What is one skill beneficial to have when doing your job?

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing work environment, it is essential to possess a wide range of skills to excel in our respective roles. However, one skill that stands out as particularly beneficial across all industries is critical thinking. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information, evaluate different perspectives, and make informed decisions. It involves asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions, and approaching problems with an open mind.

This skill enables us to think creatively, solve complex problems, and make sound judgments based on evidence and reasoning. In the workplace, critical thinking is invaluable for making strategic decisions, identifying opportunities for improvement, and adapting to new challenges. It helps us to navigate ambiguity, assess risks, and find innovative solutions to problems. By honing our critical thinking skills, we can enhance our problem-solving abilities, increase our efficiency, and ultimately drive better results for our teams and organizations.

Technical Communication: distilling complex ideas and data into something very concise and simplified so it can be easily understood.

• How to develop that skill: Practice in multiple forms of communication, from Presentations, Technical Writing (Both long technical report form and short one-page forms), and a “2 minute Elevator Speech” for concise summaries to provide to someone quickly. Know your audience and your objective: WHO are you talking to? Are you talking to someone who knows as much as you do on the subject, or is it someone who has barely heard of the topic you are talking about? Know your objective: WHAT do you want to get out of the conversation? Do you want them to make a project decision, give funding or money, or just an update on recent learnings? Know HOW people like to receive information. Do they like to receive it in written form (like short summaries), real time in a presentation?
• How to work on it: It takes a lot of practice and feedback – practice with people who are unfamiliar with your subject to solicit feedback, or others in your work group to see if your input is concise. I took a lot of trainings on technical writing and communication, offered both at my company and others externally. A really good, simple resource is the TED Talk “Talk Nerdy to Me” by Melissa Marshall
• Done differently: There is a big shift from communication and technical writing from University to Business. It took me a few years to learn that my managers didn’t want the technical details of the work I was doing, and weren’t looking to hear updates about the work I was doing but wanted to know about the decisions to be made and next steps for the project. I would spend my time talking about my test plans and results, and missing the bigger questions for help and decisions to be made. I could have been more effective earlier in my career if I learned technical communication earlier.

Some of the tools behind engineering can lead a person down so many different paths. Exploring them earlier may even change your career trajectory.

• Computer Aided Design (CAD) - depending on what type of engineering you are looking into. You may be doing your own designs or you may be working with a drafter in a team. I was trained in CAD 2D drawing in the military, and that is one of the attributes that led to my employment in the telecommunications industry.
• Office Programs - Being familiar with operational programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. or evolving today Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, etc. can be a huge help when managing a project. Some engineering teams even have a Project Manager or in Information Technologies now a Scrum Master who tracks engineering steps through various programs. Although these systems are constantly evolving and changing, having basic knowledge is extremely helpful.
• Collaboration Tools: Microsoft Teams, WebEX, Zoom, Slack, Flock -- these are also evolving and changing everyday. But understanding more than just how to join a video conference but how to use the collaboration features within these applications can make you an invaluable team member. Possibly even impress your supervisor. Beware it may also lead to a collateral duty which takes you away from your primary passion of engineering.

As you move along your engineering career path, new technologies and tools may take you down a side road. Don't be afraid to explore and develop new skills. All will be teaching/learning moments.

The most important skill is curiosity fostered by continuous learning. You can develop this skill by learning about things you enjoy. This fosters passion and develops expertise.

While there are multiple skills beneficial when doing the jobs I have had over the years, one skill that stands out is basic coding skills. In today's workplace, there are multiple systems used to do day-to-day work, some for project tracking, others for inventory, data analytics, and many others. Even if you are not in an IT type role you still need to relay requirements to the IT team to help enhance these systems to do the work you need them to. Having basic coding skills allows you to take your requirements and relay them to IT in a way they will understand them to make sure they are implemented correctly. You can also help automate your daily tasking using excel macros or other programming tools.

I only had one MatLab class when I was doing my Mechanical Engineering undergrad degree. Looking back now I wish I had more classes that would help me understand coding and the work required. However, even that basic knowledge allowed me to code some visual basic macros in excel to assist my team. Google was a huge help in learning how to code in visual basics but having the basic knowledge the MatLab taught me was crucial.

I would encourage you to take a basic programming class in high school or college to at least get a foundation and maybe take more if you are interested. There are also many free classes out there on YouTube and other learning platforms. If you get stuck when coding, google what you are trying to do and you will find a lot of resources that will provide you basic code to use!

I think the most beneficial skill is being able to talk to people – all people – and at all different technical levels. Communication is key for any job. So get comfortable doing presentations to small and large audiences, and also get comfortable being in a room with people you don't really know, and talking to them.

I joined a sorority when I was in college and that was one of the best things I could have done for this. It forced me to spend time planning and carrying out activities with people who were NOT engineering-like minded, which is who I spend most of my time with otherwise (classes, studying, etc.). Additionally, I took on leadership roles in groups and taught classes - this required me to make more formal presentations. I did not join these groups or take on roles with this in mind; I did it because it was fun and it was challenging.

In every job I've ever had, the most beneficial skill was the ability to work cross functionally with my team members. Nobody can work in a silo and the realization that everyone's job is important (from the CEO to the mailroom staff), will lead to great success and a healthy work environment/network.

Besides this one, it is very important to deliver what you promise.

Be open to learning new things throughout your career. Since science and technology change so rapidly, it is important to engage in lifelong learning and be open to new ideas and new perspectives. It's what I love about my job - I'm never bored and I am always learning from others.

The most important skill I have found in my engineering career is that of “Critical Thinking.” Critical thinking is the ability to be able to look at a problem from many different perspectives. Engineering solutions sometimes require “new perspectives” and one can gain those views from being able to observe an issue from different viewpoints.

After a few years of working, I discovered I thought differently than many of my peers about many problems we faced at work. So, I started out by believing that I had to think “more like a man thinks!” This led me to think more about how I thought. I decided to talk about thinking with my boss, and I learned more by reading the book, The Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. Once I better understood the fundamentals, I began applying “The 6 Hats” to the problems I was facing, and I found that I could suggest more possible solutions! Today, I find it important to not rely on social media to tell me how to think about a problem. I hope this helps!

As someone who has been both an educator (college professor) and worked in business, both before and after graduate school, the one skill I feel is frequently lacking is the ability to write clearly. Most engineers understand the underlying mathematics relevant to their jobs and how to apply engineering principles in the field. What they often lack, however, is the ability to express themselves clearly in writing.

This is a critical skill whether you are specifying what you need built or implemented, for describing what you accomplished and how it was done in a project report, or writing a users' manual. If you cannot describe your work clearly in a way that others can understand it, then much of the value is lost.

How to develop this skill? Practice writing and make sure you proofread everything you write. I am always shocked when I receive a document full of misspelled words and incomplete or incoherent sentences. It sends the message that you don't care and don't value the reader's time. Find a friend or a partner who can read your documents and give you feedback.

Don't get offended by criticism. It is aimed at helping you improve.

Another possibility is to take a technical writing course. You might be able to find one at a local university or community college, or even a local adult education program.

The greatest skill anyone can have IMO – regardless of your profession – is the capacity and willingness to learn. If you know everything, you learn nothing new.

The best way to learn this skill is to listen. When we listen it’s so much easier to learn. The other way to practice is to reiterate what you’ve heard – to ensure there was no loss in context or understanding. And ask questions. When we ask, we learn.

I am always more eager to hire an individual who is willing and able to learn over someone who already knows everything about a job. Every employer is different and while bringing your skillset is a big bonus, being able to learn allows the individual to build on their own skillset and accommodate the job needs. And let’s not forget technology keeps evolving so knowing that nothing stays the same for long, your capacity to learn will open doors for you!

Keep learning!! We can not possibly know everything so when you’re open to learning, the possibilities are endless!! I love your question and it’s a great one to ponder early in life rather than later! Good luck with your studies and early career…I’m rootin’ for your success!

Without a doubt, presentation skills. Being able to convey your technical information clearly and concisely is very important, and this is a skill where practice is more important than natural talent, so anyone can succeed! Public speaking practice, communications courses, presenting papers, debate competitions, and social speaking organizations all provide practice opportunities. I paired an engineering degree with a minor in communications and lots of public speaking competitions and that combination has served me well!

The number one skill I believe has been beneficial to doing my job (or any job for that matter) is to ask for help sooner rather than later. It takes a lot of training and development for people to feel alright with asking questions or for help, no matter how “dumb” it may be. Far too often, it feels like we should immediately know the answer otherwise we don’t feel like we’re good enough or belong where we’ve worked hard to be. It’ll take awhile to be ok with it. Remind yourself that it’s alright to ask questions. And when you find a person who’s willing to answer a question, no matter how big or small, don’t hesitate to make them your go-to person.

One skill that I’ve found incredibly useful and have continued to develop throughout my career is public speaking.

I was terrified of public speaking throughout high school and college. It was my mentor early in my career that told me to sign up for things that made me uncomfortable because that was the only way I was going to grow. I took on a leadership position within the local Society of Women Engineers and was forced to do a few speaking engagements. Yes, my hands shook. Yes, my face got bright red. Yes, my voice quivered sometimes. But the more I did it, the less fear I had and the less I dreaded these types of events. A few years into my career, I even joined our site’s Toastmasters group to further my progress.

Now, it’s very rare that I feel my face flush when I am put on the spot in a room full of business leadership. It has given me an overall confidence in speaking to people I don’t know that I never thought possible!

My best and most beneficial skill is storytelling! If I can explain something technical to anyone and have them understand why it's important and how I approached solving it, then I can learn and teach just about anything!

I start from being able to explain the motivation of why something is important. For instance, conservationists are getting hurt trying to physically touch endangered animals to measure the size of the animal and track them. Likewise, the animals are getting stressed and hurt when conservationists try to physically restrain them or anesthetize them. Wouldn't it be awesome to use contactless technology so we could tag and track animals without endangering either the human or the animal?

The next part of the story is to offer my approach to solving the problem. My approach is to use imaging technology and Artificial Intelligence to process videos and pictures of animals to extract the information conservationists get from tagging and physically measuring the animal.

I also use the storytelling approach to check whether I understand something that someone else has taught me. If I can relay a story back to the teacher explaining what I think I learned, the teacher can better help identify where I misunderstood things. This is why teachers always say "Show your work!" It is because they are trying to understand our thought process. If we understand a concept and we can explain something to someone else correctly, then you truly understand it and will retain it better!

If I knew earlier that this was important, I would not have been afraid to try it with my teachers. I think I was terrified that teachers would think I was stupid if I didn't get something correct, or my interpretation was way off. One of my friends in college taught me this skill and I have used it ever since!

One beneficial skill is the ability to collaborate effectively with various stakeholders. This includes clear communication, understanding different perspectives, and working together to achieve common goals. Additionally, being adaptable and knowledgeable about industry standards and practices is crucial, as it allows for ensuring functional assurance within projects.