extremely rare. Most innovation is people with some experience trying to find a better way to do what they do. It not only comes with some experience, but growing confidence in yourself. I too felt the same way about my abilities as you describe when I was just finishing school and worried I wasn't really able to be an engineer. However, I was too afraid to not try after all the effort I had gone through to get an engineering degree. Now some 35 years later - I have had plenty of times where I could take my experience and turn it around/upside down whatever to try to think of a new way of doing things. Also - it is easier to see the flaws in something when you have been through it a few times.

The world needs all kinds of engineers with all kinds of different skill sets. Math and math-related subjects are part of the university requirements, but they are not necessarily part of all engineering jobs. There are numerous types of engineering work that do not involve math, such as computing, human-machine interaction, user experience, and so much more. Also, just because you don’t adore math (neither do I, btw) does not mean you are not good at thinking outside of the box. In fact, likely the opposite is true; math is a closed system of formalism, and thinking outside of the box may well go beyond math. A lot of engineering these days is having to grapple with problems involving people, and nobody knows how to model people with math, because people are too complicated for any currently existing mathematical models. Engineering is not about math, it is about solving various problems and challenges, with new ones popping up and being invented all the time. Don’t base your decisions on what engineering looks like now, instead get into it and push it toward what it will look like in the future, because it keeps evolving.

I think so.

I was a math major and I always struggled, I felt like other kids “just got it” and I was always a step behind. With that being said, I’ve been a very successful software engineer.

I think a big part of succeeding in any job is exposure. I’m ten years into my career and I can now quickly find the solution to most problems because I’ve been at it so long and I’ve been exposed to so many different issues. I also think that’s where I struggled in school. I’m a highly active learner (and maybe you are too), I need to do it to understand it, not read about it or hear it in a lecture. You don’t have the chance for a great deal of exposure when you’re taking a class that lasts 16 weeks (especially when you don’t retain scenarios through textbook or lecture, like me), so it’s really hard to think outside the box, but in your job, you’ll face the same problems over and over and you’ll quickly learn how to deal with them!

Best of luck!

This is not a concern at all. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Engineering classes teach you the concept. The more you practice these new concepts, the more you will know how to apply it in future. Once you get more familiar with the concepts, you will be able to come up with new ideas naturally. It takes time. So don’t stress. Engineers often take years to come up with new products and that’s typical. What’s behind their success is multiple failures. Learn from mistakes and remember practice, practice, practice.
2. There are always rules and policies that we have to follow depending on your field and industry. Thinking outside the box doesn’t apply to all roles.
3. It takes team effort to come up with new ideas and innovative products. Don’t stress about not having new ideas. Chatting with your teammates and actively listening to others ideas will help You develop other ideas. Different members in a team contribute differently and that’s what makes a diverse team.
4. Don’t let a class discourage you. There are so many different types of engineers and industries. You don’t have to be good at all classes and be super technical to be a successful engineer. What’s more important is to put in effort such as preparation, willingness to accept other people’s suggestions, follow up and follow through.