Is creativity/innovation something that can be learned?

If you are creative in one field, you can be creative in another! And – yes – creativity often comes from knowledge and the ability to bring together ideas from different fields. So, the more you learn, the more creative you can be.

I think creativity and innovation ABSOLUTELY can be learned and developed. I like to think of creativity like a muscle. If you don't use it sometimes it gets a little flabby or goes away, but the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. Creativity is the same way. And there's a couple ways I like to exercise that muscle.

One is to brainstorm, especially with others. Sometimes getting outside your own head opens up interesting and creative thoughts. I also like to talk things out. Sometimes just talking to someone else, even if they aren't responding opens up ideas and gets me unstuck.

Another thing I like to do is brain teasers or puzzles that get me thinking a little differently. That helps break up the monotony of trying to come up with something new when I'm blocked.

The last thing is to try an exercise that removes the rules, like if there were no rules, no physics, etc. Then how would I do this?

And if all else fails take a break. Sometimes the subconscious needs time to process in the background so you can finally get your AHA moment!

Writing is an underestimated essential skill in engineering. I have had many projects where I had to write engineering requirements, technical design reports, flight/lab test procedures, maintenance procedures, and more. You also need good writing and speaking skills to explain your engineering designs and analyses to your colleagues and customers so that big decisions can be made. I encourage you to pursue engineering because we need more people like you with good writing skills in the industry.

There are many type of engineering jobs. Talking to as many different types of engineers as you can will help you learn about what they do and try to find a good fit for you. Creativity and innovation skills will come as part of education and work experiences. Keep practicing those skills. Remember to be "Brave, not Perfect" (Reshma Saujani).

First of all creativity/ innovation are not critical requirements for all engineering positions. On the contrary many engineering positions have well established guidelines on how things should flow / work. Part of the engineer's job is to make sure the workers are adhering to those guidelines.

There are also advancing technologies which require creativity/ innovation, but don't exclude yourself because you don't think you can offer something of value. Most engineering is done in teams. As you work with the team, listen to ideas, and analyze data you will develop a theory, even if it is going along with the popular theory of the team. With knowledge and experience you will soon discover that you may develop a theory of your own. Have the confidence to sort through the details with your team or one other individual you respect on the team.

Long answer for: Yes, creativity and innovation can be learned.

Creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised frequently! Everyone has creativity within them, even in unexpected ways. For example, when I'm baking cookies, and I find that I am missing an ingredient, I don't give up - I make a creative substitute. Creativity is birthed out of challenges, and you can exercise your creativity muscles by challenging yourself!

Creativity in engineering is different than creativity and inventiveness in other subjects. A creative engineering solution might apply existing techniques and limitations to a specific project application to find the “best fit”. It also might mean taking two different solutions that aren’t normally put together, and finding a way to merge them. Other times, it is the creativity to see something that your client needs and has defined, but doesn’t yet exist, and be able to develop it to the point where you can show it to others.

In all cases, yes, you absolutely can learn and develop your skills to be creative in engineering – the more you learn about the subject, the more you can find the unusual solutions that meet all the rules but isn’t a cookie cutter option or something you’ve done before.

Yes, creativity and innovation can be developed! I have found that creativity and innovation become easier for me when I have multiple experiences under my belt to pull from, then I feel comfortable coming up with new/different ways to approach a problem. Collaboration helps as well, getting different perspectives and ideas and then combining them to make something new. When I’m new to an area, I find asking the “dumb” questions about why something is done a certain way often triggers innovative thinking.

You can absolutely learn to be creative and innovative! I have learned creative thinking through my undergraduate and graduate studies, and after becoming proficient in my current job function at work. Even if an engineering problem seems complex, it can ALWAYS be broken down into smaller problems and into basic engineering concepts. For example, I work in Crash Safety and the core of our work boils down to basic physics - Newton's laws, conservation of energy, springs and dampers, etc. As you begin to master the basics, you'll learn to apply them creatively to the problem that is presented to you!

Innovation also can be something that you may consider "small." You don't have to invent the next iPhone, Google, or Empire State Building to make a difference! You can innovate an analysis tool that helps you process data faster, make a slight design modification that saves your company lots of money, or change the order of a standard process that saves time on the manufacturing line. You can re-innovate something that already exists!

Absolutely! I had the same fear initially and I learned later that it was unfounded. Creativity and innovation can be learned and it often comes from experience, as strange as that sounds. Seeing the same problem before gives me an idea for how to solve a similar problem in the future. Innovators are also wrong many times and have to tweak their idea until they get one that works. If you persevere, you have all you need to be an engineer.